BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bye bye, Big Internet. In a live-streamed event today, T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) CEO Mike Sievert unveiled the company’s latest Un-carrier move, Internet Freedom, tackling pain points that have plagued the broadband industry for decades. T-Mobile launched 5G Home Internet just last year, and now it’s taking the next big step… making it easy for broadband customers to break up with Big Internet, lock in their price with massive savings, and finally feel appreciated.
In addition, the Un-carrier launched T-Mobile Business Internet nationwide with new plans, expanding service to any business within T-Mobile’s wireless footprint. That makes T-Mobile the first and only nationwide internet provider for businesses with 5G fixed wireless. No other 5G or wireline provider can connect businesses nationwide.
“The Un-carrier was created to fix a stupid, broken wireless industry, and while we aren’t done, we’ve undoubtedly changed it for good. Now, with Internet Freedom, we’re taking on Big Internet and bringing the Un-carrier movement to broadband,” said Sievert. “Broadband customers are the least satisfied in America – the fees, the contracts, the price hikes, the terrible customer service. It’s ridiculous, and it looks a lot like the wireless industry a decade ago. Today, that all starts to change because the Un-carrier is here to disrupt broadband for good.”
Introducing Internet Freedom
With Internet Freedom, The Un-carrier is stepping up on behalf of broadband customers with:
Freedom to Switch. Broadband customers are STUCK. They’re the least satisfied customers in America1. They want to switch, but they can’t because they either have no choice for high-speed broadband, are locked in an old-school contract or don’t have the time to go through the complicated switching process. To switch, they have to do battle with their current provider to leave, sign a new contract, wait for an installation window between now and next Tuesday, drill holes in their walls, and spend hours resetting all their devices. All that before they even know how the new service will work for them.
T-Mobile is changing all of that and making it easier than ever to break up with Big Internet:
- Cheat on your Internet Provider with Test Drive. Customers can try Home Internet for 15 days, worry-free. If they like it, great! If not, return the gateway and owe nothing. It’s 100% On Us. And because it’s totally wireless, they can even keep their old provider while they try it.
- Break up with your provider and T-Mobile will cover the cost. When customers are ready to switch, they can break their contract and break up with their internet provider, at no cost because T-Mobile will cover all early termination fees up to $500.
Freedom to Save. Internet providers are notorious for luring customers in with a low promotional price, then jacking it up after the first or second year. On average, providers raise prices more than 30% after the promo period is up. And that’s before the fees … for activation, equipment, installation, even self-installation. In 2020 alone, internet providers charged customers more than $9 billion just in monthly fees2.
As prices for everything are going up, T-Mobile is giving customers massive savings and the ability to lock in their price:
- Rest easy with Price Lock. Now, Home and Business Internet plans come with Price Lock, so a customer’s price is locked in at just $50 per month, period, because there are no monthly taxes or fees. And it’s not locked in for one or two years, but for as long as they’re a customer. Only they can change what they pay for broadband.
- Save more when adding Home Internet on a family plan. T-Mobile is treating Home Internet like another line you add to a Magenta MAX family plan, so the price is just $30 per month – and locked in at $30 per month with Price Lock. With this deal, families can save up to $900 per year3. Plus, get all of the value in Magenta MAX, T-Mobile’s most popular plan, that saves you up to 20% over comparable plans from Verizon and AT&T.
Finally, Feel Thanked. Internet providers rank dead last in customer satisfaction year after year in part, surely, because they never thank their customers.
T-Mobile is showing broadband customers what it feels like to be appreciated.
- Get thanked every T-Mobile Tuesday. Now, ALL T-Mobile broadband customers can get T-Mobile Tuesdays - even if they don’t have a T-Mobile phone plan. T-Mobile Tuesdays is an award-winning program that’s dished out more than $1.5 billion in thankings over the last five years.
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Get ready for a BIG thanking. Next Tuesday, May 10, begins one of our biggest thankings EVER. And it’s all about making it easy to break up with Big Cable, because millions are still stuck in internet and TV bundles.
- Get $50 off any streaming device with Home Internet and any voice plan. That means a free Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku or the lowest price around on other awesome streaming devices and eligible gaming consoles.
- Get 50% off YouTube TV for a full year, saving nearly $400, with Home Internet and Magenta MAX. Enjoy cable-free live and on-demand TV on your terms with 85+ channels of entertainment, sports, local news, movies and shows, and unlimited DVR space, for a fraction of Big Cable’s price.
With $50 off any streaming device, 50% off YouTube TV, Netflix on Us, plus Paramount+ for a year and other streaming included in Magenta MAX, it makes breaking up with Big Cable a no brainer. These offers are available starting next Tuesday and EVERY Tuesday all summer long.
Nationwide Internet for Businesses
If you think Big Internet treats consumers terribly, wait until you hear how they treat businesses. Internet providers slap “business” on something and charge more. Businesses pay $55 more per month for Comcast’s 100 Mbps plan than consumers, and the only major differences are that businesses get a static IP address and their service is called “Business Internet.”
Even worse, businesses with multiple locations across the country are forced to navigate a patchwork of providers, all with different contracts, prices, policies, equipment, service level agreements, and customer care teams … just to get internet in their remote offices and stores. It’s a mess. And it’s incredibly complex and costly to manage.
Today, the Un-carrier is making business internet simple, launching internet for businesses nationwide. Now, T-Mobile can connect all of a businesses’ stores and remote offices across the country, anywhere within its wireless footprint. That makes T-Mobile the first and only nationwide internet provider for businesses with 5G fixed wireless. No other 5G or wireline provider can connect businesses nationwide.
To do this, T-Mobile is launching new plans with buckets of high-speed data for business locations where the network does not yet offer unlimited broadband. Business customers in those areas can now choose plans with 100GB or 300GB of high-speed data per month for $50 or $70 per month respectively. They’ll get unlimited 600 kbps data afterwards, or they have the option to add more high-speed data at $2 per GB.
These new plans more than meet the needs of most small and remote offices that use between 80 and 140 GB per month on average, often during off-peak network hours. And these plans are optimized for businesses, with options like static IP addresses and content filtering, so businesses can be sure their connection is used only for business purposes. As T-Mobile continues its aggressive 5G network rollout, more locations with these new plans will become eligible for unlimited broadband data – at $50 per month, the same as consumer broadband – when available in their area.
“For businesses with offices and stores across the country, working with internet providers is a mess. Businesses are forced to navigate a patchwork of players because nobody can offer service nationwide,” said President of T-Mobile’s Business Group, Callie Field. “It’s positively medieval. You have to battle with the local lord in each fiefdom just for internet access in your stores or remote offices. Today, the Un-carrier is changing that, launching T-Mobile Business Internet nationwide.”
T-Mobile is also giving small businesses a free tablet plan with unlimited 5G data when they sign up for Business Internet, for a limited time. Now, with Business Internet and an unlimited tablet plan, small businesses can stay connected on the go.
In addition, T-Mobile and Cradlepoint also jointly announced a new all-in-one 5G router custom designed for T-Mobile Business Internet customers. Learn more at here.
About T-Mobile Home and Business Internet
T-Mobile launched 5G Home Internet last year like only the Un-carrier would, with simple set-up, no annual contracts, no monthly taxes or fees, and support from the best care team in wireless – all at just $50 per month. It has been a hit, catapulting T-Mobile to America’s fastest growing broadband provider. In Q1, for the second quarter in a row, T-Mobile added more broadband customers than any other provider.
And it’s all brought to you by America’s largest, fastest 5G network – one that’s much larger than AT&T’s and more than four times Verizon’s. It’s why T-Mobile has been able to connect more than one million customers already. And it’s why the service is available to 40 million homes nationwide. All covered with 5G. It’s why T-Mobile broadband customers have Net Promoter Scores that are three times that of cable customers.
Internet Freedom and all related offers will be available starting May 10. To learn more about today’s business news, visit www.t-mobile.com/business-internet. To learn more about Internet Freedom or see if broadband service is available at your address, visit www.t-mobile.com/isp. For a replay of today’s live event, visit www.tmobile.com/uncarrier.
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Not available in all areas; customers ineligible for 5G Home or Business Internet may be eligible for 4G LTE or other fixed wireless options. During congestion, Home and Business Internet customers may notice speeds lower than other customers due to data prioritization. For use only at location provided at activation. Credit approval required for postpaid Home Internet. AutoPay: $5/mo. discount may not reflect on 1st bill. Regulatory fees included in monthly service price for qualifying accounts. If canceling postpaid Home or Business Internet service (gateway included), return gateway or pay up to $370 (up to $750 for business gateway). Price Lock guarantees your regular monthly rate for your current qualified home internet service plan (excludes taxes/fees, limited-time promotions, per-use charges, third-party services, devices and network management practices). Test Drive: Cancel within 15 days of Home Internet service activation to receive refund via one-time bill credit. Contract Freedom: Allow 8 weeks. Paid via virtual prepaid MasterCard© issued by Sunrise Banks N.A., Member FDIC; card terms apply. Applies to early termination fees; other costs excluded. 50% off YouTube TV for one year: English base plan subscription automatically renews at $64.99/mo. after first year. $50 Rebate: Paid via virtual prepaid MasterCard, typically in 8 weeks. TFB Free Tablet Line: With $10 monthly bill credit. Plus taxes & fees for customers on plans with additional taxes & fees. Credits stop if you cancel any lines or change plans. Fastest mobile 5G network based on median, overall combined 5G speeds according to analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 5G download speeds for Q1 2022. Speeds and coverage for fixed wireless products vary. See 5G device, coverage, & access details at T-Mobile.com.
About T-Mobile
T-Mobile U.S. Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is America’s supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. T-Mobile’s customers benefit from its unmatched combination of value and quality, unwavering obsession with offering them the best possible service experience and undisputable drive for disruption that creates competition and innovation in wireless and beyond. Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Sprint. For more information please visit: https://www.t-mobile.com.
1 Based on 2022 data from the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)
2 Based on average fees (Cost of Connectivity 2020) and total broadband subscribers (Statista) in 2020
3 Comparing FCC benchmark using Urban Rate Survey Data to T-Mobile Home Internet price with Magenta MAX
