How To Get Unlimited 4g Data For Free

T-Mobile launches unlimited no-contract 4G data plan for $lxx a month

Move is part of an ambitious program that includes LTE rollout and Apple devices including the iPhone

Matt Hamblen By

Senior Editor, Computerworld |

LAS VEGAS - T-Mobile United states of america has announced its unlimited nationwide 4G data plan will be bachelor for $70 a calendar month with no annual contract, starting on Wednesday.

The declaration is among a series of steps that T-Mobile CEO John Legere said are designed to help the nation'due south fourth-largest carrier grow and exist competitive with the superlative carriers that are many times larger in size.

"If you thought T-Mobile went abroad, that we were not a meaning actor, recall once more," Legere said at a crowded printing event at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Last twelvemonth, as a first step in its revival, T-Mobile announced it would shortly sell Apple products, presumably including the iPhone. Legere said Tuesday that he also expects to opposite declines in subscribers by the cease of 2013.

T-Mobile will also actuate Las Vegas on LTE inside near two weeks, Neville Ray, the company'south chief applied science officer, told Computerworld, with 100 one thousand thousand customers to be reached with LTE by mid-yr.

T-Mobile has fallen backside Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Dart in provisioning LTE, simply the company plans to ratchet upward apace, officials said. "Our LTE volition rock," Legere said, noting that it will be LTE Advance-capable from the first, even though smartphones won't take LTE Advance capability for more than than a year.

Already, T-Mobile offers fast 4G speeds over HSPA+42, which is faster than what AT&T and Verizon can offer in New York City, Legere said, adding that AT&T'south network there is "crap."

Ray said that boilerplate speeds on its HSPA+42 network are 8Mbps to 10Mbps, well-nigh what Verizon and AT&T are stating that their average LTE speeds have been so far.

Legere took shots at all three competitors in his wide-ranging remarks, peppering his comments with humor as he wore a New York Yankees baseball cap and a pink T-Mobile T-shirt.

He appeared alongside Joe Torre, quondam Yankees manager and now executive vice president of Major League Baseball operations. T-Mobile and MLB also announced on Tuesday a partnership to provide an on-field communication organisation powered by 4G wireless technology from T-Mobile.

The new no-annual-contract data plan is what Legere said is a centerpiece of T-Mobile'southward new attack on the marketplace, since it designed to address customer frustrations with the complexity of post-paid plans that lock in customers to ii years at other carriers.

"Our Unlimited 4G data plans ways 4G speeds, no caps and no overages on what [is a] smoking-fast, nationwide 4G network," he said. "This is the start of somebody listening to customers."

Legere as well warned that part of his plans for T-Mobile include charging customers for the actual cost of a smartphone, which could be equally much as $700, since T-Mobile won't be providing a subsidy, but will instead offer unlimited data, anytime upgrades, and no contract requirements.

He said customers would be able to come to T-Mobile with a 5-month quondam phone, which T-Mobile would purchase, giving the customer a run a risk to purchase some other with a no-contract requirement.

Already about 1.9 meg iPhone owners accept joined T-Mobile to take advantage of unlimited data plans, even though T-Mobile doesn't even sell the iPhone nonetheless, Ray said.

Legere said that each month about 100,000 customers transfer their service to T-Mobile from other carriers. "They BYOD to us," he said.

Customers at other carriers are not being treated fairly by those carriers and have sought out T-Mobile instead, he added.

"While you're handcuffed, they become in your pockets," he said.

To launch the Unlimited Nationwide 4G Information plan with no annual contract, T-Mobile is offering the LG Optimus L9 for $200, with no contract. It features a 4.five-in. touchscreen.

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Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His electronic mail accost is mhamblen@computerworld.com.

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Matt Hamblen is a multi-media journalist covering mobile, networking and smart city tech. He previously was a senior editor at Computerworld.