UNLIMITED WIRELESS WARS HEAT UP
AT& T, Sprint join in, which is great news for cellphone users, maybe not investors
When it comes to wireless, one- upmanship never seems to stop. In the fighting ring Thursday: AT& T and Sprint.
The nation’s No. 2 and No. 4 carriers unveiled a clutch of new features designed to make their wireless data plans more attractive in a market that’s gone from competitive to cutthroat in less than a week.
For new customers, Sprint upped its week- old offer of five lines with unlimited data, for $ 90, to include high definition video streaming and 10GB of mobile hotspot data.
AT& T unbundled its unlimited data offering from requirements that customers also subscribe to its DirecTV or U- verse television service. AT& T is offering one line for $ 100, or four lines for $ 180.
The moves followed Sunday’s announcement by Verizon Wireless, the nation’s biggest carrier, that it would start offering unlimited data plans for $ 80 a month for one line and $ 180 for four.
Verizon’s return to unlimited plans wasn’t a huge surprise, given its projections of flat growth and aggressive marketing moves by the smaller, scrappier T- Mobile.
Still, Verizon — which had last offered unlimited data in 2012 and counts 114.2 million subscribers — creates big waves when it makes a turn.
Within a day, T- Mobile had polished its own offering, announcing that customers on its $ 70 unlimited T- MobileOne plan will get HD video and up to 10GB of highspeed “hotspot” data at no extra cost, taxes and fees included. Added promotion for a limited time: Two lines cost $ 100.
Analysts say something akin to a price war is in the works — great news for cellphone users, maybe less so for investors. T- Mobile shares are down nearly 3% since the Friday before Verizon’s rollout.
Sprint’s deal, which is available starting Friday, also includes a free iPhone 7 for the next 18 months with a trade- in of certain older phones. Sprint will automatically upgrade customers who signed up for last week’s $ 90 offer to this latest deal, giving them HD video and mobile hotspot, though they won’t be getting the free iPhone 7.
AT& T’s latest plan matches Verizon’s new unlimited offering for four lines, though a single line is pricier than Verizon’s.
As with Verizon, AT& T will be slowing down users when they are in “congested” areas if they’ve consumed more than 22GB in a month. The new unlimited offer will include HD video, but unlike other carriers, it will not allow users to use their phones as a mobile hotspot.