USA TODAY International Edition
T- Mobile drops cost of 5G unlimited plan
$ 47- per- line wireless plan unveils new features
T- Mobile wants to stretch the muscles of its 5G network with a new wireless plan with more features for current subscribers and perks to woo customers from other carriers.
The new Magenta Max plan, priced the same as T- Mobile’s current Magenta Plus plan, which it replaces, is $ 47 per line per month for three lines with autopay, taxes and fees included, for a limited time. The new plan includes unlimited 5G and 4G premium data, more mobile hotspot data, 4K video streaming, and free Netflix for each line.
T- Mobile, which finalized its merger with Sprint in April 2020, told regulators it would expand the networks to reach more consumers.
The unlimited 5G and 4G data feature is important as competing unlimited plans may temporarily slow data flow after certain milestones are reached, says T- Mobile chief marketing officer Matt Staneff. “What we said we would do is listen to consumers and give them what they want,” he said. “And what consumers increasingly need is more data, more stability and more access to the network.”
A single line under the Magenta Max plan costs $ 85. But each additional line added brings down the autopay cost to $ 47 under the current promotion. The
plan is available for small businesses and can cover up to 12 employees.
The new plan includes unlimited talk, text and data, 40 Gigabytes of hotspot data ( up from 20GB), the improvement to 4K video from HD, free Scam blocking and caller ID.
New customers without a 5G smartphone can trade in their current phone and get a new 5G one on T- Mobile’s 24month interest- free plan. T- Mobile will also let customers on other plans bring their 5G phone over, and pay off up to $ 650 of existing payments for that phone, without any switching costs.
In comparison, Verizon’s unlimited 5G plan – three lines cost about $ 65 each monthly – has 30GB of mobile hotspot data, plus free Disney+/ Hulu/ ESPN+, Apple Music, and Discovery+. AT& T’s Unlimited Elite plan – about $ 60 monthly each for three lines – comes with a 100GB premium data, 30GB of hotspot data and free HBO Max.
T- Mobile currently covers more than 100 million customers with its 5G network, but plans to reach 200 million this year, Staneff said.