T-Mobile has worked to woo subscribers with its unlimitedif asterisk-requiringdata plans. Its solution to data-gobbling users has been not to charge them but to slow them down, knocking them from blazing 4G speeds to more of a mosey. Understanding that for business usersa group it would very much like to attractmoseying is often not an option, T-Mobile has introduced two suites of mobile broadband data plans.
A group of Overage-Free plans, ideal for budgets without wiggle room, sets pricing and an agreed data limit, after which one can expect the ride to slow down. High-Speed plans, which start as low as $19.99 a month, set a price, a data allotment and an overage charge per megabyte that customers can expect to see applied should they exceed their allotments.
Over the past five years, the amount of data crossing T-Mobiles network has grown by 146 times, Frank Sickinger, T-Mobiles vice president of business sales, said in a June 27 statement. This growth in data usage and the associated cost is top of mind for our business customersfrom small businesses through large multinational corporations.
The new Overage-Free plans are available now, while the High-Speed plans will be available by the end of July. Both come in Classic and Value options. With Value plans, users pay less each month, but theyll pay full retail price for T-Mobile devices, while those opting for Classic plans are entitled the advertised discounts.
For example, T-Mobile currently lists the HTC Radar as having a $449.99 retail price, though after an instant discount and Web-only discount its currently available for free. Paired with a Classic plan, the phone would be free; with a Value plan, its $449.99.
The new plans are as follows:
Classic Overage-Free Plans:
500 MB for $29.99 a month
2 GB for $37.99 a month
5 GB for $47.99 a month
10 GB for $77.99 a month
Value Overage Plans:
500 MB for $24.99 a month
2 GB for $32.99 a month
5 GB for $42.99 a month
10 GB for $72.99 a month
Classic High-Speed Plans:
500 MB for $24.99 with a $0.10/MB overage charge
2 GB for $34.99 with a $0.03/MB overage charge
5 GB for $44.99 with a $0.02/MB overage charge
10 GB for $74.99 with a $0.02/MB overage charge
Value High-Speed Plans:
500 MB for $19.99 with a $0.10/MB overage charge
2 GB for $29.99 with a $0.03/MB overage charge
5 GB for $39.99 with a $0.02/MB overage charge
10 GB for $69.99 with a $0.02/MB overage charge
The new plans follow Verizon Wireless more controversial answer to subscribers growing use of tablets, laptop dongles and hotspots. Available as of today, June 28, Verizons new Share Everything plans let userswhether family members or small business colleaguesattach up to 10 devices to an account, with all the devices sipping from the same data pool. Pricing is based on the amount of data allotted to an account, and by the devices attached to the accounteach smartphone, for example, is $40 a month, tablets are $10 and data-only devices like dongles are $20 a month.
AT&T executives have said that, soon, theyll similarly offer single data plans that families can share.