A document, acquired by TmoNews (via Droid Life), purports to reveal the specifics of T-Mobile’s “UNcarrier” plans, which signals a move away from subsidies in favor of cheaper monthly rates.
Under the new structure, all T-Mobile plans will include unlimited talk and text, and a 500MB allotment of high-speed data. Individual plans will start at $60 per month and top out at $130 per month for 12GB of data. An unlimited data option is available for $90 per month, but lacks tethering.
Family plans will start at $100 per month for the first two lines. For $240 per month, the data plan is raised to 12GB of data. Up to 3 additional lines can be added to the 500MB plan for $20 per phone, or $90 each for the 12GB plan. If you want an all you can use data plan for the two-line family plan, it starts at $160 per month.
Mobile hotspot ability is included in all plans excepting those with unlimited monthly data. Customers on the unlimited plans will be allowed to purchase 2.5GB and 4.5GB chunks of data to tether with for $10 and $20, respectively.
The thinking behind the carrier’s move away from phone subsidies is that customers will pay full price for their smartphones, but they will benefit from lower monthly rates. Those lower monthly costs could save customers money, depending on the length of their contract.
The “UNcarrier” plans are expected to launch on March 24th. T-Mobile believes the move could boost its market share in the U.S. by five percent or more.
While T-Mobile does not currently offer the iPhone on contract, the company says it has more than two million iPhones operating on its network, with around 100,000 users bringing their unlocked devices to the carrier monthly.
The carrier announced in December that it will begin officially offering the iPhone in the United States sometime this year.
