We see an opportunity to
set people free.
Today's wireless plans aren't just confusing, they're misleading.
What an amazing opportunity that we have to change it.
We are going to
redefine a stupid,
broken, arrogant industry.
When I tried to do my upgrade,
they were like, no, no, no, no.
That's not how this works.
And I had issues with my service.
They're like, you signed a contract, so we're kind of locked in now.
They just keep luring you along.
Hey, everyone.
Ten years ago, almost to the day, we launched the Un-carrier movement.
And wireless has never been the same.
In that very first Un-carrier move, we got rid of annual service contracts.
And while we forced the carriers to follow,
we couldn't force them to change.
It may be a decade later, but they're still the same old carriers,
up to the same old tricks.
Check out what they're up to now.
I call it, contract creep, because over the last several years,
they've been quietly making their device contracts longer and longer.
I'm talking about those phone financing deals
that let you pay a little each month instead of everything upfront.
Well, first, AT&T and Verizon moved from the industry
standard two years to 30 months to see if anybody would notice.
And now they've crept all the way to 36 months.
Three whole years, and they don't offer any shorter option.
It's lock in for three years or pay your way out.
They're doing this in spite of the fact that most people do not want it.
Nearly 70% say they prefer the option
to upgrade every two years, not three, because, of course they do.
And once you're trapped, the carriers have free
reign to keep jacking up your prices.
There are millions of customers out there stuck
in 3 year contracts today
who want a way out but feel trapped.
Three years.
That is a long time.
I mean, 5G iPhones didn't even exist three years ago.
It's too long to be stuck with an old phone on a network
still playing catch up with a provider who can just keep jacking up prices.
That's carrier behavior and it's just wrong.
And you know what?
The Un-carrier was built to right those wrongs for customers.
They think they have you trapped.
But at T-Mobile, we've always believed you should be with the wireless
provider you choose, not the one you're stuck with.
That's why we're making another Un-carrier move today.
To give people an emergency exit from their three year carrier contracts.
And we call it Phone Freedom, because it's all about freeing you and your phone.
We're taking a stand against contract creep.
So with Phone Freedom, you can get a new phone every two years.
New in Two is the freedom to upgrade on your terms.
With Phone Freedom,
we're launching the first wireless plan that really gives new
and existing customers the same treatment.
Not just today, but also in the future.
Not just some limited time promo, but a guarantee
you'll get the same great phone deals for as long as you're on the plan.
AT&T keeps crowing about how they treat new and existing customers the same.
But of course, there's a catch.
Their Same as New advertising
is just a promotion that only works
if you sign their three year contract.
There’s no guarantee it'll be there in the future after your three years are up.
So if you want a new phone sooner, get ready to pay.
And if you want to wait a little longer to upgrade, you also pay,
if your phone becomes too old to qualify for the deal.
So you pay if you're too slow and you pay if you're too fast.
Either way, you lose and AT&T wins.
That's why we're introducing Go 5G Plus.
So new and existing customers are guaranteed the same great device deals
always, without all those carrier gotchas.
Upgrade today and then get the same deal as new customers tomorrow
with payment plans that last only two years.
Because let's face it, three years is just too long to wait.
Here's a crazy little secret that nobody wants to talk about in this industry.
Phone locking.
Believe it or not, AT&T locks your phone to their network to try to keep you
from switching, even after you've served your three year sentence.
They still keep your phone locked even after you've paid it off.
And if you want it unlocked, you have to beg them to unlock you.
Even if you fully own your phone, and then you wait for them
to decide to grant your request.
Can you imagine having to beg the bank to unlock your house after you've paid
it off? It's ridiculous.
There are millions of AT&T customers who have fully paid their contracts
and now own their phones, but AT&T still keeps them locked.
So today we're going to fix that too,
with something we call The Easy Unlock.
For the first time ever, you can hand over that locked phone
and get a new upgraded one on us.
The Easy Unlock not only pays off your old phone, but gets you a new phone
now and saves you the hassle of trying to get AT&T to unlock your old one.
This is a big deal.
We've never done anything like this before.
We've always helped pay off your old phone, but we've never done that
and also given you a new smartphone on us.
But there have never been so many
people trapped for so long by the carriers.
Millions of wireless customers are feeling it.
In fact, we went and talked to some of them.
Take a look.
Aasif Mandvi here.
I am in sun soaked Seattle to answer a couple of age old questions.
How much coffee is too much coffee?
Why do people keep yelling 420 at me?
And how long is too long for a phone contract?
Let's find out.
We're here to talk a little bit about wireless.
Who is your current wireless carrier?
AT&T.
And you're with?
AT&T.
I've been with Verizon for a little over two years now.
Do you know how long your phone contract is?
This is super embarrassing.
I'm an attorney and I have no idea.
Do you know how long your contract is?
I- it's- it's like three years.
I got out of law school in three years.
It's a long time.
So I wanted the latest iPhone and they were like, oh,
no, you're not eligible for a upgrade yet.
You actually have to wait another five months or so.
Each phone, a new contract that we're just like -
Right.
You get one, you start a new contract.
Oh yeah.
And then you're stuck in a loop.
Yeah, I think you might be in a dysfunctional relationship.
So what do you do to get out of the contract?
You have to pay.
I even one time paid to get out of a contract,
to get into a contract.
It is one of those things
where the less you think about it, the more it makes sense.
I feel like
every time I look at the bill, it's a little bit different.
I like to know what I'm paying, especially if I see the bill change from month
to month.
There's lots of little different fees too, right?
So, what I'm going to ask you to do is draw
the way you feel
about your wireless carrier. Let's look at what you got.
What's happening here?
That's me crying about the money I'm throwing away.
This individual is very confused.
I like the fact that you gave yourself no hair and he gave himself an amazing
head of hair.
This is how I feel.
What do you call that?
Anger and rage.
Anger and -
It's clearly evident how you feel.
If there was a way out.
Would you take it?
That three year lock-in, to me is what - I would love to have
a little bit more freedom.
What are you going to do?
I plan to leave.
Phone freedom is our answer to all that.
The contract creep, the price hikes, the locked phones.
Now to share more about today's news,
here is Mike Katz,
the President of T-Mobile's Marketing, Innovation and Experience team.
Thanks, Mike.
The Un-carrier was created to smash customer pain points
and change wireless for good.
And today's move is no different.
Let me break it down.
Like Mike said, we're launching the first plan in wireless that always gives new
and existing customers the same treatment, the same great device deals today
and in the future with New in Two.
It’s called Go 5G Plus and it's only at T-Mobile.
Right now customers can upgrade their old phone to a brand new 5G smartphone
like an iPhone 14 or a Samsung Galaxy S23 for free
and be ready to upgrade to a new phone every two years.
Plus, it comes with upgrade flexibility.
Right now, customers on Go 5G Plus can trade in a phone
from up to six years ago, not just two or three year old phones typical of AT&T,
and they can be fully eligible for our new phone offer.
And on top of all of that, it's our most value packed plan ever.
It's a supercharged version of T-Mobile's most popular plan, Magenta Max,
with all the same features like Apple TV+, Netflix on Us,
free high speed data abroad, taxes and fees included, and a whole lot more.
And these are built into the plan, not just limited
time deals like you see with the carriers’ plans.
Plus, it's got more hotspot and international data
in Canada and Mexico, the two most popular destinations for T-Mobile customers.
And even though it's our best plan, you'll still save about $120 a year on Go 5G Plus
compared to Verizon and AT&T’s top tier plans for two people.
And with Go 5G Plus, you'll get our Price Lock guarantee,
meaning we won't raise your rate for talk, text and data, so you'll know
exactly what you pay each month.
For the next part of Phone Freedom,
The Easy Unlock is a get out of jail free card for
the millions still locked in AT&T’s blue handcuffs, stuck in three year
device contracts with phones locked to AT&T’s network.
AT&T has a manual unlock process that rivals a trip to the DMV.
So we're here to make it easy and simple with The Easy Unlock.
Here's how it works.
Walk in with a locked AT&T phone and walk out with a new phone on us.
We’ll pay off your old phone and get you a new upgraded one
on America's most awarded 5G network.
And you can upgrade every two years.
As Mike said, this is a massive deal,
a first of its kind, and it starts next Sunday, April 23rd.
But it's such a big deal,
it's only available for a limited time, so hurry.
And because we want to make sure all of those customers ditching their carriers
and their three year contracts are confident in their choices,
there's another part of Phone Freedom that we're announcing today,
the Go Back Guarantee.
We're so sure you'll love it here, but we get it.
Switching is a big deal and nobody wants to be stuck.
If you don't love T-Mobile, we'll help you switch back in your first month
by giving you $50 per line to help cover your first bill.
Because, like Mike said, we just think differently than the carriers.
We want to be the provider you choose, not the one you're stuck with.
And that's Phone Freedom. But you know what?
We're not done yet. In a world where carriers continue to do
carrier things, like locking you in and raising prices,
we want to give people even more relief.
So to celebrate ten years of Un-carrier disruption, we're
also slashing prices on our Essentials Plan.
Today, we're announcing Essential Savings.
This new limited time plan has everything our Essentials Plan has,
but for $10 less on the first line and discounts on additional lines.
So a family of four can save $240 a year compared to our regular Essentials Plan.
That's a deal worthy of an Un-carrier decade.
And all of this I've talked about, the new plan,
The Easy Unlock, the Go Back Guarantee and Essential Savings.
It all launches this coming Sunday, April 23rd, in stores and online.
And with that, I'll hand it back to you, Mike.
Listen.
Phone Freedom is a massive wake up call for the wireless industry.
Until today, millions of people felt stuck.
And today, we're throwing them a lifeline.
Walk in with a locked phone and walk out with a brand new one.
Be upgrade ready every two years and always get the same great phone deals on our best plan,
whether you're a new or existing customer, guaranteed.
Phone Freedom is just the latest way we're making wireless better for everyone
with more freedom and flexibility for both new and existing customers.
And remember, we won't stop.
Thanks for watching, everybody.