T-Mobile Statement to Tom's Guide
We received a statement from T-Mobile, which is as follows:
"We’re retiring our oldest plans, some of which were built nearly 15 years ago – in the 3G and 4G eras, and well before our 5G network was fully deployed. Customers will transition to modern plans that provide access to America’s best wireless technology, enhanced features and a 5-year price guarantee for peace of mind. Some customers will see no change to their monthly bill, while some will see a modest adjustment. Every customer moved to a new plan will keep their current benefits while gaining improvements in network and service experiences."
T-Mobile is making a move that's likely to upset some of its most loyal subscribers. While T-Mobile has its justifications for making this move, long-standing customers may feel as though they're being stabbed in the back by being forced off grandfathered plans to new, slightly more expensive ones.
According to The Mobile Report, customers on some Simple Choice and ONE plans will be migrated to newer, more modern plans with price increases of around $4.
Magenta plans could be affected as well, though it's not clear at this point whether that'll be the case. T-Mobile didn't give a full rundown of the plans, but it did say some affected users are on plans that stretch back 10 to 15 years.
The report also claims that new prices are being created specifically for these customers, though the details of the new plans aren't fully clear as of this writing. Apparently, T-Mobile for Business customers could also be affected by the changes.
The exact plans weren't revealed, but The Mobile Report speculated that plans not covered by the new price lock.
Of course, as is usually the case with these kinds of changes, T-Mobile will almost certainly try to spin the move as a good thing, as the carrier does offer some new benefits and perks on these newer plans that aren't on older plans.
But these customers could have switched to a new plan on their own, and they chose not to, so they could keep the price down. I have to assume many users won't see the change as a positive.
In fact, T-Mobile sent out a memo to employees, obtained by CNET, that said: "for our frontline teams ... while the immediate future will bring increased customer contact volume, we are confident this plan simplification will make your job easier over time."
"A rate plan is a snapshot of the capacity and capability of your network in that moment in time," Samson said, citing the limited network capacity when the old plans were active. "Fifteen years ago, you checked the weather, and maybe your stock report, and that was about it. Today we're streaming 4K movies."
You'll know if you're impacted if you get the news via text or through the T-Life app starting today. The reports say you'll have about two weeks from the official reveal to decide what you want to do, whether it be dealing with the new plan or moving to a different carrier, perhaps even one of the best MVNO options, which are cheaper.
