T-Mobile is booting customers from its oldest plans | The Verge

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T-Mobile is booting customers from its oldest plans

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Earlier today, T-Mobile started notifying customers that it will be retiring many legacy plans and moving subscribers onto one of its current rate plans. This move includes plans that date back to the 3G era, and it’s going about as well as you’d expect.

Affected customers began sharing screenshots of the text on reddit and Threads this morning, and T-Mobile’s chief marketing officer Allan Samson confirmed the news to The Verge:

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.

A post on T-Mobile’s website provides an FAQ with a little more detail. There’s no mention of which specific plans are being retired, but posts on Threads and people I’ve spoken to cite legacy Sprint plans, T-Mobile One plans, and Magenta Max plans, which T-Mobile introduced as recently as 2021. Predictably, not everyone is thrilled. The move has inspired plenty of dismayed and angry posts on reddit and social media, including a parody “statement.”

Throughout its rise in the mid 2010s under former CEO John Legere, T-Mobile styled itself as a challenger to the pricier, established carriers: AT&T and Verizon. The company adopted the name “Un-Carrier” and promoted offerings like Price Lock and the Un-Contract Promise as an alternative to Verizon and AT&T’s contracts and price increases. That’s likely why customers are feeling especially irked by the news that they’re being moved to new plans — not to mention that for some subscribers, those plans will cost more.

There’s not a lot of great news for those who are looking to leave T-Mobile for an alternative. Many MVNOs like Mint Mobile run on T-Mobile’s network — the costs can be much lower, but you’re not really getting away from the big carriers. And while there used to be four major wireless carriers in the US, that number shrank to three when T-Mobile bought Sprint in 2020.

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