At an event in New York today, T-Mobile US announced a new program, JUMP!, which enables people to upgrade their phones when they want, up to twice a year as soon as six months from enrollment.
"At some point, big wireless companies made a decision for you that you should have to wait two years to get a new phone for a fair price. That's 730 days of waiting. 730 days of watching new phones come out that you can't have. Or having to live with a cracked screen or an outdated camera," said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile US. "We say two years is just too long to wait. Today, we're changing all that with the launch of JUMP! Now, customers never have to worry about being stuck with the wrong phone. And, yes - it's really as good as it sounds."
JUMP! offers the freedom to upgrade to a new device more affordably and protects against malfunction, damage, loss or theft - all for $10 per month, per phone (plus taxes and fees).
The new program will be available from Sunday, July 14. T-Mobile's customers can upgrade to a new phone, financed through T-Mobile's Equipment Installment Program (EIP), twice every 12 months after they've been in the JUMP! program for six months.
In addition to JUMP!, T-Mobile today announced an expansion of its 4G LTE network to reach 157 million people in 116 metro areas across the United States.
The company also unveiled a program enabling families to get four phone lines with unlimited talk, text and Web and up to 500MB of high-speed data for $100 per month - with no credit check or annual service contract required. The family program will be available from July 14.
T-Mobile also announced pricing and availability for three new devices, bringing its portfolio to nine 4G LTE-capable smartphones. The new devices include the Xperia Z from Sony, the Nokia Lumia 925 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1.
T-Mobile's no-contract pricing plan for the Lumia 925 means that you'll pay $50 up front and $20 for the next two years, for a grand total of $530.
T-Mobile's exclusive Xperia Z handset will cost $580 for its full retail price, which you can also pay for up front or in monthly installments after the down payment.
In addition, T-Mobile is updating the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 to support 4G LTE for its expanding network. The company will also will also sell the 4G LTE version of the tablet new for $99.99 down with 24 equal monthly device payments of $15, or $460 total.