T-Mobile announced a partnership today with Hispanic media giant Univision for a new mobile service for Latinos.
Dubbed Univision Mobile and built on T-Mobile’s cellular network, the service is aimed at the 56 million Hispanic Americans living in the U.S. It will feature Univision content straight out of the box and calling plans that include 100 minutes to mobile or landline phones to eight Latin American countries, including Mexico.
The data plans start at $30 per month for unlimited nationwide talk and text and increase to $45 per month for those that want up to 2.5GB of high-speed data. In addition to the 100 minutes, Univision Mobile customers will also have unlimited international texting — a feature also available to normal T-Mobile customers.
Starting May 19, Univision Mobile will be sold in 1,800 Walmart stores across the country, in addition to 6,000 other independent dealers in Hispanic communities. You’ll be able to use your own compatible devices with the new service by purchasing a SIM card, or select from a variety of new devices.
T-Mobile isn’t the first company to do something like this. Last year, Verizon teamed up with Viva Movil and Jennifer Lopez for a similar service directed at Latinos.
Nielsen reports that 72 percent of Latinos own a smartphone, and perhaps more importantly, 49 percent say they plan to replace or upgrade their devices in the next six months.
“Hispanic Americans are among the largest, most important and most influential groups in the US today,” Mike Sievert, T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer, said in a statement. “And they deserve wireless tailored to their interests and needs. Univision Mobile is a completely unique wireless experience built to provide Hispanic Americans with both the content and mobile experience they crave from two brands they know and trust.”
USA Today notes that Univision Mobile has no plans to use world famous Colombian pop star Shakira for its marketing efforts, despite her relationship with T-Mobile.
