Less than a week after T-Mobile unveiled a program called JUMP! that allows customers to upgrade their phones twice a year with a $10 per month subscription fee, rival AT&T debuted its own upgrade program Tuesday called “Next” that gives customers a chance to ditch their two-year contracts and pay 20 monthly installments without a down payment in order to upgrade once a year.
T-Mobile’s response? Just look at the Twitter feed of the carrier’s CEO for an answer:
Did AT&t really just start charging full price for devices without discounting their rate plans? OMG. Really? #asktheschoolkids
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) July 16, 2013
So painful to watch @ATT try to keep up. #JUMP is a revolution. @ATT Next is bait. #TMobile leading customer revolution!
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) July 16, 2013
Maybe NEXT time @ATT will offer something that costs less not more. #JUMP #TMobile #bringbackthekids
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) July 16, 2013
So is Legere right? Well, let’s take a look.
While both plans allow customers to upgrade their devices more frequently, T-Mobile’s JUMP requires a monthly program fee — which includes insurance coverage — while AT&T does not. However, T-Mobile lowered its monthly service payments rates to compensate for the removal of phone subsidies.
And that’s where many, including Legere, see AT&T’s plan as a ripoff. The AT&T monthly device payments can range anywhere from $15-to-$50 and that’s in addition to the monthly service plan rates that usually go for around $100 and designed for subsidized phones. Unlike T-Mobile, AT&T has not lowered those rates to make up for the lack of phone subsidies. And remember, on either plan, you never own the phone.
Verizon is also rumored to offer a similar plan in the near future.