YOU ARE AT:CarriersT-Mobile US targets Verizon with #getoutofthered; Verizon launches smart home router

T-Mobile US targets Verizon with #getoutofthered; Verizon launches smart home router

T-Mobile US’ new #getoutofthered campaign woos Verizon customers

T-Mobile US launched a new promotion today to keep Verizon on the defensive, offering Verizon customers the option to bring one of seven qualifying devices and have T-Mobile pay off the remaining balance on the device.

The qualifying devices are the iPhone SE, 6s, 6s Plus, 7 and 7 Plus, as well as Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL. The deal is available starting May 31.

In a video outlining the #getoutofthered promotion, T-Mobile US CEO John Legere also said that the carrier would start offering insurance for customers’ current phones: allowing them to keep their own devices, swap SIM cards and insure the existing device with T-Mobile US rather than deal with a trade-in.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzKh_MeFDuw[/embedyt]

T-Mobile US explained in the offer that smartphones from AT&T and Sprint have to be unlocked in order to work on its network — but for customers from those two carriers, T-Mobile US is offering to pay off early termination fees or outstanding phone payments (via a prepaid card) if they get a new device with T-Mobile US on its equipment installment plan. T-Mobile US is also temporarily waiving its trade-in requirement for its Carrier Freedom offer for non-Verizon customers.

For T-Mobile US’ existing customers with at least two T-Mobile One voice lines, Legere announced that they can get two additional lines for the price of one, starting tomorrow.

T-Mobile US said that the promotion is the first of three announcements to come.

Verizon launches LTE-powered Wi-Fi “Smart Hub” for the home

Promising faster Wi-Fi and control over internet of things devices in the home, Verizon is launching a new LTE home router called Verizon SmartHub.

SmartHub will be available starting tomorrow and uses Verizon’s LTE network to provide an in-home Wi-Fi

T-Mobile US targets Verizon with #getoutofthered; Verizon launches smart home router
Verizon SmartHub

connection. Verizon said that the device is compatible with more than 200 Wi-Fi enabled smart home products, and offers a free application that can be used to monitor and control those devices. SmartHub can also be used to make HD voice calls from a home phone number, Verizon noted, and has a back-up battery so that it can be used when home power goes out.

The router is markedly different in design from Verizon’s existing portfolio of home devices, with a sleek, rounded and light-colored exterior.

SmartHub is priced at $199.99 or $99.99 with a two-year contract.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Kelly Hill
Kelly Hill
Kelly reports on network test and measurement, as well as the use of big data and analytics. She first covered the wireless industry for RCR Wireless News in 2005, focusing on carriers and mobile virtual network operators, then took a few years’ hiatus and returned to RCR Wireless News to write about heterogeneous networks and network infrastructure. Kelly is an Ohio native with a masters degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, where she focused on science writing and multimedia. She has written for the San Francisco Chronicle, The Oregonian and The Canton Repository. Follow her on Twitter: @khillrcr