T-Mobile USA allows "kids" to talk free

You can’t blame T-Mobile USA Inc. for not trying.
The nation’s No. 4 wireless operator unveiled a new promotion dubbed “Kids are Free Until 2012,” that as the name implies allows customers to add lines for their “kids” at no charge through the end of 2011.
The promotion requires new or existing customers to switch to a family plan that include the first two lines of service as part of the plans. Customers can then add up to three additional lines for free through the end of 2011, at which point they will then be required to pay the normal add-a-line fee of $5 per month through the end of the contract.
For the carrier’s shared-minute family plans all the lines will share the bucket of minutes provided in the plan. For those that add unlimited messaging, all lines will have that option. For those that add unlimited web access, only the first two lines will be included, with the additional lines charged T-Mobile USA’s regular unlimited web charges.
For the carrier’s unlimited family plans, only the first two lines will be allowed the unlimited talk option, with the remaining lines provided 200 calling minutes per month. Customers can add unlimited calling minutes to the other lines for an additional charge.
While the offering looks to be targeting “kids,” there does not seem to be any age requirement or for that matter relationship requirement in the plan’s description.
T-Mobile USA, which had been heavily focused on courting the burgeoning prepaid market could be shifting around its priorities as the carrier’s second quarter results showed a dramatic loss of prepaid customers.
In addition to the new plan options, T-Mobile USA said it would start taking pre-orders on its latest HTC Corp. G2 device later this month. The smart phone is the first offered by the carrier to be compatible with T-Mobile USA’s HSPA+ network that is now available in 55 markets covering more than 100 million potential customers.
The device is a successor to the original G1 device and is powered by Google Inc.’s latest Android 2.2 operating system. Other features of the device include a 3.7-inch screen with a hinge design that opens to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard; Qualcomm Inc.’s Snapdragon MSM7230 processor running at 800 MHz; a 5-megapixel camera that can also record 720p video; and a pre-installed 8 gigabyte microSD memory card.
Pricing and actual availability of the device were not announced, though it’s expected to be priced south of the $200 barrier most smart phones are going for after all rebates and contracts.