T-Mobile isn’t offering unlimited 5G because it’s a nice guy
Summary
T-Mobile created a lot of buzz this week when it announced it was bringing back an unlimited plan without data throttling. It includes 4K video streaming and high-speed data without deprioritization, where all other “unlimited” plans impose slowdowns once a user hits certain thresholds. T-Mobile chief marketing officer Matt Staneff confirmed in a call with The Verge yesterday that there are no strings attached to the deprioritization bit — it’s all-you-can-eat 5G data. A federal judge allowed T-Mobile to go ahead with the deal, but under certain terms, that would help boost competition and (hopefully) consumer choice in other ways. T-Mobile has extra incentive to attract new customers in the short term Another reason T-Mobile may be offering this plan now is to take advantage of its comparatively strong 5G performance before AT&T and Verizon get their hands on more mid-band spectrum as a result of the recently concluded C-band auction.