Don't look now, but T-Mobile US (TMUS 0.57%) is trying to shake up the telecom industry.
On Thursday, the Bellevue, Wash.-based telco announced a series of moves to cut prices for global travelers and customers who use its phones to call around the globe. Specifically, the company says that beginning on Oct. 31, customers who have "Simple Choice" phone contracts with it (i.e. not pre-paid users):
- Can use "data" (i.e. Internet) and texting on their smartphones in 115 countries globally at limited download speeds, but free of additional "roaming" charges.
- Can use their phones for voice calls in these foreign countries at a flat rate of $0.20 per minute.
- Both these services are provided for no additional charge, and added to the contracts automatically.
Nor will T-Mobile customers necessarily have to leave the country to benefit from T-Mobile's new plan. The company is also introducing a new "Stateside International Talk & Text" plan under which Simple Choice customers can call the more than 100 countries on the list for $0.20 per minute or under -- with texts free of charge, and calls to landlines in 70 countries also free of charge (aside from the monthly contract cost, of course).
Click here to explore the global coverage.
