T-Mobile Uncarrier 12 brings consumers T-Mobile One; new and different unlimited data

T-Mobile, only hours after AT&T added throttled unlimited data to their Mobile Share plans, dropped Uncarrier 12 on us with a real unlimited focus that “goes all in on unlimited.” That focus comes via T-Mobile ONE, the new “100%” unlimited data plan that starts out at $75 for a single line, but can drop to as little as $40 per line for a family of four with auto pay enabled.

Since this is unlimited, most of the details here are pretty straightforward outside of a couple of potential sticking points, so we’ll dive right in to the basics.

Here is what you get with T-Mobile ONE:

• Unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data
• Unlimited mobile hotspot at just 2G speeds (that’s not a typo); if you need high-speed data, you can add 5GB tethering data for $15 per month
• Unlimited 480p video streaming; $25 per month add-on if you want HD or higher
• You also get T-Mobile’s Simple Global, Mobile Without Borders, Carrier Freedom, WiFi Unleashed, Stock Up, and T-Mobile Tuesdays
• Price: 1st line at $70, 2nd line at $50, lines 3-8 at $20 per, and lines 9+ at $30 per (all of those prices are with auto pay enabled)
• Add tablets for $20 per month or connected wearables for $5 per month

Who can sign-up for T-Mobile ONE?

• New postpaid customers can sign-up on September 6.
• New prepaid customers might see the option someday.
• Current customers can choose to switch to ONE or stay with what they have.

What’s the catch? There are four items here that stand out:

• BingeOn, which is throttled 480p video, is on all of the time and you can’t turn it off. Well, you can turn it off to get higher-resolution video, but it will cost you $25 per line per month.
• Tethering really isn’t included, since you can’t do anything at 2G speeds. If you want tethering at “high-speed” (hopefully that means LTE), you have to pay an extra $15 per month.
• For new customers, as far as we know come September 6, this is your only choice. So at $70 for a single line, that’s not exactly the cheapest in the game. T-Mobile is saying that their biggest sells are family plans with multi-line accounts and then you get down to around $40 per line on average, but for single users, this isn’t ultra-affordable.
• Finally, even though they are calling this unlimited, 26GB is really the unlimited data cap here. If you use 26GB of data in a month, T-Mobile can throttle you temporarily at “specific times and places that may experience high network demand or congestion.”

These new plans arrive September 6. You can find more information at T-Mobile’s website.