Winning hearts and minds isn’t the usual way telecomm companies attract customers, but then T-Mobile isn’t your average telecomm company. It took its place as the third largest carrier in the US (bumping Sprint out of the spot, according to its own numbers) in part thanks to the brashness of its over the top CEO, John Legere. It was the first to offer inexpensive no-risk no-contract plans and perks like free 4G LTE for tablets like the iPad Air 2. The brand’s wildly successful Uncarrier campaign has been largely fan-driven. And T-Mobile’s unique approach to customer relations is people focused, to say the least.
Now the self-styled Uncarrier has unveiled a new gift to its legions of fans – “Mobile without Borders.” Thanks to partnerships with the largest carriers in Mexico and Canada, T-Mobile customers with postpaid and prepaid Simple Choice plans will get access to unlimited calling to and from landlines and mobile phones in those countries, plus the ability to send and receive unlimited phone calls and texts and use 4G data in both for no additional cost.
Mobile without Borders also includes wi-fi calling and Music Freedom, T-Mobile’s audio streaming service. And though Data Stash isn’t yet live in Canada and Mexico, the feature will apparently be added later this year. Expats shouldn’t sign up just yet, though. T-Mobile has specifically said that Mobile without Borders isn’t for the jet set – the ideal user from the company’s point of view is US based and only an occasional roamer.
While there’s not much else controversial to be found in T-Mobile becoming the first true North American carrier, the brand’s announcement was preceded by the kind of social media tweetstorm it is now famous for. In what could be called a characteristic tweet, Legere asked Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure “you mad bro?” – this after Claure tweeted ” I am so tired of your Uncarrier bull@#$%”.
The Mobile without Borders plan isn’t a publicity stunt, however. T-Mobile’s own data shows that 35% of its customers’ international calls and 55% of their roaming involve Mexico and Canada. And a large majority of small and mid-size business travel involves those destinations, too. Maybe T-Mobile will expand its borders further in the future, but even if that never happens it’s certainly serving the needs of its current customer base by the numbers.
As with almost all of the brand’s big announcements (e.g., the original Uncarrier campaign and the recent JUMP! On Demand option launch) this one seems custom-designed to tempt subscribers away from bigger rivals like Sprint and AT&T. International roaming charges are typically a highly lucrative part of carriers’ business so it’s not hard to imagine people getting excited to hear that a US provider is willingly giving them up.
And indeed, search Twitter for #MobileWithoutBorders and you’ll find plenty of people who are #UncarrierAmped. Word of mouth via social media has always been T-Mobile’s bread and butter. It’s how the brand has been able to undermine bigger carriers left and right. The company sweetened the deal (and inspired social shares) post-announcement by giving away a total of $5 million in the form of $500 travel vouchers via Twitter – good for trips to Canada or Mexico, of course.
Now chances are that T-Mobile’s competitors are going to have to fast-track cross-border incentives to keep up. Will AT&T and Verizon find themselves in a position where they have to offer international wireless plans for no extra cost to keep up with T-Mobile’s momentum? It’s possible. In the meantime, T-Mobile is no doubt already looking ahead to whatever it will roll out next to get new subscribers #UncarrierAmped.
