T-Mobile is once again leading the carrier industry toward a new path with its Un-carrier 7.0 Wi-Fi Unleashed that brings free Wi-Fi calling and texting to all smartphones.
T-Mobile, the fourth largest wireless carrier in the U.S., is giving another good reason to switch carriers and this time it gets even better. Flamboyant CEO John Legere took the stage at a San Francisco mobile store on Wednesday to introduce the seventh edition of the ongoing Un-carrier strategy to revolutionize the U.S. wireless industry. Wi-Fi Unleashed, as T-Mobile calls it, will bring free Wi-Fi calling and texting to all new smartphones on the carrier's network.
With the latest strategy, T-Mobile not only offers its customers the luxury of free calls and texts but also brings connectivity to places out of cellular coverage. This means every Wi-Fi hotspot will serve as a T-Mobile tower for its subscribers. When customers walk out of Wi-Fi range, T-Mo's network quickly switches to LTE and continues the voice call seamlessly. The carrier also notes that the new technology will enable high-quality HD voice, fast call set up times and fewer call drops.
"Wi-Fi Un-leashed is a game changer. This is like adding millions of towers to our network in a single day," Legere, said in a press release, Wednesday. "The difference between us and the traditional carriers is that they'll do everything they can to make more money off you. We'll do everything we can to solve your problems, and today, that's about uniting Wi-Fi with our data strong network for unprecedented coverage."
The availability of Wi-Fi calling and texting will not be limited within the U.S. borders, as subscribers can take advantage of Wi-Fi hotspots outside the country to make free calls to the U.S. No additional charges will be added to the bill. T-Mobile also said the Wi-Fi Unleashed is not reliant on any additional apps or a new setup with additional IDs.
While all new smartphones on T-Mobile's network will be enabled with Wi-Fi Unleashed, the carrier has something for its existing customers too. Subscribers can upgrade their phones to the latest devices through an exclusive window in its Jump program, regardless of their eligibility for the upgrade.
T-Mobile also introduced "Personal CellSpots," routers that bring Wi-Fi calling anywhere. The device will be available to all Simple Choice customers for free after a $25 refundable deposit, starting Sept. 17. Frequent flight travelers can also take advantage of Wi-Fi Unleashed. The carrier has partnered with in-flight connectivity service Gogo to bring unlimited texting on flight, which is available on select phones like Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, iPhone 5S and LG G3.
