T-Mobile and Sprint Offer Customers Test Drives
Following in T-Mobile's footsteps, Sprint announced earlier this week that it would also be offering a 30-day trial period for customers to try out its faster network, highlighting the aggressive mentality of the underdogs in the U.S. wireless industry.
T-Mobile announced its Test Drive program last week and interested parties were able to start signing up Monday. Test Drive allows anyone to try out T-Mobile's network with an iPhone 5s for seven days with no money down or obligations. All they have to do if they decide to pass on T-Mobile is drop off the smartphone at any T-Mobile store and be on there way.
According to a CivicScience poll of U.S. wireless users, around 46 percent of Americans want to leave their carrier after they've signed up because of unhappiness with the network. Around one in 10 end up switching carriers within 30 days. The theme, according to T-Mobile? Customers are being forced to buy into a service they've never actually experienced.
"The way this industry forces Americans to buy wireless is completely, utterly broken. I'm here to tell you there's a better way," eccentric T-Mobile CEO and President John Legere said. "While the carriers ask you to buy blind, the Un-carrier gives you transparency. Our network kicks ass, and now people can experience for themselves what a data-strong network can do with T-Mobile Test Drive."
Sprint's trial program is a little different. For starters, it allows someone to try out their network for 30 days, not just seven. Those wishing to test drive Sprint can choose to try out Sprint's Framily plan as well. There is no specific phone tied to the trial period, and the initial process will very much feel like signing up with Sprint. If you're not satisfied after 30 days, however, Sprint will refund the cost of the phone and waive all service and activation fees.
Sprint's 30-day trial program kicks off Friday, June 27.
Both carriers also revealed new network capabilities alongside their trial announcements. T-Mobile has now expanded its Wideband LTE (with touted peak download speeds of 150Mbps) reach into 16 markets and its Voice over LTE service to more than 100 million people in 15 markets. Sprint, meanwhile, announced 4G LTE in 28 new markets, bringing its total LTE footprint to 471 cities and the upcoming availability of international Wi-Fi calling.
Sprint and T-Mobile are the No. 3 and No. 4 carriers in the United States behind AT&T and Verizon, putting them in a strenuous game of catch up. There are talks of a merger between the two in order to properly compete with the deep pockets of AT&T and Verizon, and recent trends show T-Mobile and Sprint as the ones shaking up the wireless industry.
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