Some T-Mobile customers are stuck with the past the phone plans are notified that their accounts will soon be automatically upgraded to corporate accounts current system of plans, which in some cases will mean an increase in their mobile phone bills.
A T-Mobile representative chose not to share which plans are being discontinued, but said some of them go back 10 to 15 years. That would include Simple Choice, T-Mobile One, One Plus and the Magenta family of plans, as well as Sprint’s big plans going on there. IT-Mobile and Sprint have merged in 2020.
This change affects thousands of customers and will take effect over the next few weeks, to be reflected in subsequent billing cycles. Affected subscribers, including certain small businesses, should expect to receive news by text or through the T-Life app starting today.
It is not unusual for companies to take the initiative to move people away from old systems. AT&T added a fee on some of its legacy plans in May, and T-Mobile is adding higher prices March 2025. The difference here is that T-Mobile is taking action directly and automatically, as opposed to encouraging its customers to upgrade.
Allan Samson, T-Mobile’s chief marketing officer, explained during a press conference late last week that “nothing is required of the customer, and it will happen.”
He said the legacy plans will be transferred to modern plans similar to the current plan, which includes Essentials, Essentials Saver, Experience Over, Experience Beyond and Better Value. That will bring more features such as expanded international roaming, premium 5G speeds and greater hotspot data than available on their old plan.
For customers who see a price increase, “the price they will pay in most cases will still be less than what the system sells for today,” Samson said. “We don’t raise it to the rack rate” that a new customer will pay.
If you’ve been moved to a new plan and aren’t happy with the one that was chosen for you, your only options will be to buy a new T-Mobile plan or look for a new provider.
Modernizing internal systems
At the heart of the movement is the need to reduce complexity in the company’s internal systems.
In an internal email sent to employees today and obtained by CNET, T-Mobile Chief Operating Officer Jon Freier noted that the rollout wipes out more than 1,100 legacy payment codes. “Simplifying the program mix means more resources and focus on delivering the outstanding experience we’re known for,” he wrote.
Samson explained that like any software or hardware company, there comes a time when the need to modernize outweighs the cost of continuing support and backward compatibility testing.
“A rating system is a snapshot of the capacity and capability of your network at that time,” said Samson, referring to the limited network capacity when the old systems were in operation. “Fifteen years ago, you checked the weather and maybe your stock report and that was about it. Today we stream 4K movies.”
IT-Mobile expects that a change like this, where customers are being moved to new systems whether they like it or not, will require additional support that the company is prepared for.
In his letter to employees, Freier admitted that “for our front teams … although the near future will bring an increase in the volume of communication with customers, we are sure that this application will make your work easier in the long run.”