The wireless price war is ongoing, but T-Mobile may have just shot itself in the foot. The so-called "un-carrier" is giving customers on its Simple Choice plan more data, although for those who like everything unlimited, the price just went up by $10 a month.
T-Mobile is overhauling its Simple Choice plan, which it launched a year ago when it did away with wireless contracts, into four different levels (there are currently three). While every plan includes unlimited talk, text and data, limits apply on how much of that data can travel on the carrier's high-speed 4G network, and how much can be used for tethering another device, such as a laptop.
See also: 5 Free Android Apps for Tethering
"Our Simple Choice customers are consuming more and more data and we wanted to get ahead of that as soon as possible." T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert told Mashable. "It's a big expansion to our data offering across our plans."
The Simple Choice plan still starts at $50 a month, which now allows for 1GB of 4G data as well as 1GB of tethering (it used to be 500MB). At $60, you get 3GB for each instead of the old 2.5GB. So far, so good.
Things get more complicated at higher levels. The old $70 level used to offer unlimited 4G access and 2.5GB for tethering, but now that will get you 5GB of each. Under the new plan, you don't get unlimited 4G unless you pay $80, also with 5GB of tethering.
T-Mobile says all its Simple Choice customers will automatically begin receiving the extra data — no opting-in required. In the case of customers who had $70 plans before Monday, T-Mobile will consider them "grandfathered in" to receive unlimited 4G data at that level, but they won't get the extra 2.5GB for tethering. To get that, they'll have to sign up for one of the new plans.
Importantly, the 4G limits apply to both T-Mobile's LTE and HSPA+ networks. When a customer reaches the data limit they can either upgrade to a higher plan or "ride it out to the end of the month at 2G speeds," the carrier says. That's significantly slower than 4G and even 3G networks (think iPhone 1 speed).
T-Mobile says it doesn't charge customers overage fees — if you hit your tethering limit, the tethered device will lose its connection (after warnings).
If you travel or have lots of friends and family overseas, T-Mobile's Simple Choice plan is now even more attractive. The company is adding more regions where its customers can enjoy unlimited text and data — it's now up to 122 countries and destinations. In addition, customers can now text to international numbers from the U.S. for free as well.
"T-Mobile will be the only carrier where customers can text from virtually anywhere to virtually anywhere at no additional cost," said Sievert. "We think that's a huge benefit."
T-Mobile's plans still compare well to those of its competitors, although the comparison isn't perfect since each carrier imposes data limits differently. AT&T, for example, gives a blanket limit but charges overage fees when you exceed it.

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