T-Mobile is adding free Netflix content for customers with unlimited-data family plans.
The carrier announced that users with two or more voice lines on its T-Mobile One plan can access Netflix for free starting Sept. 12. Customers with older or promotional plans will need to upgrade to T-Mobile One to get the deal.
The operator is positioning the offer as a counter to mobile video offerings such as AT&T’s DirecTV Now and Verizon’s Go90, which directly target millennials. T-Mobile said the deal is exclusive and long-term, barring other operators from bringing a similar offering to market.
“The bundle has become a fast-growing form of trickery that not only are the other guys using but they have plans to continue to use” as they expand beyond traditional wireless services into digital media, T-Mobile CEO John Legere said during a media call this morning. “It’s the latest illustration that not all unlimited is created equal.”
Customers can activate their Netflix subscriptions online, in stores or by calling the carrier. T-Mobile is essentially reselling Netflix, so customers will see a charge and a credit for $10 a month for the subscription.
And Legere once again took advantage of the opportunity to bash the networks of Verizon and AT&T, saying their data speeds have slowed following their launches of unlimited data plans. The increased traffic sparked by unlimited data has slowed Verizon’s network speeds in recent months, Legere has repeatedly claimed, pointing to a recent study from Ookla indicating Verizon’s network has decelerated 14% since the nation’s largest carrier launched an unlimited plan earlier this year.
“What we’re doing is that we’re demonstrating all the content in the world doesn’t mean (anything) if your network can’t handle it,” he said. “This is a celebration of our network and another in a series of taunts to our friends.”