T-Mobile to Begin Offering iPhone 5—No Contract Required

Bellevue-based T-Mobile USA announced Tuesday it will begin offering the iPhone 5 next month as part of its new no-contract plans.

The phones, available starting April 12, will be offered at $99 down with payments of $20 per month for two years (for a total of $580). T-Mobile said in a news release that it's offering contract-free plans to give customers the power to decide when to upgrade their devices.

“This is an important day for people who love their iPhone but can’t stand the pain other carriers put them through to own one,” John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA, said in the release. “We feel their pain. I’ve felt the pain. So we’re rewriting the rules of wireless to provide a radically simple, affordable iPhone 5 experience—on an extremely powerful network.”

T-Mobile says its new Simple Choice Plan will offer 500 megabytes of data and unlimited talk and text for $50 per month. Plans with unlimited data will cost $70/month.

The company also launched its new 4G LTE service in seven metro areas today. They are: Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Jose and Washington, D.C. T-Mobile says its 4G LTE will reach 200 million nationwide by the end of the year.

Do you think today's announcements mark a positive shift for T-Mobile? Would you consider switching to their plans? Tell us in the comments section.

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