T-Mobile launches $70 plan with “unlimited” high-speed data on September 6; HD video access costs $25 extra
T-Mobile will shift to a single wireless plan offering unlimited data — a surprise move that the company's CEO, John Legere, says he doesn't believe rivals Verizon and AT&T will be able to match.
Context & Ripple Effects
This is the culmination of a two-step arc: T-Mobile first tested the waters with an [[a:835338|Uncarrier 10 plan bundling unlimited high-speed data for select streaming services like Netflix and HBO]], and is now collapsing its lineup into one $70 unlimited plan for everyone — with HD video carved out as a $25 add-on. CEO John Legere is openly betting Verizon and AT&T cannot match it without breaking their own pricing structures.
The bet pays off fast in the related coverage: within six months, competition from this plan forces both bigger carriers back into unlimited data, a shift The Verge documents across all three carriers' offerings.
First-order effects
- T-Mobile customers on metered plans move to a single $70 unlimited tier on September 6, but full-resolution video stays behind a $25 monthly fee — initially even day-pass buyers only get 480p under the T-Mobile One Plus structure.
Second-order effects
- Verizon relaunches unlimited data, prompting T-Mobile to counter by adding HD video and 10GB of high-speed tethering to its own plan, while AT&T responds with a $100/month unlimited option that throttles after 22GB.
Third-order effects
- Unlimited data becomes the industry's default pricing frame rather than a premium niche, with carriers competing instead on what sits above the cap — video resolution, tethering, and per-line fees — shifting margin from gigabytes to add-ons.
The trend: US wireless pricing is converging on carrier-controlled unlimited tiers where differentiation migrates from data volume to quality-of-service upsells.