T-Mobile is offering all of its customers unlimited data

T-Mobile is giving all of its customers unlimited data

T-Mobile is bringing unlimited data to all of its customers, but for a price. According to CEO John Legere, the move will see the carrier cut all of its existing plans down to a single option called T-Mobile One. That plan, which will start at $70 will provide customers with an endless pool of LTE data they can pull from without worrying about hitting their data cap or paying overage fees.

In addition to unlimited LTE data, T-Mobile One will also give customers unlimited text messaging and voice calling. T-Mobile says the plan will also allow users to access their data in Mexico and Canada as they do in the U.S. and give customers unlimited texting and data roaming at a flat rate in global markets.

Ah, but there’s a bit of a catch: The lowest price for the plan is $70 for a single line. That’s a $20 jump from the company’s previously lowest priced 2GB plan for $50 per month. The unlimited plan is also $5 more per month than T-Mobile’s fan-favorite 6GB a month plan, which costs $65 per month.

Still, $70 per month for a single line is cheaper than company’s 10GB $80 per month plan and far less expensive the T-Mobile’s current unlimited plan, which costs $95 per month.

T-Mobile says the move will be a boon for families of four, which would pay $70 for the first line, $50 for the second, and $20 each for the third and fourth lines for a total of $160 per month. Under T-Mobile’s current Simple Choice plan, a family of four looking for unlimited data would pay $220 per month.

Still, the 6GB per line plan for a family of four, which again, the company says is it’s most popular option, costs $120 per month, which is $40 less than the new T-Mobile One plan.

Here’s the thing. If you’re already on the 6GB per month plan, T-Mobile provides you with unlimited video standard definition video and music streaming via its Binge On initiative. So the T-Mobile One plan seems a bit superfluous at that point.

It’s not as though you can us your phone as a high-speed mobile hotspot for free either. Sure, the T-Mobile One plan gives you 2G hotspot speeds, but that kind of connection moves at a snail’s pace compared to LTE. If you want to get high-speed data for your phone’s hotspot you can add 5GB for $15.

T-Mobile’s plan follows announcements from both Verizon and AT&T that saw the companies rearrange their pricing plans. Sprint is also expected to roll out its own unlimited data plan as part of an announcement scheduled for Friday.

T-Mobile’s T-Mobile One unlimited plan will be available to pre- and post-paid customers starting Sept. 6. If you’re already a T-Mobile Simple Choice customer, though, you can continue to hold onto your existing plan.

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.