T-Mobile extends benefits to businesses, launches simpler plans
T-Mobile is extending its "Uncarrier" offerings to business customers.
Speaking at an event in New York, the company's chief executive John Legere announced a new move for the cellular giant -- which may upend how business buys cellular service.
"S**t is starting in that business space," a typically foul-mouthed Legere said. "[The big carriers] think their business is safe, and it's not."
T-Mobile has grown considerably since Legere took the reins at the company in September 2012 by promising in a series of "Uncarrier" events to radically turnaround the cellular industry. Since then, Legere has effectively killed cell contracts on his network, allowed users to roll over their data, and scrapped international data and call roaming fees.
In the company's latest move, T-Mobile is extending the vast majority of its consumer-focused offerings to small to medium businesses with fewer than 500 employees.
T-Mobile will offer a tiered system of line-based prices starting at $16 per line for fewer than 20 lines. For 20 lines or more, that's $15 per line, and $10 per line beyond 1,000 lines.
All plans include unlimited calling and text messaging, and each line will have 1GB of high-speed data.
Upgrade options include adding another 2GB of high-speed data for $10 per month, or unlimited data for $30 per line.
Legere also announced a new partnership with GoDaddy to offer business tools designed to attack pain points that he said impact the "majority" of US businesses.
Through the deal, T-Mobile will offer small to medium businesses a free ".com" domain name with email service powered by Microsoft's Office 365. T-Mobile says this can save companies thousands every year.
"This has got to hurt," Legere said in an interview with sister-site CNET on Wednesday about the potential impact on competitors. "It's beautiful; it's opening a whole new discussion."
Shares in T-Mobile ($TMUS) were up marginally in mid-afternoon trading.