T-Mobile Launches Truly Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data Plan

Staying true to its word, T-Mobile has introduced a truly unlimited 4G data plan across the country, targeting consumers tired of paying for tiered data from larger carriers like Verizon and AT&T by offering a plan with no data caps or throttling.

The Unlimited Nationwide 4G data plan is now available to customers at T-Mobile stores or online, and costs $30 per month when added to a Classic voice and text plan or $20 per month when added to a Value voice and text plan. For example, a customer looking for a single line Classic plan with unlimited data, voice and texting would pay $90 a month. By comparison, AT&T or Verizon customers with 4GB of monthly data transfers and unlimited voice and texts pay $110, thanks to the carriers' tiered plans, in which the amount subscribers pay depends on how much data they want to exchange.

While T-Mobile never initiated tiered plans to control data usage among customers, it did institute throttling, where the carrier would drop subscribers to lower data speed connections after they reached a certain cap. This won't happen in the new plan, however customers hoping to use T-Mo's Unlimited Nationwide 4G data plan to give wireless access to a tablet or laptop should be aware that this won't be possible, as it does not include hotspot service.

Though the carrier's 4G HSPA+ network isn't as fast as the LTE services offered by AT&T and Verizon in real-world tests, it does offer download speeds in excess of 5 mbps, which is not that far behind its rivals.

The Unlimited Nationwide plan should be a boost to T-Mobile's business as Verizon and AT&T have increased the prices of their plans. Yet, to sweeten the deal, the carrier is offering a free, after a $50 mail-in rebate, HTC One S to all who sign a two-year contract. Offering one of the best Android handsets on the market, that's also slated to get a taste of Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) later this year, could be the catalyst some customers need to jump ship to an unlimited plan.