T-Mobile rolled out Uncarrier 7.0 at an event in San Francisco that was broadcast online.
CEO John Legere revealed that T-Mobile will be making more use of Wi-Fi, carrying a slew of new phones that can connect seamless to Wi-Fi networks when cellular coverage poor.
T-Mobile promised that 100 percent of new smartphones in T-Mobile stores will be Wi-Fi calling and texting capable. The company plans an exclusive enrollment window in JUMP!, T-Mobile’s upgrade program, that will allow its customers to immediately upgrade to a smartphone that supports Wi-Fi calling and texting.
“Now our customers are not constrained to where our network is and where our competitor’s networks are,” CTO Neville Ray said, calling the move a huge shift in the industry. “Even the Apple guys talked aobut it,” Ray added, noting that the new iPhone comes with Wi-Fi calling capabilities.
As part of the announcement, T-Mobile also announced a partnership with Gogo, the company that provides in-flight Wi-Fi for many airlines. The partnership allows T-Mobile customers to send and receive unlimited text and picture messages, and even get visual voicemail, on any Gogo-equipped flight on U.S.-based airlines.
To facilitate the use of Wi-Fi, T-Mobile as announced something called the “Personal CellSpot,” a device that Legere called a “personal T-Mobile tower in their house.” T-Mobile promises the device will deliver a “full-bars T-Mobile experience anywhere you have broadband. It also prioritizes voice calls.
T-Mobile will offer the device to its Simple Choice customers for free.