T-Mobile 'Sticks It' to Competition, Will Cover Early Termination Fees

The nation's fourth largest carrier is offering up to $650 to customers who terminate their contracts with competing carriers and join T-Mobile's fast-growing network.

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By Geoff Weiss

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

T-Mobile is doubling down on its commitment to unshackle consumers from the ironclad cell phone contracts that have become an industry standard.

The company, which has dubbed itself the "un-carrier," will pay early-termination fees of up to $650 -- on up to five total lines -- for individual customers or families who opt to trade in their devices and port their numbers to T-Mobile's service network.

In pursuit of so-called "contract freedom," T-Mobile will offer up to $300 for every device that is exchanged and up to $350 to cover termination fees.

This is not the first time that T-Mobile has sought to break away from competitors like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, who operate on binding and penalty-laden two-year agreements.

Related: T-Mobile Eliminates International Data Fees for Individuals and Businesses

Last October, T-Mobile announced that it would eliminate international roaming fees by offering unlimited data and texting abroad in over 100 countries while offering a global flat rate of 20 cents per minute on voice calls.

T-Mobile's CEO, John Legere, is relishing in the company's latest news and therein his own cementing status as an industry rebel.

After crashing -- and being unceremoniously kicked out of -- an AT&T party at CES on Monday, he announced the company's latest initiative onstage in Vegas yesterday while clutching a Red Bull in an expletive-ridden rant.

"This industry blows," he said of T-Mobile's competition. "You'll see how easy it is to tell them where to stick it."

Legere also noted that T-Mobile -- the fourth largest carrier in the world -- added 4.4 million new users in 2013, making it the fastest-growing wireless company in America.

Related: After Snapping Up Sprint, SoftBank Sets Sights on T-Mobile

Geoff Weiss

Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

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