T-Mobile's new approach looks a hit, more Apple devices on the way
No contract policy, early upgrade and iPhone 5 lure new customers
T-Mobile is still the fourth-place carrier in the U.S., but the company announced today that it added 1.1 million subscribers in its second quarter.
"T-Mobile's Un-carrier approach has clearly resonated with consumers," said T-Mobile CEO John Legere in a press release.
Its new no-contract phone policy and early upgrade T-Mobile Jump feature have been key to customers' giving the carrier a second look, according to the Legere.
"By fixing the things that drive them mad, like contracts and upgrades, and freeing them from the two-year sentences imposed on them by our competitors, they are choosing the new T-Mobile in unprecedented numbers."
More on those 'unprecedented' numbers
Of the 1.1 million new T-Mobile subscribers, 688,000 were the all-important non-pre-paid "branded postpaid net additions," reported the company.
"Let me say it slightly different," said Legere in a Fox Business interview this afternoon. "That was more than the total phone adds of Verizon, AT&T and Sprint - combined."
Total smartphone sales, including those of prepaid customers, amounted to 4.3 million devices in the three-month span.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
"There's plenty of customers coming off contracts every month from AT&T and Verizon," he noted.
"In the weekend of July 31, the porting ration between AT&T and [T-Mobile] was 2:1, which means twice as many of their customers are coming to us as opposed to going to them."
T-Mobile iPhone 5 helps too
In addition to its new Un-carrier policies, T-Mobile was able to attract previously wary customers by finally carrying an Apple smartphone by the way of iPhone 5.
T-Mobile iPhone 5 sales accounted for about 29 percent of branded gross customer additions and upgrade smartphone sales excluding MetroPCS.
The benefits of carrying iPhones should continue, as Legere expressed a positive outlook on carrying more Apple products beyond the iPhone, according to AllThingsDigital.
"I think there's a whole array of Apple products that we look forward to carrying," Legere said. "We will expand what we offer from them."
- Maybe that will include the iPhone 5S. Get the latest scoop on iPhone 5S leaks.