T-Mobile, Sprint Unlimited Plans Are Full of Limits

Sprint and T-Mobile US recently said they would scrap data caps and give customers a simpler option: unlimited everything at a single price. But the plans had restrictions. Days later, both carriers unveiled “premium” unlimited plans that cost $20 to $25 more a month. And even those had limitations.

“The truly unlimited plan doesn’t yet exist,” said Fredrik Jungermann, managing director of Tefficient, a telecom analytics firm. If the carriers sold unlimited plans without restrictions, “they might get users that would use hundreds of gigabytes a month or even thousands, and they wouldn’t get even a single dollar more for them.” The latest round of unlimited offerings highlights the tactics carriers use to win customers in the competitive wireless market, and the maze of fine print that can catch consumers off guard. The new plans don’t have a hard ceiling on usage, but put restrictions on everyday behaviors.