Reading between the lines of T-Mobile's new rate card

A "rate card" outlines the pricing structure for a company's products or services. It's essentially a list of the standard, published rates for various offerings, and it serves as a reference for potential customers, existing customers, and the company's rivals. Changes to a rate card are not taken lightly. So, what to make of T-Mobile's new pricing changes? "We're a company that's motivated to help bring solutions and to make the lives of our customers better. And the pain is this: All around us, prices are going up. And what we want to do with T-Mobile is bring relief," said Jon Freier, president of T-Mobile's Consumer Group. But the devil is in the details. In T-Mobile's case, there are plenty of details in its new rate card. First, T-Mobile is shrinking its rate card from five postpaid plans down to four. On the prepaid side of things, T-Mobile is mostly lowering prices. The company is also introducing a five-year pricing guarantee. That's likely a reaction to recent pricing increases by Verizon and AT&T, as well as by T-Mobile itself.