T-Mobile fixes big smartphone pain point, Verizon mad, AT&T sues | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Before T-Mobile launched its “Un-carrier” initiative back in 2013, everything about the smartphone, then the cellphone, industry put the service providers interests over those of their customers.

AT&T and Verizon dominated the market, and they locked customers into hard-to-break contracts and made it nearly impossible to take your number with you if you actually left. They collected billions in overage charges and extra money from people who paid for plans that had more than they needed just to avoid those charges.

T-Mobile, which was then led by maverick CEO John Legere, put an end to all that with its series of Un-carrier moves.

Now, while it’s not using the “Un-carrier” branding, new T-Mobile CEO Srinivasan Gopalan has shared how it’s fixing something that’s still a major, likely even the largest, pain point for wireless customers.

Key T‑Mobile “Un‑carrier” Moves

Un‑carrier 1.0: No more annual contracts, device‑subsidy model In March 2013, T-Mobile eliminated mandatory service contracts and separated device payments from service plans, allowing customers to pay for phones monthly rather than via large up‑front subsidies, according to a press release.
Un‑carrier 2.0: JUMP! (Upgrade flexibility) Launched July 2013, this allowed customers to upgrade their phone more frequently than traditional two‑year cycles, Marketing Scoop reported.
Simple Global/ International roaming perks (Un‑carrier 3.0) Around October 2013, T‑Mobile began offering international roaming with favorable terms (e.g. data roaming abroad) to reduce roaming charges for travelers, T-Mobile shared on its website.
Un‑carrier 4.0: “Carrier Freedom”/ETF buy‑out for switching customers Introduced in January 2014, T‑Mobile offered to pay off early‑termination fees (ETFs) or outstanding device payments for customers who switched from other carriers l,owering a major switching barrier, Apple Insider reported.
“Data Stash:” Rollover of unused data Launched December 2014: users could roll over unused high-speed data from month to month, instead of losing it, a break from “use it or lose it” plans, T-Mobile shared in a press release.
“Binge On”/Data‑friendly streaming and “Music Freedom” T-Mobile removed data‑usage penalties for certain music and video streaming services, letting customers stream without using their high-speed data allotment, the company shared.
T-Mobile Tuesdays: Customer loyalty/rewards program Introduced as part of later Un‑carrier moves: a weekly rewards/benefits program for customers, T-Mobile shared on its website.
“Un‑carrier for Business:” Simplified pricing and service for business customers Announced in March 2015: Simplified, transparent business wireless plans and support, according to a T-Mobile press release.
5G‑era “New T‑Mobile” moves (post‑Sprint merger) As part of its 5G build‑out and network expansion, T‑Mobile introduced new initiatives under “Un‑carrier/New T‑Mobile,” aimed at leveraging improved network capacity for broader, more powerful services, according to a T-Mobile annual report.

T-Mobile makes new Un-carrier move

T-Mobile’s latest Un-carrier effort is called “15 Minutes to Better” or “Easy Switch.”

The idea is to simplify the process of switching from another carrier to T-Mobile.

Gopalan spoke about it during the Dec. 9 UBS Global Media and Communications Conference.

First, the new CEO made it clear that he thinks making it easy to switch is important because consumers now have a better opinion of T-Mobile’s network.

“There are at least 70 million Verizon and AT&T customers who chose Verizon and AT&T because they thought they had the best network. That was true way back in the 4G era. That’s changed now. And these customers are paying a premium because they thought they were on the best network. That’s no longer true. Huge opportunity there,” he said at the event.

Many of those customers, he noted, want to make the move.

“As we talked in our earnings call, our perception amongst network seekers is now at an all-time high, and that’s driving some real momentum into the business, and our latest move, ‘Easy to Switch’ or ’15 Minutes to Better’ is part of kind of taking away that inertia amongst network seekers and bringing them to us,” he added.

The CEO believes that T-Mobile is pulling the industry forward.

“I mean, this industry in many ways, operates like it’s in 2002, right? For most things, whether you’re an existing customer or a new customer, you’ve got to go into a store, you’ve got to call someone. We fundamentally believe that has to change,” he said.

More Retail:

“Easy to Switch” or “15 Minutes to Better” is making that happen.

“You saw our launch of 15 Minutes to Better, which really uses some of the best tech to start smashing one of the biggest pain points customers have, which is the process of switching,” he added.

According to OpenSignal, T-Mobile ranked highest among major U.S. carriers for overall network experience in 2025.

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What “15 Minutes to Better / Easy Switch” means (key features)

Switch carriers in ~15 minutes, T‑Mobile claims the full process of porting a number and signing up can be completed in about 15 minutes per line via the T‑Life app.(T-Mobile)
AI‑powered plan matching: The Easy Switch tool runs inside the T‑Life app. Users log in with their current AT&T or Verizon credentials, and the tool analyzes their lines/devices/usage to recommend the optimal T‑Mobile plan, according to Yahoo Tech.
Option to keep current phone or get new phone later: Instead of being forced to pick a new device during the switch, customers may port their number now and wait up to 90 days to choose a phone deal, T-Mobile shared.
Same‑day device delivery (in select areas): For those who do choose a new device at sign-up, T‑Mobile offers same-day delivery via DoorDash in certain major U.S. cities, according to Nasdaq.
Promotional deals & potential savings: As part of the switch campaign, T‑Mobile advertises savings vs. competitors, bundle offers, and offers on new devices (sometimes even free or highly discounted phones, per plan terms). T-Mobile shared in a press release
Simplify a historically painful process: “Switching wireless providers is a hassle,” often involving paperwork, store visits, device logistica. T‑Mobile argues its new system makes the process modern, seamless, and fast, according to Yahoo Tech.
Remove barriers to switching for AT&T/Verizon users: By offering a smooth, quick process plus perks, T‑Mobile makes it easier for customers to consider switching from competitors, reported WhistleOut.

T-Mobile’s move gets positive reviews

“The process of moving three, four or five people from one service to another can be pretty complicated,” Techsponential President Avi Greengart told Fierce Mobile.

Chetan Sharma, founder of Chetan Sharma Consulting, Told Fierce Mobile that the porting process itself is relatively easy, but “you still have to go through the manual process of getting the code, inserting the code and sometimes it does require you to go to the store or be on a call,” he said.

“It’s still the back-end systems that are waiting for data to be fed for them to crank out the whole porting process,” he said. “I think they’ve probably automated all of that functionality in the back end. That’s how they’re able to do it in 15 minutes.”

Verizon has taken issue with T-Mobile’s latest initiative.

“Faster isn’t better, according to Verizon, which criticizes T-Mobile’s ’15 Minutes to Better’ switching feature. In a new blog post, Verizon argues that T-Mobile’s switching process has many pitfalls, which it is careful to avoid,” Phone Arena reported.

Verizon has accused T-Mobile of undermining the switching experience in its pursuit of speed.

“The carrier says T-Mobile’s entire automatic switching process is flawed, from allowing T-Life to log into the account a customer has with a rival company up to letting AI decide which plan would best suit a switcher,” according to Phone Arena.

AT&T has sued T-Mobile for unauthorized access to customer data using T-Life’s Switching Made Easy (SME) tool. AT&T wants T-Mobile to stop accessing its systems and pay monetary damages, according to another Phone Arena story.

A T-Mobile spokesperson denied those charges.

“AT&T’s claims are wrong on the facts and the law. Easy Switch simply and safely empowers consumers to seamlessly access and share their own information so that they can make an informed choice about their wireless provider and plan. We remain committed to transparency, simplicity, and ensuring consumers have the freedom to choose, and we will continue to vigorously oppose AT&T’s efforts to hamper consumer choice,” according to the statement shared with Phone Arena.