T-Mobile‘s "The Un-carrier" Slogan: Redefining the Wireless Industry

Since 2013, T-Mobile has branded itself as the "Un-carrier" – a bold statement signaling the company‘s intent to transform the wireless industry and differentiate itself from the competition. But what exactly does "The Un-carrier" mean? How has T-Mobile lived up to this slogan over the years? And is the Un-carrier strategy working in attracting and retaining customers? Let‘s take a deep dive into the meaning, history, and impact of T-Mobile‘s famous slogan.

The Meaning of "The Un-carrier"

At its core, "The Un-carrier" encapsulates T-Mobile‘s aspiration to break the mold of the traditional wireless carrier. It‘s a promise to customers that T-Mobile will deliver a radically different experience – one that eliminates pain points, puts the customer first, and changes the industry for the better.

By labeling itself the "Un-carrier," T-Mobile is saying it refuses to play by the usual rules of the wireless game. Rather than nickel-and-diming customers with hidden fees, locking them into restrictive contracts, and delivering subpar service, T-Mobile aims to be the antithesis of everything people dislike about carriers. The Un-carrier does what‘s right for the customer, period.

This positioning serves to separate T-Mobile from rivals Verizon and AT&T, painting them as stodgy, anti-consumer Goliaths in comparison to T-Mobile‘s scrappy, pro-consumer David. "The Un-carrier" signals a wireless provider that is more transparent, flexible, and customer-friendly.

"The Un-carrier strategy is a long-term business philosophy grounded in listening to customers and solving their pain points," explains T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert. "It‘s not about a single move or promotion, but a relentless commitment to putting customers first in everything we do."

History and Timeline of the Un-carrier Era

T-Mobile first adopted "The Un-carrier" moniker in March 2013 under the leadership of then-CEO John Legere. Legere saw an opportunity to capitalize on widespread frustration with the wireless industry by positioning T-Mobile as the antidote to everything customers hated about carriers.

The first major Un-carrier move came in March 2013 when T-Mobile eliminated annual contracts and phone subsidies, instead allowing customers to pay for devices in monthly installments separate from their service plan. Additional moves soon followed, including:

• JUMP! upgrades to let customers upgrade phones more frequently (July 2013)
• Free international data roaming in 100+ countries (October 2013)
• Paying off new customers‘ early termination fees to switch (January 2014)
• Adding unused 4G LTE data to a "Data Stash" for later use (December 2014)
• "Binge On" unlimited video streaming (November 2015)
• Gifting a free share of T-Mobile stock to every customer (June 2016)
• Launching T-Mobile Tuesdays app with free weekly rewards (June 2016)
• Including Netflix subscriptions with family plans (September 2017)
• Team of Experts customer service with no robots or scripts (August 2018)
• Reimbursing Netflix, Hulu, and other video subscriptions (January 2019)
• Nationwide 5G network launch (December 2019)
• "Project 10Million" free internet connectivity for students (September 2020)

Each of these Un-carrier moves was designed to solve a major pain point plaguing wireless customers while spurring the rest of the industry to follow suit. T-Mobile didn‘t just talk the talk with its Un-carrier slogan – it walked the walk by putting its money where its mouth was and instituting real change.

"T-Mobile kicked off the Un-carrier movement by eliminating contracts and subsidies – practices that were reviled by consumers but entrenched in the industry," notes Avi Greengart, President and Lead Analyst at Techsponential. "Since then, the Un-carrier moves have served both as compelling customer acquisition tools and catalysts for industrywide change. Rivals have had no choice but to follow T-Mobile‘s lead."

Impact of the Un-carrier Approach

T-Mobile‘s Un-carrier strategy has reaped huge dividends for the company over the past decade. Between 2013 and 2021, T-Mobile nearly quadrupled its customer base from 33 million to over 130 million (including Sprint), leapfrogging AT&T to become the second largest U.S. wireless carrier.

Year	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
2013	34.0M	35.0M	36.3M	37.4M
2014	38.5M	39.9M	41.2M	42.7M
2015	44.0M	45.5M	46.9M	48.2M
2016	49.8M	50.9M	52.3M	54.1M
2017	55.5M	56.9M	58.7M	60.2M
2018	62.0M	63.3M	66.6M	68.5M
2019	72.6M	75.6M	84.2M	86.0M
2020	98.3M	98.3M	100.4M	102.1M
2021	103.4M	104.8M	106.9M	108.7M

T-Mobile quarterly branded customer numbers (postpaid and prepaid). Sprint customers included starting Q2 2020. Source: T-Mobile quarterly reports

Much of those subscriber gains came at the expense of rivals, as T-Mobile routinely led the industry in postpaid phone net additions amid its Un-carrier blitz.

"T-Mobile‘s Un-carrier strategy has been an unequivocal success, both in terms of attracting new customers and taking market share from rivals," says Tammy Parker, a Senior Analyst at GlobalData. "The Un-carrier moves differentiated T-Mobile as the most customer-friendly option."

The approach has also bolstered T-Mobile‘s financials. Revenue more than doubled from $24.4B in 2013 to $68.4B in 2021. Free cash flow jumped from $1B to $5.6B over the same span.

Competitors initially downplayed T-Mobile‘s Un-carrier attacks as a desperate ploy from a struggling carrier. But as T-Mobile gained steam and stole market share, the rest of the industry was forced to take notice and respond in kind:

• Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint all ended contracts and subsidies by 2016
• Verizon and AT&T launched their own early upgrade programs to counter JUMP!
• AT&T and Sprint began including international data roaming in 2015
• Verizon launched Go90 video service in 2015 to counter Binge On, but shut it down in 2018
• All three rivals deployed customer rewards programs to match T-Mobile Tuesdays

The wireless industry is demonstrably more consumer-friendly today than it was a decade ago before T-Mobile‘s Un-carrier crusade began. Customers have more choice, flexibility, and perks – and they largely have the Un-carrier to thank.

The results are reflected in T-Mobile‘s brand perception and customer satisfaction ratings, which consistently top the industry. T-Mobile ranked highest among wireless carriers in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Wireless Customer Care Study for the ninth straight year. T-Mobile also ranked highest in customer satisfaction in the 2021 American Customer Satisfaction Index report.

"T-Mobile‘s Un-carrier positioning and its ability to actually solve major customer pain points is a huge reason why it leads the industry in loyalty and satisfaction metrics," says Ian Greenblatt, Managing Director at J.D. Power. "Customers believe T-Mobile has their best interests at heart – and that‘s incredibly powerful."

Alignment with T-Mobile‘s Vision, Mission and Values

T-Mobile‘s Un-carrier slogan dovetails perfectly with the company‘s broader mission, vision, and values. T-Mobile‘s stated mission is "to be the best in the world at connecting customers to their world." By eliminating pain points like contracts and international fees, the Un-carrier delivers on that mission.

The company‘s vision, meanwhile, is "to redefine the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through leading product and service innovation." Each Un-carrier move, from the JUMP! upgrade program to customer care specialists without scripts or robots, has redefined industry practices for the better.

Finally, T-Mobile‘s core values center on innovation, inclusion, and doing right by customers and communities. Un-carrier initiatives like free connectivity for students during the pandemic and investing in diversity, equity and inclusion demonstrate those values in action.

"At T-Mobile, everything always comes back to the customer, and the Un-carrier is the clearest embodiment of that customer-first mentality," says T-Mobile‘s Chief Marketing Officer Matt Staneff. "The Un-carrier is more than a slogan – it‘s the overall north star that guides our decisions and defines who we are."

What‘s Next for the Un-carrier?

After nearly a decade, T-Mobile shows no signs of slowing down its Un-carrier pace. If anything, the company is hitting the gas as it integrates Sprint customers in the wake of their 2020 merger and builds out its industry-leading 5G network.

With over 130 million total customers, T-Mobile still has plenty of room to gain on Verizon and cement its newly earned number two spot in the market. The company can also flex its newfound scale and 5G lead to continue challenging industry norms.

"With its Sprint merger complete and its 5G position strong, there‘s never been more opportunity for T-Mobile to push the envelope as the Un-carrier," says Roger Entner, Founder and Lead Analyst at Recon Analytics. "I expect them to leverage 5G heavily and launch new Un-carrier moves that change how people work, play, and connect."

T-Mobile has teased that it plans to "supercharge" the Un-carrier with its 5G network, though specifics remain under wraps. Some potential areas for innovation could include:

• Un-carrier plans with truly unlimited 5G data, no caps or throttling
• Bundling home internet and mobile service in a unified Un-carrier plan
• Partnerships with content providers to deliver exclusive 5G experiences
• 5G speed/coverage guarantees and other Un-carrier assurances
• Web3 and metaverse-style experiences over 5G, like VR/AR

Whatever form they take, expect future Un-carrier moves to do what they‘ve always done – upend the status quo and force the rest of the industry to follow T-Mobile‘s lead.

"The heart of the Un-carrier is listening to customers, identifying their biggest challenges, and finding innovative ways to solve them that the competition won‘t," says T-Mobile‘s Sievert. "There are always pain points to tackle and new ways we‘ll keep fighting for customers. We won‘t stop."

The Bottom Line on "The Un-carrier"

In the end, "The Un-carrier" slogan perfectly encapsulates the T-Mobile brand and mindset. More than just a marketing ploy, the Un-carrier represents a fundamental shift in how a wireless company operates and how it treats its customers.

By staying relentlessly focused on solving customer pain points and challenging the industry status quo, T-Mobile has lived up to its Un-carrier promise over and over again. The results speak for themselves in T-Mobile‘s skyrocketing subscriber base, revenue, profitability, and customer satisfaction ratings compared to rivals.

The Un-carrier‘s impact goes beyond just T-Mobile‘s success. T-Mobile has forced massive, consumer-friendly changes across the entire wireless industry. Thanks to the Un-carrier, contracts and subsidies are a thing of the past, upgrading is easier, and international travel is more affordable. T-Mobile has dragged the whole industry kicking and screaming into a more customer-centric future.

As T-Mobile continues marching towards 5G dominance, expect the Un-carrier beat to go on. No matter what form future Un-carrier moves take, they will undoubtedly have one unifying theme – doing what‘s right for customers. And as long as there are still customer pain points to solve and industry norms to disrupt, there will always be an important role for the Un-carrier to play.