AT&T just announced its answer to T-Mobile's JUMP! Plans, which let you upgrade every six months. The new option is called AT&T Next and it lets you upgrade your smartphone or tablet once a year. You'll need to agree to pay monthly installments for the new phone or tablet but, after 12 months, you can trade in your device and upgrade without any sort of down payment toward the new gadget. If you want, you can continue using the phone or tablet after 20 months without any monthly payments. T-Mobile, meanwhile, requires that you pay a down payment toward the new device.
"With AT&T Next, customers can the newest smartphone or tablet every year with no down payment," AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega explained. "That's hard to beat, and it's an incredible value for customers who want the latest and greatest every year."
AT&T Next comes at a price, however. You'll need to pay a monthly device installment fee that ranges between $15 and $50 per month, depending on the phone or tablet you choose. T-Mobile charges $10 per month in addition to a similar device fee and an upfront cost before you walk out of the door, which can add up to more than $30 per month depending on the device you purchase. AT&T said a Galaxy S4 would require monthly payments of $32 under the Next plans.
AT&T said it will continue to offer its standard upgrade every 24 months for customers who don't always need the latest and greatest device. The plans are available now and apply to every smartphone and tablet in AT&T's portfolio.
AT&T CUSTOMERS CAN GET A NEW SMARTPHONE OR TABLET EVERY YEAR WITH NO DOWN PAYMENT WITH "AT&T NEXT"
No Down Payment, No Upgrade or Activation Fees,and All On The Nation's Fastest 4G LTE Network
DALLAS, JULY 16, 2013 — Today, AT&T* introduces what's next in wireless. Beginning nationwide on
July 26, consumers can get a new AT&T smartphone or tablet every year with no down payment, no
activation fee, no upgrade fee and no financing fees.**
With AT&T Next, customers purchase a smartphone or tablet with no down payment and agree to pay
monthly installments for the device. After 12 payments, they can trade it in and upgrade to a brand new
device — again with no down payment — or they can keep using their device and have no more
payments after 20 months. AT&T Next is available for new AT&T customers or existing customers who
are upgrade eligible.
"Technology doesn't wait, and neither should you," said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief
executive officer of AT&T Mobility. "With AT&T Next, customers can get the newest smartphone or
tablet every year with no down payment. That's hard to beat, and it's an incredible value for customers
who want the latest and greatest every year."
AT&T 4G LTE covers more than 225 million people nationwide and 328 markets. AT&T plans to reach
more than 400 markets by the end of the year through its rapid and ongoing deployment. AT&T's 4G
LTE deployment is expected to cover 300 million people by year-end 2014, with nearly 90 percent of
the build completed by the end of this year.
The great performance of AT&T's network continues to be validated by independent third-party testing.
AT&T 4G LTE service was recognized as having faster average download and upload speeds than any
of our competitors in PCWorld/TechHive's most recent 20-market speed tests — the second
