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T-Mobile to discontinue convenient customer perk after 10 years
Yahoo Financeยท 2025-10-18 18:03
Core Insights - T-Mobile is undergoing significant leadership changes, with CEO Mike Sievert stepping down and COO Srini Gopalan taking over, aiming to enhance the company's digital-first strategy [1][2] Leadership Transition - Mike Sievert will transition to the role of vice chair after five years as CEO, effective November 1 [1] - Srini Gopalan, the current COO, is expected to lead T-Mobile towards becoming a more disruptive force in the industry [2] Customer Policy Changes - T-Mobile plans to increase late fees from $7 to $10 starting November 1, or 5% of the past due balance, whichever is higher [3] - The JUMP! On Demand leasing program will be discontinued on December 1, 2025, affecting customers' ability to upgrade phones every 30 days [4][5] - Customers with leasing agreements ending after December 2 can keep their devices, and remaining lease payments will be forgiven [5] Strategic Focus - The decision to end the JUMP! On Demand program allows T-Mobile to concentrate on its Purchase Option Installment Plan, which offers nine-month payment options for leased phones [7] - T-Mobile aims to make customers reliant on its T-Life app for managing upgrades and account activations by January 2026 [8] Customer Behavior and Market Dynamics - T-Mobile reported gaining 830,000 new postpaid phone customers in Q2 2025, but experienced a 10 basis point increase in postpaid phone churn year-over-year [9] - The company has faced customer loss following price hikes on older phone plans, amid a competitive environment with aggressive promotions from rivals [10] - A survey indicated that 58% of customers from major carriers are considering switching due to rising costs, with a potential loss of 230 million customers across the industry [11] Competitive Position - Despite recent customer losses, T-Mobile is viewed as strategically ahead of competitors like Verizon and AT&T in terms of wireless network performance and value offerings [11]