T-Mobile to Expand ‘Un-Carrier 4.0’ Initiative, Offer Switch Incentives to U.S. Cellular, Regional Customers

T-Mobile will expand its recently introduced “Un-Carrier 4.0″ initiative, which saw the company offering to pay up to $350 in early termination fees for Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T customers who switched to T-Mobile. As part of the expansion, first detailed by Re/code, T-Mobile will pay the same contract termination fees for customers currently with U.S. Cellular and a dozen other small regional carriers.

T-Mobile also has plans to entice additional customers by accepting a larger number of handsets for trade-in, including damaged phones, albeit for a lower trade-in credit.

“This is not just a promotion,” T-Mobile marketing chief Mike Sievert told Re/code on Thursday. “What we are trying to do is bring an end to unfair one-way onerous contracts in this country.”

First unveiled last week, T-Mobile’s early termination deal pays up to $350 per line in fees for individuals and families with up to five lines who switch from their current carriers and trade in their phones to T-Mobile.

Under the terms of the program, customers have to leave their current carriers, trade in existing phones (T-Mobile offers up to $300 per trade-in), sign up for a new T-Mobile plan and port a phone number. After the above qualifications are met, customers can send the final bill from their previous carrier (with termination fees listed) to T-Mobile for reimbursement via prepaid MasterCard.

According to T-Mobile, upwards of 80,000 “break-up” letters have been shared on social media sites in the last week by customers leaving their carriers for T-Mobile and signups have increased as a result of the program.

Apple to Begin iPhone 5c In-Store Screen Replacements Next Week

Apple will begin offering in-store screen replacements or repairs for iPhone 5c displays next week, starting on Monday, January 20, according to 9to5Mac.

Apple has begun conducting iPhone 5c screen replacements in a small number of stores in the United States over the past couple of months, but the January 20th rollout will represent a full-scale launch in all of Apple’s retail regions aside from Hong Kong and Canada.

Broken displays that aren’t covered under AppleCare+ will likely cost $149 per device to replace or repair, while displays that are covered under AppleCare+ are likely to cost $79 per device, similar to the pricing structure Apple employs for broken iPhone 5 displays.

In-store replacements/repairs for iPhone 5s displays are still in Apple’s plans and are “coming soon”, though are not expected to roll out next week alongside iPhone 5c replacements/repairs. The moves are part of Apple’s larger shift to lower repair costs.

Tim Cook Asked About Larger iPhone at China Mobile Launch

After nearly six years of negotiations, the iPhone is finally available on China Mobile, which is the largest mobile carrier in the world with around 763 million subscribers. Apple CEO Tim Cook was on hand with China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua at the carrier’s headquarters store in Beijing at launch, according to Bloomberg.

Tim Cook with China Mobile’s Xi Guohua and a customer. Image via Eunice Yoon

Cook handed out autographed iPhones to the first few customers before he once again praised Apple’s new cooperation with China Mobile.

“Today is just the beginning of China Mobile and Apple coming together to deliver the best experience in the world,” Cook said as a few dozen people came in to look at the iPhones on display. China Mobile said Jan. 15 it signed a multiyear agreement with Apple containing “broad potential” for future cooperation.

Cook was soon asked whether the next iPhone would launch with a bigger screen, and responded that Apple does not like talking about future projects, but that they are working on “great things” and want to keep them secret because “you will be so much happier when you see it.”

Having fun in Beijing at the iPhone launch with China Mobile! pic.twitter.com/AqoqLbbeO7

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) January 17, 2014

China Mobile is focused on attracting premium customers for the iPhone, Canalys analyst Nicole Peng told Bloomberg, because the carrier is concerned the high subsidy on the iPhone would impact their profitability. Fellow Chinese carrier China Telecom reported a 10 percent drop in net income in the first year of offering the iPhone, largely because of the higher subsidy.

On January 15, China Mobile said that 1 million iPhones had been pre-ordered in advance of launch. Estimates of Apple’s potential iPhone sales have varied from 10-30 million units, with some claiming demand is lower due to satisfaction with China’s other two carriers China Telecom and China Unicom as well as waning interest in iPhone because of increased smartphone choices in the country.