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T-Mobile USA

Sunday, October 31, 2004; Page F08

Phone: 800-866-2453; Web: www.t-mobile.com; Type: Digital (GSM)

SERVICE PLANS:

_____Headlines_____
• When Cell Phones Go Bad
• How to Make the Right Call on Service
_____Service Details_____
• Cingular Wireless
• Nextel
• Sprint PCS
• T-Mobile
• Verizon Wireless
_____Direct Comparisons_____
• 'Real World' Costs
• Fine Print
• Messaging and Web Options
• Reviewer's Notes
_____About This Guide_____
• For explanations of what plans we list, how the coverage maps were created, and what the "real world cost" categories mean, click here.
_____Local Tech News_____
• Independence Numbers Fall (The Washington Post, Dec 7, 2004)
• DirecTV to Sell Half of Hughes Network Systems to SkyTerra (The Washington Post, Dec 7, 2004)
• Recruiter Puts Its Money Where Its Workers Are (The Washington Post, Dec 6, 2004)
• More Headlines
• Tech Events Calendar

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"Regional Rate"
$49.99: 3,000 anytime minutes, then 35 cents/minute.

No long-distance or roaming charges in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington; elsewhere, roaming adds 49 cents/minute and long-distance adds 20 cents/minute.

"National Get More America"
$19.99: 60 anytime minutes, 500 weekend minutes, then 45 cents/minute.
$29.99: 300 anytime minutes, unlimited weekend minutes, then 40 cents/minute.
$39.99: 600 anytime minutes, unlimited night/weekend minutes, then 40 cents/minute.
$39.99: 1,000 minutes, then 40 cents/minute.
$59.99: 1,000 anytime minutes, unlimited night/weekend minutes, then 40 cents/minute.
No roaming or long-distance charges.

"Family Time"
$49.99: 400 anytime minutes, unlimited night/weekend minutes, then 40 cents/minute.
$69.99: 800 anytime minutes, unlimited night/weekend minutes, then 35 cents/minute.
Plans cover two phones; additional phones, up to five total, add $10 each. No roaming or long-distance charges. Free calls to other T-Mobile phones.

Messaging/Web/etc.
Text messages 5 cents each, or $2.99 for 300 messages, $6.99 for 1,000 messages. Web access costs $4.99 and requires GPRS phone; download speeds up to 54 kbps.

Fine print
One-year contract required, but can change plans without penalty. 14-day trial. "Weekend" means 12:01 a.m. Sat.-11:59 p.m. Sun.; "night" means 9:01 p.m.-6:59 a.m. Prepaid "T-Mobile to Go" service available, starting at $10 for 30 minutes or 30 days and $25 for 90 minutes or 90 days.

Smartphones offered
BlackBerry 6230, 6710, 7100t, 7230 and 7730; HP iPaq h6315; Nokia N-Gage QD; PalmOne Treo 600; Sidekick II; T-Mobile Pocket PC 2003 Phone Edition

Real-world cost estimates
1: Light use (30 minutes): $19.99

2: Moderate use (three hours): $29.99

3: Heavy use (eight hours): $39.99

4: Land-line replacement (20 hours): $59.99

5: Chatty couple (six hours, two phones): $49.99

REVIEWER'S NOTES:
T-Mobile, last year's weakest performer, closed the gap a bit this year. We did find areas where the signal was dramatically weaker than other carriers, but fewer than a year ago; this is real progress. If your own calls don't extend to rural areas and you find that T-Mobile's plans meet your use better than those of competitors, you might find that occasional static or dropouts are acceptable tradeoffs.

-- John Breeden II


© 2004 The Washington Post Company