Well we now know what AT&T had up its sleeve. Today, AT&T announced their new upgrade plan aptly named “Next”. Set to compete with the recently announced JUMP! plan from T-Mobile and the freshly rumored “VZEdge” plans from Verizon, AT&T Next promises consumers 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.
“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,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility.
It seems that these plans are the beginning of the next phase of wireless carriers. As the services each carrier provides becomes more competitive, wireless companies will become even more creative with their offerings. The fact remains that carriers have to pay manufacturers upwards of $600 for their hardware and have to recoup that money somehow. However by offering customers a bit more flexibility in their upgrade status, carriers are working towards a more friendly approach to offering wireless service.
AT&T Next will be available starting July 26 for new AT&T customers or existing customers who are upgrade eligible. For more information about the new AT&T Next plans, click here.
