New T-Mobile plan offers four 5G lines for $100 as extra coverage lights up

T-Mobile has announced a new four-line price plan, bringing unlimited data down to under $25 per line, as it tries to prove that its merger with Sprint truly is a good deal for subscribers. The new promotion will only be offered for a limited time over the summer, the carrier said today, though promises to be its lowest postpaid deal so far.

You'll need to sign up to four lines of service on T-Mobile Essentials, each of which will be priced at $25 per month, assuming you use AutoPay, plus taxes and fees. Each line will include unlimited data, in addition to unlimited talk and text.

There'll also be Caller ID, a free PROXY second number, and access to the T-Mobile Tuesdays perks. An extra line after the four can be added for a further $20 per month, up to six lines. T-Mobile Essentials includes 5G data, assuming you're in a location where 5G service is available, and that you have a 5G-compatible device.

If you don't, for $5 more per month, per line, T-Mobile will throw in a 5G phone as well. Specifically, it's the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G, assuming you have a device to trade-in.

Existing subscribers will be able to switch to the new T-Mobile Essentials or T-Mobile Essentials PLUS, assuming they're willing to commit to four lines. Small businesses will also be eligible for the new plan.

From July 24 meanwhile, T-Mobile says, any existing T-Mobile or Sprint customers can also get a Samsung Galaxy A71 5G for free, or a half-price Samsung Galaxy S20 5G, again assuming they have an eligible trade-in. The rebate will be via 24 monthly bill credits.

While the deal will only be offered over the summer, kicking off from July 24, it's part of the carrier's big pitch to prove that getting Sprint merger approval wasn't against the public interest. Come August 2, Sprint and T-Mobile will finally blend together, and only the T-Mobile brand will survive on the other side. Sprint actually offered a similar deal to this one, though T-Mobile points out that it would actually increase in price over time thanks to various "contractual commitments and 'step ups'."

As for finding 5G, there T-Mobile has a plan too. Existing Sprint subscribers have already gained access to T-Mobile's LTE and 5G networks, while in return T-Mobile has started using 2.5 GHz spectrum that Sprint held for its own mid-band 5G service. That's only just going live in parts of Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles, after Philadelphia and New York were switched on earlier in the year. T-Mobile says it's seeing average download speeds over 300 Mbps, and peak speeds four times that.

Standalone 5G – which promises better coverage, a cut in latency, and faster uploads – will follow on this quarter, T-Mobile has promised.