T-Mobile is not just restricted to the United States as its a massive global operation with services in Germany, United Kingdom and Puerto Rico. T-Mobile has an approximate 230 million subscribers worldwide, making it the 13th largest mobile-phone service in the world and fourth-largest multinational service.

The carrier has received mixed reviews from the leading independent studies for wireless performance, including RootMetrics, Ookla and OpenSignal. For example, T-Mobile performed relatively low with RootMetrics (finishing fourth among the “Big Four” providers); however OpenSignal and Ookla rank T-Mobile the best network available.

Features

T-Mobile has a reputation for having one of the fastest networks around, especially in high volume metropolitan areas. It is impressive consider how many people are competing for network quality in larger cities.

The network delivers unlimited talk, text and data on all their plans, and has a deal with the immensely popular video streaming service Netflix. T-Mobile covers a traditional 2-screen Netflix subscription for almost any device with their plans.

Another great feature of T-Mobile is that taxes and fees are already included in your bill. Customers know exactly what they are paying ahead of time each month, as T-Mobile promises to give their customers “no surprises”.

International calls and texts to Canada as well as Mexico are included in plans, with data and texting offered in over 210 countries. If you travel a lot, you may want to consider T-Mobile as the provider touts in-flight texting and 1 hour of data through Gogo-enabled flights.

In addition to Netflix, users may also stream DVD quality (480p) video on supporting devices with 3G speeds of mobile hotspot. The latest phones are offered through T-Mobile including a series of iPhones, Samsung Galaxy Notes and LG smartphones.

Rates

T-Mobile advertises a deal where new users get two unlimited lines and can add a third line for free. It’s a great deal if you are looking for a family plan, as the savings only increase the more lines you add. This is the norm for the major providers and T-Mobile is no different.

If you are seeking a single plan, however, you have a couple of options with a flat rate of $75. The unlimited T-Mobile ONE base plan will get you what you expect: unlimited text and talk, LTE data, international calling to Mexico and Canada as well as mobile hotspot. Consumers may save $5 p/ month if they enroll in autopay.

Customers also have the option of upgrading to the ONE Plus plan which features 10GB of 4G mobile hotspot and HD video streaming. Meanwhile, the “sharable” plan provides 10GB of data though extra fees and deposits are required to use this plan.

One last benefit of T-Mobile is they also cater to seniors that are 55 years or older. The Unlimited 55+ plan provides a discounted rate on up to two lines as long as the primary account holder is over 55. The plan delivers two lines on a single plan for only $75 with the option to also save $5 through autopay.

T-Mobile offers two unlimited plans and a 10GB sharable plan available without a credit check. We are not huge fans of the shareable plan as it involves fees and deposits, and it doesn’t include most of the extras that come with the other plans.

Pros

T-Mobile has performed very well on OpenSignal, which is noteworthy because of its testing methodologies. OpenSignal basis its amalgam on crowdsourced data which is very relevant to consumers because of its practically. The network is renown for performing very well in metropolitan areas.

Impressively, T-Mobile also only begins to deprioritize your data after 50GB of usage each month. Among the “Big Four” providers (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile) it is the highest 4G threshold before deprioritization which is noteworthy if you are one that loves to stream a lot of video, surf the web and/or listen to music.

Cons

While T-Mobile performs very well in large cities, its performance drops off substantially in rural areas. Compared to Verizon, for example, users in rural areas are likely to get much less dependable service.

Thus, the quality of T-Mobile is largely based on where you reside and/or work. If that’s not a huge issue than there is little else to bash.

Conclusion

T-Mobile is a very good carrier. It is especially dependable if you live in a large city. The speed and performance does drop off a bit in rural settings, so you’ll need to base your decision on whether to go with them or not depending on where you live and T-Mobile’s coverage map. The Unlimited 55+ plan is an especially good deal for seniors.