Less than two weeks ago, after nearly two years of diligently working through the merger process, T-Mobile and Sprint finally became one company. It was a historic day that none of us at the New T-Mobile will soon forget. That very same day, I stepped into the role of CEO for the newly combined company. Now, we are off to the races, building an extraordinary network for consumers and businesses.
We have opened a new chapter for T-Mobile — and I have jumped into my new job — during truly unprecedented times. COVID-19 times. None of us are immune to the constant swirl of stressors and emotions that have bubbled up in the last few months – shock, confusion, frustration, sadness… even anger. We are all seeing it in virtually every aspect of our lives, and it’s hard to navigate. As a dad and husband, I’ve been in my home with my family working through all of the unexpected change and uncertainty. Like many of you, I’ve been reaching out to friends and family, some who have been hard hit by this crisis. As the leader of a newly formed company, I’ve watched and participated with pride as our team does intense -- and often herculean work -- to respond to the uncertainty and protect our people while taking care of our customers every single day.
But, today, despite the uncertainty around us, I am incredibly bullish about the future. Looking ahead fills me with optimism and hope for what’s to come. What? How? Why? Because we stood up to a test -- ARE standing up to a test – that shows we can stand the test of time, too. Let me explain.
T-Mobile, like every wireless provider, has seen significant changes in network usage patterns, and our technology and operations have stood up well. We know this has been a time when staying connected with friends, family, work or healthcare is more important than ever. Family get-togethers, work meetings and consultations with our doctors … even happy hours now happen via video calls. And, thanks to our heroic network teams, we continue to deliver on our promise to keep you connected. This new reality has shined an even brighter light on how critical a strong, reliable network like ours is – and underscores how the transformational 5G network that this new T-Mobile will deliver is more important than ever.
Another test? Ensuring our Care and Retail teams have remained ready to serve customers who depend on us while we also work to keep them safe. From nationwide temporary store closures, to creating options for virtual and curbside selling and transitioning more than 80% of our entire Care organization to work from their homes, our teams have risen to the challenge. And this was all in a matter of days. Not months or years. This has been no small feat. So many have been working tirelessly to deliver solutions that were the right ones for both our customers and our employees. We did it. We are finding a way. And we will continue to deliver.
While we strengthened our network, served our retail customers in new ways, and reinvented customer care, we also took immediate action for our customers. We moved up our previously announced roll out of our “T-Mobile Connect” $15 a month prepaid rate plan to make it available immediately for those who need a reliable connection in uncertain times at an extremely low price point -- our lowest ever. We launched it before we even closed the merger! We also modified our policies to ensure customers aren’t losing service when they need it most. We temporarily removed data caps from many data plans, and we are giving out 20GB more hotspot data to every post-paid customer account, knowing they’d need it in this moment. We moved fast and did what’s right on behalf of our customers.
This is just the beginning. This new combined company will be a force for good. We are already using our network to help schools, businesses and consumers nationwide, and as our network expands, we will bring the benefits of 5G to as many Americans as possible. There is so much more goodness on the horizon — including the “Connecting Heroes Initiative”, our ground-breaking commitment to offer completely free mobile service nationwide to first responders at every single public and nonprofit state and local fire, police, and EMS agency. In addition, we have an audacious goal to bridge the Digital Divide that exists in our country, with “Project 10Million”, our in-progress plan to deliver free internet access and hardware to 10 million households in need over the next five years, to erase the homework gap we’re seeing so glaringly right now. The best is yet to come.
Knowing that we have a company that can truly provide for people in serious times of need but that is also ready to scale into a company that can pave the way for wireless and foster innovation to inspire for in the future … now, that gives me a serious shot of energy to lead this new T-Mobile. THIS is what fires me up!
Our new goal is to build the world’s best 5G network, delivering innovation, speed, and value. With the New T-Mobile, you will never be forced to choose between low prices or a great network again, because with the new T-Mobile network, we’ll give you BOTH. We’ve already stood up to this test. T-Mobile has not only been able to fortify and expand our network during this crisis and continue serving customers, we have been able to help people where they’ve experienced a huge impact: the pocketbook.
The Un-carrier spirit that has guided us through the challenges of the last few months — the same spirit our customers have come to love over the last seven years, and all consumers have benefitted from — is here to stay. And with that comes my promise: that this new T-Mobile is just as customer experience obsessed as EVER. Now maybe more than ever. That’s what motivates me - our team’s passion for creating outstanding customer experiences.
Our aspiration in this new company is simple: we want to be the #1 CHOICE of customers, and we want to get there by being #1 in customers’ HEARTS. We’re at our best when we create experiences that are noticeably different and better than our competition - when we do more than anyone else to put customers’ needs first. The only way we can do that is by having a TEAM that continues to care about this more than any other company can. That’s why our Un-carrier culture and ethos is so important.
We don’t manufacture the phones we sell, or the equipment on our towers. Our TEAMS connect them with a passion for creating a differentiated experience. And with everything from Team of Experts to T-Mobile Tuesdays, we create something truly original. Experiences are what people seek out and share. They are what people remember and what keeps them coming back. Where other companies see numbers, we see people ... people with pain points that we can help solve. And what we do has never been more important than right now!
We want to get to know you, our customers, better than any company in our space. We realize that when we talk to you and listen, we learn where we can be better, and that’s so important to us because we humbly embrace the fact that no matter how good we are, we can always improve. No matter how many rules we break and norms we change to improve this industry for customers, it’s never enough. There’s always more we can do. We aren’t settling for the status quo. We’re restless. And even though we’re big now, like the carriers, we’ll never be LIKE the carriers. We’ll always seek new and better ways to run our business and serve our customers.
The world is an uncertain place today, but there are two things I am feel very certain of. First, our country will get through this pandemic. We’ll learn from it, be better, be smarter and hopefully even more compassionate as we find our new normal. Second - that the new T-Mobile was made for this moment. We will build on our foundation and drive real change that makes a real impact that benefits you, your family and your community. I am truly excited to step into the future with you. Together.
Because for years we’ve asked you, “Are you with us?” Today, I want you to know that We Are With You.