T-Mobile offers nearly free Alcatel One Touch Pop 7 tablet if subs sign up for data

T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS) is giving away a practically free Alcatel One Touch Android tablet to its customers as long as they sign up for a qualifying data plan. Starting Nov. 21, existing customers can go to participating T-Mobile retail stores and existing customers can get the Alcatel One Touch Pop 7 tablet for free--they just need to pay sales tax and sign up for a data plan.

Alcatel One Touch Pop 7 tablet for $149 metropcs

Alcatel One Touch Pop 7 tablet

Starting Nov. 22 the offer is open to everyone. However, T-Mobile indicated that it may last less than a week. "Customers should hurry in; a deal this hot may not even last until Black Friday," the carrier stated in a release.

The tablet is currently being sold for $168 at full retail price through T-Mobile and for $149 plus taxes through T-Mobile's MetroPCS prepaid brand.

T-Mobile's tablet data plans start at 1 GB of LTE data before throttling for $20 per month. Customers also get an extra 200 MB of data for free as long as they own the tablet. Customers with a T-Mobile voice plan also get an additional $10 monthly bill credit.

However, there are some drawbacks to the Pop 7. The device is an HSPA+ tablet and can only access HSPA+ speeds. Befitting its low-cost price, the Pop 7 has lower-end specifications: The tablet runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, sports a 7-inch screen, 1.3 GHz dual-core processor and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Meanwhile, MetroPCS is launching its own limited-time promotion, a "Buy One, Get One" offer on a wide range of phones. Starting Nov. 19 and running through Dec. 1 at participating MetroPCS stores, customers can choose from up to a dozen LTE smartphones in the buy-one, get-one-free offer.

T-Mobile isn't the only carrier pushing tablets this holiday season. Earlier this month Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) launched its new branded Ellipsis 8 Android tablet. The 8-inch device is available online and in Verizon stores for $250--for a limited time, the tablet will be available for $150 with a new, two-year contract.

In other promotion news, T-Mobile said starting today and running through the end of the year, customers on its Simple Choice plans plan can enjoy unlimited calling from the U.S. to landlines in more than 70 countries worldwide for just $5 a month for the entire account, not just per line. The plan had cost $10 per line per month before.

Additionally, for $10 per month, an entire account can get unlimited calling to mobile phones in more than 30 countries and 1,000 minutes to mobile phones in Mexico, on top of unlimited calls to landlines in more than 70 countries. That plan had cost $15 per line per month before.

T-Mobile said once the international calling features are added to a customer's account, everyone on the account with a Simple Choice plan can access the features as long the customer keeps the Stateside International Talk feature on the account.

For more:
- see these two separate T-Mobile releases
- see this Verizon post
- see this Bloomberg article

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