Relief on ETFs

Good news for Sprint & T-Mobile subscribers who want to get out of their contracts early and get an iPhone from AT&T. Today, Sprint Nextel Corp. announced it will pro-rate its early termination fees (ETFs) for customers, the last of the four national wireless carriers to do so. T-Mobile announced yesterday that it too will begin to prorate early termination fees next year.

“T-Mobile is widely recognized as the undisputed service leader in wireless. We want to do everything possible to create a great experience so customers want to stay with us for years,” said Sue Nokes, senior vice president, Sales and Customer Service, T-Mobile USA. “This announcement builds on our heritage of listening closely to our customers and always striving to meet their needs.”

Though exact details will not be announced and introduced until the first half of 2008, ETFs will decline over the course of a Sprint and T-Mobile contract. When they become effective, the terms will apply to new customers as well as current customers renewing contracts. Sprint and T-Mobile join Verizon and AT&T, both of which introduced pro-rated ETFs earlier this year.