T-Mobile’s new contract-free plans: Simple, cheap, and great news for consumers

When T-Mobile said its new “uncarrier” strategy was all about the customers, it wasn’t kidding around.

The company has unveiled its new contract-free plans, and somehow they’re pretty good. Here are the basics: For $50 a month, T-Mobile customers will get unlimited talk and text, along with 500MB of data. Those with more demanding data needs can pay $20 more for unlimited data, and customers who need to tether other devices can add $10 for every extra 2GB of data. (Keep in mind that all of this comes contract-free.)

Above: Is this real life?

It’s that simple, and frankly, I’m a tad concerned. Can this really be that good? It’s too early to say for sure, but I can’t seem to find much wrong with what T-Mobile is pushing here.

One potential concern, though, is T-Mobile’s LTE network, which is right on the cusp of being launched. For some, the lack of a widespread LTE network might make signing up with T-Mobile a no-go, but I suspect those people are in the minority.

I can confidently say this, however: Once T-Mobile’s LTE network does get off the ground (and once the carrier gets the iPhone), it’s going to be tough to find a better deal.

It seems crazy to say, but maybe T-Mobile does care about you after all.