Intelligent CIO North America Issue 46 | Page 70

INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology

TextNow shakes up wireless with first-of-its-kind free mobile data offering

TextNow ’ s newly launched Free Essential Data offers customers free data for email , maps , rideshare apps and unlimited calling and texting on the largest 5G network in the US .

TextNow , the only free phone service provider in the US , says it ’ s taking the next step towards eliminating the phone bill with the announcement of its new Free Essential Data offering .

TextNow ' s Free Essential Data offers customers free data for email , maps , rideshare apps and unlimited calling and texting on the largest 5G network in the US .
This free data offering is pitched as propelling TextNow ' s mission to democratize reliable phone service by ensuring that customers never have to worry about losing connectivity because of an unpaid phone bill . TextNow says the average American spends close to $ 2,000 a year on their cell phone bill but doesn ' t have enough savings to cover a $ 1,000 emergency expense .
Referencing many of the big wireless carriers as ‘ hiking prices again and again ’ while customers fall further and further behind on their bills , TextNow says that , by comparison , it is the first carrier to get advertisers to pay for cell phone service – so customers can get rid of their bill and keep more money for the things that matter .
“ At TextNow , we ' re obsessed with charging people less , while giving them more and changing what consumers expect from their mobile service providers ,” said Derek Ting , CEO and co-founder , TextNow .
“ With this game changing launch of Free Essential Data , we ' re proving that phone service can be affordable and offer more choice and control to the consumer .”
Customers who are looking for additional data , but don ' t want to overpay for their service , can also choose from what TextNow claims as ‘ the most flexible data options on the market ’ with TextNow ' s Flexible Data Passes – that have customers paying only for data when they want with options to purchase hourly , daily or monthly data directly from the app . connectivity , there ' s no need for families to pay hundreds of dollars a month for data plans they ultimately don ' t need ,” said Ting .
“ With our free service and low-cost , flexible data passes , we ' re helping people stay connected while only paying for what they need .”
Customers can change or cancel data plans anytime with just a few taps and there are no lock-in contracts .
“ More than 80 % of our users are connected to Wi-Fi all or most of the time they are using their phone . With nearly ubiquitous Wi-Fi
Founded in 2009 , TextNow is the largest provider of free mobile phone service in the US – supported by advertising . TextNow has offices in San Francisco , Seattle , New York and Waterloo , Ontario – its app has been downloaded more than 250 million times globally . p
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