T-Mobile is giving away unlimited Pokemon Go data for a full year

Shawn Knight

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Pokémon Go, the augmented reality mobile game from Niantic and The Pokémon Company, is a bona fide overnight success. The game, which tasks players with getting off the couch and exploring the real world around them as they try to catch ‘em all, relies on cellular data most of the time meaning it’s eating through your data bucket as your play.

That is, unless you’re a T-Mobile subscriber.

The nation’s third largest wireless provider has announced that as part of its next T-Mobile Tuesdays offer, they’ll be rewarding customers with unlimited data for Pokémon Go. Rather than a full week or even a month’s worth of data, T-Mobile will make Pokémon Go data absolutely free through August 2017.

Its next reward day will also include a free Frosty from Wendy’s, a free Lyft ride up to $15 and half off select accessories including battery packs. What’s more, 250 people will win $100 to spend on PokéCoins and five people will win trips to anywhere in the US to hunt for new Pokémon with a guest.

Note that you'll need to claim the offer via the app on Tuesday to get it.

The degree to which the game uses data is up for debate. According to Verizon, the game makes up less than one percent of its overall network data traffic. But regardless of how much data Pokémon Go does or doesn’t consume, it’s a timely marketing move by T-Mobile that could score it a lot of new customers. And if in a few months, the craze has died down considerably, T-Mobile won’t be out any money from the promotion.

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Wow, very smart move by T-Mobile. Even if the data use wasn't huge, it makes them look very good.
Indeed! I wonder how the other providers will respond to this? Should be interesting!

They'll probably say this violates net neutrality.
as far as I know it doesn't, at least not for mobile internet. only selectively slowing down or speeding up services/servers/websites/etc does.
but I could be wrong, I'm not an expert and the laws are very confusing sometimes :D
 
This doesn't help the addicted but will be a hilarious reason to explain a share price spike.
 
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