T-Mobile USA becomes exclusive cellular orovider for Nest home security system

Date: 2017/11/13
Source: Elvina Yang
T-Mobile USA, one of the four biggest telecommunication companies in the U.S., is entering the smart home market with its exclusive offering with Nest.

To eradicate home security system breakdown due to Wi-Fi outage, T-Mobile will provide 4G network for Nest Secure as the exclusive cellular backup provider. Moreover, the telecom plans to sell a Nest security package to its customers.

The T-Mobile Nest security package includes the Nest Secure alarm system (a Nest Guard base, two Nest Detect motion and open/close sensors and two Nest Tag key fobs) and an indoor security camera Nest Cam.

Nest’s bundle normally costs US$499 while the Nest Cam costs US$199. However, T-Mobile will sell them with a subscription plan. Its whole package costs US$240 plus a US$10 per-month T-Mobile Equipment Installment Plan, which will continue until a total payment of US$480 is reached. Overall, US$480 pays for the hardware.

In addition, customers are required to opt-in a “T-Mobile Nest” plan, which costs US$15 per month, or US$10 per month after a US$5 bill credit. This plan offers unlimited cellular backup with T-Mobile’s network and Nest Aware, which provides intelligent alerts, 10 days of continuous video recording from the Nest Cam and other advanced security features provided by Nest. Before the user calls to stop the cellular backup, they need to pay the subscription fee every month.

Other big names of U.S. telecommunication firms like Sprint, AT&T and Verizon entered the smart home sector before T-Mobile. Nonetheless, T-Mobile has a good start by striking an exclusive cellular deal with Nest. T-Mobile’s LTE network is now used by 316 million people in the United States.