AT&T introduces option for faster phone upgrades
AT&T is making it easier for customers to upgrade their cellphones more frequently, as long as they're willing to pay more.
The new plan follows in the footsteps of T-Mobile US Inc.'s Jump, which provides device insurance and more frequent upgrades for $10 a month.
AT&T Inc., the country's second-largest cellphone carrier, says it's introducing an option called AT&T Next on July 26. Instead of paying, for example, $200 up front to buy a smartphone, customers would pay monthly installments of $15 to $50 on top of their service plan, depending on the device.
After a year, customers can trade in their phone and get a new one, paying no upgrade or activation fees. AT&T says a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone would require monthly installments of $32.
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