T-Mobile pushes 'Smartphone Equality'

T-Mobile says it will make its best promotions on new smartphones available to more customers.

The wireless carrier says customers who pay their bills on time for 12 months will qualify for the best offers. Deals such as zero down on smartphones have been reserved for customers with stellar credit scores. T-Mobile says it won’t check credit reports after its “SmartPhone Equality” program begins Jan. 25.

“This is not only the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do, too,” chief executive John Legere said. “Fact is, your past payment history is the best way to tell if you’ll make future payments on time. So this is good for customers and good for business.”

T-Mobile, the nation’s No. 4 wireless carrier, in December announced it would let customers carry over their unused cellular-data allotments for up to a year. AT&T Corp. announced a plan in January that lets customers rollover used data minutes for a month.

But don’t expect Verizon, the nation’s largest wireless carrier, to follow suit. “We’re a leader, not a follower,” Verizon chief financial officer Fran Shammo said in an interview with CNET.