Lyra Martin Tech 09.06.2022 22:Sep PM EDT

AT&T Sues T-Mobile Over False Advertising After Senior Discount Ad Campaign

AT&T filed a lawsuit against T-Mobile on the grounds that it had misled consumers by declaring that senior AT&T customers outside of Florida were not qualified for their discount.

T-Mobile's Deceptive Campaign Led Itself to a Lawsuit From AT&T

On Tuesday, September 6, AT&T brought a case to the Eastern District of Texas against T-Mobile, Engadget reports. In the pending legal action, the complaint alleges that T-Mobile engaged in deceptive advertising about an offer the company provides to its clients. This is after the service carrier advertised that 92% of AT&T's elderly customers that do not reside in Florida are ineligible for its wireless discount.

According to CNet, in a statement that was included with the filing, AT&T's vice president of corporate communications, Fletcher Cook, said, "T-Mobile's claims are outright dishonest and completely false. It is not the first time they have spread misleading information."

Additionally, Cook believes that suing the dishonest carrier is the only way to get them disciplined. He clarified that in all fifty states, At&T provides discounts on cellular service to customers of all ages, particularly seniors.

The "Verizon and AT&T Ban Senior Discounts" promotion, which goes with a website that T-Mobile has unveiled, sought to increase publicity of its past offer, which granted customers 55 and older a cheaper network connectivity with the purchase of one of its Unlimited 55+ plans.

According to AT&T's claims, they are aiding Verizon and AT&T customers in receiving the cellular discounts they are entitled to up until they begin to provide senior discounts outside of Florida.

In addition, Verizon filed a similar complaint against AT&T to the National Advertising Review Board in 2020, which resulted in AT&T agreeing to cease saying that its 5G network is more dependable than rivals.

AT&T will push through with its legal case and seek damages and an injunction against T-Mobile, which did not immediately react to an inquiry for comment from Engadget.

T-Mobile Expands Its 5G Home Internet Range to Six States

Despite its current advertising issue, T-Mobile continues to expand its 5G range, reaching six more states. According to a report from The Verge, its 5G Home Internet is now accessible in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

T-Mobile said more than 1.5 million paying users had signed up for its Home Internet service since its launch in April of the previous year. Even without SpaceX satellites helping to relay the signal, the service is already viable in more than 40 million homes.

In the state of Connecticut, T-5G Mobile's service would be available in the following areas: Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, New Haven-Milford, Norwich-New London, and Torrington. At the same time, in Maryland, it could cover Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, California-Lexington Park, Easton, Hagerstown-Martinsburg, and Salisbury.

Additionally, in Massachusetts, T-Mobiles service may be accessible in Barnstable, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Springfield, Vineyard Haven, and Worcester. The Atlantic City-Hammonton, Ocean City, Trenton-Princeton, and Vineland-Bridgeton in New Jersey will also be part of its range.

In New York, T-Mobile could cover 24 cities, including Amsterdam, Auburn, Binghamton, Cortland, Kingston, New York-Newark-Jersey City, and Plattsburgh. The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, East Stroudsburg, Lewisburg, Philadelphia, Camden-Wilmington, Pittsburgh, Sunbury, and York-Hanover are among the 19 cities reached by the service provider in Pennsylvania.

However, T-Mobile wants to make customers aware that even while some locations are on the list, the company is not yet ready to expand to all of them. In any case, some may be eligible for 4G LTE service, which T-Magenta Mobile's Max phone plan provides for $30 per month for families, and $50 per month for AutoPay customers.