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T-Mobile's Music Freedom program, which allows users to access music streaming services without incurring data usages, has expanded by adding 14 new services.
T-Mobile's president and chief executive John Legere, called the new move 'pure Un-carrier,' the term T-Mobile uses to brand itself as a way it distinguishes itself from other mobile carriers like Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. Legere said that the Music Freedom program will ultimately include every streaming music service out there, and that this addition of 14 new services is an important step towards a more pro-music, pro-consumer approach to enjoying streaming content.
T-Mobile has already made headlines with the revolutionary program in the past, with the carrier launching the service with several streamers like Samsung Milk Music, iTunes Radio, Grooveshark, AccuRadio, Songza and Rdio in August. The new selection of streaming music services include Fresca Radio, Live365, Xbox Music and Soundcloud to name but a few.
T-Mobile customers have responded to the Music Freedom program, the company says, reporting that the number of subscribers listening to streaming music on any given day increasing by almost 300 percent. Around 66 million songs are streamed every day over T-Mobile's network - the equivalent of around 200 terabytes of data, according to the carrier's internal figures.
The deal has been popular with customers to be sure, but some industry experts say that Music Freedom may spell disaster for net neutrality. Carriers and ISPs have been accused in the past of wanting the ability to pick and choose which content providers it will support and which it will not - or which it will charge massive fees for the privilege of fast-lane access to their networks - but the T-Mobile service relies more upon consumer voting than T-Mobile making direct decisions as to which streaming services it will support and which it will leave out. In other words, while other carriers might make arbitrary decisions as to what streaming services to support - or charge those service providers that want to gain access to the network - T-Mobile is instead responding to consumer demand.
Currently the fourth largest carrier in the United States, T-Mobile may grow into the number three spot over the next year on the strength of its innovative user programs, industry experts predict.
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