Although I wasn’t happy with T-Mobile when I used their service between 2005 and 2006 with a Sony Ericsson K700a, I find their new “uncarrier” plan really attractive, especially since they are now carrying the iPhone.

New iPhone customers will be able to purchase the 16GB iPhone 5 for $100 down, plus 24 monthly payments of $20. After the payments are finished, customers will see their monthly bills drop. On traditional subsidized plans from AT&T or Verizon, users pay $199 up front, and then see a subsidy payment invisibly built into their monthly plans. However, if the customer goes longer than two years without purchasing a new phone, the carrier continues to collect subsidy repayments as pure profit.

How about that? Are you telling me that a mobile phone carrier hides the cost of our equipment in our monthly plan and keeps our bill inflated even after we’ve paid back the phone? Thieves!

By reducing the monthly amount due once the I’ve repaid the equipment, T-Mobile’s pricing plan is downright refreshing. I wonder if they would have offered such a plan had T-Mobile merged with AT&T. Don’t bet on it.