John Legere took to YouTube in his very first Vlog to announce a new and exciting Uncarrier initiative. Unlike other moves, it’s not just about new plans and new offers. It’s about changing part of T-Mobile’s business practice in a way which will improve the experience of being a T-Mobile customer for the loyal subscribers. Especially those with low credit.

From next week, regardless of how low their beginning credit is, customers who make 12 straight monthly payments without skipping any will qualify for the best pricing on devices. That includes $0 down on the newest phones, with no interest and no credit check. In the words of T-Mobile’s CEO, this is putting the relationship with the customer above their credit scores.

“Ultimately, this initiative will lower the barrier for millions more Americans to get a smartphone – the most transformational technology in our lifetime. At a time when mobile connectivity is sweeping the globe, the United States ranks a miserable 13th in the world in terms of smartphone penetration − behind a dozen countries including Australia, Ireland, Israel and Saudi Arabia among others. There are more than 100 million American adults who don’t have a smartphone according to data from Pew Research and the US Census Bureau. That’s 100 million too many.”

Legere’s view is that in today’s modern world, the smartphone isn’t a luxury anymore. It’s much more than that. It’s the way most people keep in touch with their friends and family, and with what’s going on in the outside world. It’s a necessity for many.

UPDATE: This applies to prepaid customers too. The official press release states the following:

Even prepaid customers can get the same deals with our wildly popular Simple Choice postpaid plan. And loyal customers get immediate credit for their relationship with T-Mobile − which means many existing customers will immediately be eligible when Smartphone Equality kicks off on January 25th.

Are you affected by this move? Does this give you access to better devices than you had previously? Let us know in the comments.

Source: T-Mobile

Press release: T-Mobile Investor site