T-Mobile Gives Customers Free Data, Calls in Brazil for Rio Games

Heading to Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio? If you're a T-Mobile customer, you might be tempted to book a ticket today.

The self-proclaimed "un-carrier" on Thursday announced it will offer its Simple Choice postpaid customers free unlimited data throughout Brazil during the entire month of August, plus free calls back home to the US, and free texting worldwide. Simple Choice customers don't have to do anything to get these benefits.

"Get off the plane in Rio and your phone just works at absolutely no additional cost," T-Mobile said.

In a statement, T-Mobile CEO John Legere criticized rival AT&T, which is charging customers $50 for its Brazil Summer add-on, which offers 1GB of roaming data and access to more than 1,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in the country. According to Legere, AT&T "introduced a new 'Brazil plan' last month, so their customers can foot the bill for AT&T's VIP parties and private suites in Rio."

T-Mobile will also offer parents, spouses, and siblings of US athletes a free Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Samsung Gear 360 camera along with free T-Mobile service they can use throughout the Summer Games in Brazil.

"If a member of your family qualifies for the biggest global sporting event on the planet, your damn phone bill is the last thing you want to worry about," Legere said. Family members of US athletes headed to Brazil can visit this site or contact RoamFreeInRio@t-mobile.com to take advantage of this offer.

For more trash talking (and details about these offers), check out the video above

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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