T-Mobile US has formally responded to a lawsuit initiated by AT&T, which seeks a temporary restraining order to halt T-Mobile’s use of its Easy Switch price comparison tool. T-Mobile’s legal filing took place on December 8, 2023, in a federal court, where the company argued that AT&T’s claims lack merit and are irrelevant to the current operation of the Easy Switch tool.
According to T-Mobile, it had removed a feature that previously accessed AT&T customer data just four days before AT&T filed its lawsuit. AT&T contends that T-Mobile was using this data to entice customers to switch providers. In its response, T-Mobile clarified that since the removal of this functionality, the Easy Switch tool now only allows users to upload a copy of their wireless bill or manually input their wireless plan details.
T-Mobile emphasized that AT&T has not claimed the current version of Easy Switch is unlawful or causes it any harm. T-Mobile introduced a beta version of the Easy Switch tool during the Formula 1 Heineken Grand Prix of Las Vegas on November 20, 2023, and the feature officially launched on December 1, 2023. This AI-driven tool analyzes existing AT&T or Verizon accounts to recommend suitable T-Mobile plans for potential customers.
AT&T’s lawsuit alleges that T-Mobile unlawfully accessed secure software without permission, prompting AT&T to implement security measures to block this access on November 24, 2023. Following this development, T-Mobile disabled the original version of Easy Switch on November 26, 2023, replacing it with the current version that does not scrape customer data.
In a communication dated December 5, 2023, T-Mobile’s legal counsel informed AT&T that the company “does not intend to revert to the original version of Easy Switch.” T-Mobile’s attorneys noted that the original feature was discontinued due to AT&T’s persistent efforts to restrict its customers from utilizing the comparison tool effectively. They asserted that these circumstances negate the basis for AT&T’s motion, stating, “The conduct AT&T challenges is not occurring and AT&T has not objected to the operation of Easy Switch in its current form.”
In response, an AT&T representative expressed appreciation for T-Mobile’s commitment to cease the previous data scraping practices, stating that the company hopes T-Mobile will “commit, on the record, to never employing these unlawful tactics that put customers and intellectual property rights at risk again.”
The ongoing legal dispute is scheduled for an in-person hearing on December 16, 2023, in a United States district court located in Texas. As both companies prepare for this court date, the implications of the case could significantly impact the competitive landscape in the telecommunications industry.
