The nation's No. 6 wireless carrier, US Cellular, has announced something that we are pretty sure none of the Big 4 (T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T and Verizon) will ever implement: "The Belief Project." It's a program that encourages loyalty with rewards instead of fear (of early termination fees).

The Belief Project states that once a customer finishes a contract, they are done. One and done, they call it. It means that once you finish a two-year contract with US Cellular, you'll get the same perks you would get on other carriers, but only by staying on contract, not month-to-month. You'll get discounted phones every 18 months, points to use for accessories or to upgrade your phone early, and overage forgiveness.

It's impressive, and something we wish that other carriers would do. Why scare a customer to stay with you because he fears an ETF? Instead, reward them for staying with you, as US Cellular is doing.


US Cellular only has 6 million subscribers, yet this is a pretty forward-thinking program. One has to question why a carrier with over 90 million subscribers such as AT&T or Verizon can't afford this sort of thing?

Actually, we can answer our own question: the Big 4 won't do this sort of thing, because they don't have to.

Here's the full press release: The Belief Project