The cell phone wars are heating up, thanks to a new offer from AT&T and Samsung. The deal: Buy a qualifying Samsung phone and sign up for a new contract from AT&T, and the network will give you a free Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 as a bonus.
There are more than a few little details to consider should you find this deal enticing. The biggest is that you'll have to add that Galaxy Tab 3 to your new AT&T Mobile Share data plan at a price of $10 a month extra. You'll have to commit for the standard two years, or sign up for AT&T Next, an installment plan which provides you with yearly device upgrades to your phone without additional expense. Trade-ins on your current handset are also available if you upgrade to the Next plan.
The list of supported phones eligible for the free tablet offer includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy Note 3, and Galaxy Note 3. Better get in on the deal quickly: The program is set to end on January 9, 2014.
The move is the latest in an effort from AT&T to maintain its competitiveness in the mobile phone market with archrival Verizon Wireless. In recent months AT&T has seen its market share slip, from 28.5 percent of the market in summer 2012 to 21.7 percent at the end of August 2013. Meanwhile Verizon has surged from a 30.2 percent share to a whopping 37.1 percent over the same time frame.
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