T-Mobile CEO lashes out against 'data thieves'

T-Mobile CEO John Legere says a small fraction of his customers are "stealing data," and he is putting his foot down -- hard.

In an open letter to T-Mobile customers with an unusually furious tone, Legere said that some customers are using special software to skirt past T-Mobile's data limits. He said if they continue to abuse the network, they'll be kicked off T-Mobile's unlimited data plans.

Here's the issue: Along with unlimited smartphone data, T-Mobile (TMUS) allots 7 GB of extra "hotspot" data each month to customers of its Simple Choice unlimited plans. Customers can use that extra 7 GB to turn their phones into Wi-Fi hotspots, connecting their laptops or other gadgets to the Internet. But when they blow past 7 GB of data their speed will be throttled down until their next billing cycle.

Legere said that some customers have been using software tricks to mask the fact that they're using their phones as hotspots. That makes T-Mobile think that they're using all that data on their phone's unlimited data plan.

"These aren't naive amateurs; they are clever hackers who are willfully stealing for their own selfish gain," Legere said. "I'm not sure what they are doing with it -- stealing wireless access for their entire business, powering a small cloud service, providing broadband to a small city, mining for bitcoin -- but I really don't care!"

He said some customers have used as much as 2,000 GB of hotspot data in a single month, "stealing data so blatantly and extremely that it is ridiculous." That has a negative impact on other customers, he said, since using all that data can slow speeds for everyone else.

So T-Mobile developed a technology that can determine which customers are skirting the rules. If they don't heed T-Mobile's warning, they'll be barred from the company's unlimited plans.

"We are going after every thief," said Legere. "No more abuse and no risk to the rest of our customers' experience. It's over. Count on it!"

CNN