AT&T has launched a new promotion in certain states across the country that targets customers of the company's DirecTV service, which it acquired last year for $49 billion.
The offer, which was launched on May 6 and will run until Jun 30, allows DirecTV subscribers to receive a free iPhone 6s and up to five more units of the Apple flagship smartphone at a discount of 50 percent.
DirecTV customers can get the 16 GB model of the iPhone 6s for free, issued as 30 monthly credits to the bill based on the carrier's Next 24 installment plan. Customers can choose any model under the iPhone 6s family, but the bill credits to be received will only cover the cost of the 16 GB iPhone 6s.
Customers will need to sign up for a new wireless subscription to be able to take advantage of the offer. Afterward, the next five iPhone 6s units will be offered at 50 percent off to the DirecTV customers who claim their free iPhone 6s smartphones.
The promotion shows the next development in AT&T's push to promote its wireless business alongside DirecTV. Another example of such a move was launched near the start of the year, when AT&T unveiled a new unlimited data plan that can only be availed by customers who have subscribed to DirecTV or U-Verse.
More recently, back in April, AT&T started offering two-year guaranteed pricing for DirecTV bundles, which includes access to the satellite TV service in addition to new or existing subscriptions for home internet and wireless. Customers who choose to bundle DirecTV with a home broadband subscription will be able to enjoy unlimited data for their home internet.
In addition, pushing out the iPhone 6s for free and with heavy discounts can be seen as AT&T trying to trim down its inventory of the current flagship smartphone. While the iPhone 6s family is the top-of-the-line device of Apple right now, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 in September. This is the time of the year when consumers are holding on to their devices while they wait for the new iPhone model, but an offer such as this by AT&T could attract customers to upgrade now.
According to Steven Schwadron, a spokesman for AT&T, the promotion covers the Northern Plains, Mid-Atlantic and Rocky Mountain markets of the company. For DirecTV customers living in these areas, grabbing a free iPhone 6s is a huge bonus to sticking with satellite TV over streaming services such as Netflix.
