The coronavirus pandemic and the economic hit it is causing is putting T-Mobile ahead of the curve in offering new low-cost smartphone plans. Starting this Wednesday, March 25, T-Mobile plans to launch its $15/month T-Mobile Connect plan, which will allow customers to connect to their mobile phones for a monthly fee of $15.

T-Mobile Connect will expand the carrier's assortment of plans beyond the T-Mobile Essentials plan, which starts at $60 per month for unlimited data. It will also halve the price of the cheapest plan currently available through T-Mobile and its various entities, the $30/month 2GB plan available through the Metro By T-Mobile prepaid service.

T-Mobile first announced T-Mobile Connect last November, when it was trying to clear the last remaining legal hurdle in its proposed merger with Sprint, although T-Mobile Connect was scheduled to launch once the T-Mobile/Sprint merger was finalized, Now that the economy is in the doldrums due to the COVID-19 outbreak, neither wireless carrier expects that to happen before April.

The reason for the early launch of the new T-Mobile Connect plan, the company says, is the economic slowdown. In a statement announcing the new plan, T-Mobile CEO John Legere said, "It is absolutely critical for Americans to have reliable, low-cost connectivity now, and with so many facing financial strain, time is of the essence. We knew we couldn't wait for the merger to close in order to launch T-Mobile Connect, T-Mobile's lowest-priced smartphone plan. "With T-Mobile Connect, we are providing an even more affordable way for those in the most difficult situations to stay in touch. It's half the price of our lowest-priced smartphone plan ever. So everyone can stay connected."

T-Mobile Connect includes a 2GB plan plus 5GB of LTE data for $25 per month. To put this plan in context, Verizon's 5GB plan for one line costs $55 per month after a $5 discount for automatic payments; T-Mobile's prepaid subsidiary Metro already offers a 10GB plan for $40 per month.

According to T-Mobile, Connect is a prepaid plan. Presumably that means data speeds may slow down if T-Mobile's network is congested. However, this is a common trade-off when choosing prepaid cellular service.

Launching the T-Mobile Connect plan before the Sprint merger is complete is not the only change T-Mobile is making in response to the coronavirus outbreak. According to the company, its weekly customer appreciation program, T-Mobile Tuesdays, will include two months of YouTube Premium starting tomorrow (March 24). YouTube Premium is an $11.99 per month service that includes ad-free videos, background T-Mobile Tuesdays will also include a free four-week online learning course offered by Shaw Academy.

In addition, Metro by T-Mobile will adjust its plans, lowering the monthly fee for the 2GB plan to $15. Currently, the plan is $30. This rate change will go into effect this Wednesday with the launch of the T-Mobile Connect plan.