• August 1, 2008

T-Mobile USA plans to launch a new set of tools that let parents determine when and how their children use the carrier's devices and mobile services. The Family Allowances program will allow parents to set an upfront monthly amount for teens to spend on minutes, messaging and multimedia downloads.

When the limit is reached, Sprint shuts off the service for that part of the pricing plan--effectively eliminating overage charges--and sends a notification to parents. Certain numbers can be blocked and others set as "Always Allowed," so parents can stay in contact even if allowances have been depleted.

Any unlimited calling features included in a family's plan, such as myFaves and T-Mobile-to-T-Mobile, could also still be used. The wireless operator plans to launch the service in the coming weeks at an introductory rate of $2 a month.--Mark Walsh