T-Mobile offers free data for Pokémon GO players

It's official: Pokemon GO is taking over the world -- and T-Mobile is giving it a helping hand.

The wireless carrier announced today that, beginning next Tuesday, it will offer a year of free, unlimited data for customers to use playing Pokemon GO.

As part of its T-Mobile Tuesday promotion, the carrier is also partnering with Lyft to provide free rides to PokéStops on July 17.

"With the carriers' shared data schemes, players could easily burn up the family's data bucket - and then, hello, overages! At T-Mobile, we're unleashing Pokémon Go so our customers can play free for a year," John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile, said in a news release.

Since exploding onto the scene last week, Pokemon GO has proven to be widely polarizing -- and distracting. Pokemon GO players have been stabbed and hit by cars.