Items tagged with (NYSE:S)
Sprint boss Marcelo Claure wants you to do cartwheels over a new unlimited data plan that costs just $20 per month. On the surface, that sounds pretty enticing, doesn't it? The problem here is that the term "unlimited" really means 1GB of high-speed data -- once you go over that low threshold, you can kiss your 4G LTE speed goodbye and say hello to the painfully slow lane. After 1GB, Sprint's "Starter Unlimited Data Plan" bumps you down to 2G speeds until your next billing cycle. To add some perspective, Facebook on Wednesday implemented a thing called "2G Tuesdays" to give employees a taste of what it's like to use its app in an emerging market. The optional speed downgrade is supposed to serve...
Read more...
Oh no, a minority of insatiable data guzzling wireless users on Sprint's network are crowding up the joint and leaving no room for the other 97 percent of responsible users, something must be done! Right? Right!? We're paraphrasing a bit here, but that pretty much sums up the sentiment of Sprint's Chief Technology Officer, Dr. John Saw, who warned the wireless carrier's unlimited subscribers that using more than 23GB of data in any given month could have performance consequences. Sprint is implementing a real-time Quality of Service (QoS) scheme that kicks in when its cell sites are "constrained." When it's deemed that a cell site is huffing and puffing like an out of shape boxer in the 12th...
Read more...
AT&T is like the one kid at the pool who walks instead of running – and then tries to get everyone else in trouble with the lifeguard. But what else can you do when your competitors are offering Wi-Fi calling and you’re toeing the FCC’s line?Wi-Fi calling (using your home wireless network or a Wi-Fi hotspot to place phone calls on your mobile phone) has been around for quite some time, but it’s mostly been a perk of wireless carriers T-Mobile and Sprint. AT&T looked into offering the service too, with an eye towards reeling in more iPhone users who could take advantage of their home networks. But, according to AT&T, it hasn’t been able to get approval from the FCC to take the service...
Read more...
Wireless carriers hate unlimited data plans with a passion. While they were a nice perk back in the days of the original iPhone when customers were stuck on slow EDGE (and later 3G) connections, carriers quickly found out that it could squeeze more from customers by selling them buckets of data instead. Verizon and AT&T no longer offer unlimited plans to new customers, leaving just T-Mobile and Sprint to carry on the unlimited torch. For those that were looking to signup for Sprint’s unlimited plan, you had better do so within the next two weeks before the company raises prices. The unlimited plan that currently costs customers $60/month will increase to $70/month starting October 16th....
Read more...
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is getting ready to auction valuable wireless spectrum to wireless carriers next March. It's a big opportunity for carriers to beef up their networks, though Sprint, the fourth largest wireless service provider in the U.S., isn't planning to participate. Sprint issued a statement saying it "thoroughly" analyzed the situation and determined it's already sitting on enough spectrum to serve its customers, both today and into the future. Rather than allocate funds towards the purchase of more spectrum, Sprint feels it's more important to focus its resources on densifying and adding more cell sites capable of tapping into its existing spectrum. "Sprint’s...
Read more...
Let me tell you something, Edwin Starr had it wrong when he concluded that war was good for "absolutely nothing," at least as a blanket statement. In the wireless world, carriers at war with each other is good for consumers. It's how we end up with offers like Sprint's latest iPhone Forever deal, which for a limited time is offering the iPhone 6s starting at $1 per month. Sprint is looking to trump T-Mobile and its "unbeatable $5 per month offer on iPhone 6s" announced just yesterday as part of its JUMP! ON Demand program. Not to be outdone, Sprint countered with what it says is the "world's best offer on iPhone 6s." Beginning Friday morning, Sprint-branded retail stores will offer the iPhone...
Read more...
It appears that AT&T isn’t the only wireless company celebrating its acquisition of satellite TV provider DirecTV. Earlier this month, AT&T courted DirecTV customers currently attached to other wireless carriers with the promise of up to $500 in account credits if they signed up for wireless service. Sprint, now finding itself in last place among the “big four” U.S. wireless carriers, is also looking to exploit the “odd couple” pairing of AT&T and DirecTV. Sprint is promoting a one-time offer that gives DirecTV customers that switch to Sprint a full year of service for free. That’s right folks, Sprint is digging down deep into its reserves to reclaim third place from T-Mobile. Of...
Read more...
Sprint's big pitch to consumers is that it offers truly unlimited data (in addition to unlimited talk and texting). However, it was Sprint's previous CEO, Dan Hesse, that pushed unlimited data as a point of focus. His replacement, Marcelo Claure, indicated earlier this summer that "there will be a time when it might not be economically viable" to offer unlimited data to consumers, and if that's the case, Sprint will have to find a way to stand out from the crown.Right now it looks like Sprint is settling for parity. The nation's fourth largest wireless carrier is planning to eliminate two-year service contracts and move towards leasing smartphones to customers. It's a move that T-Mobile popularized...
Read more...
T-Mobile has been going on a tear in recent months, introducing new promotions aimed at not only keeping exiting customers, but also courting new customers to its newly cemented third-place position in the U.S. wireless carrier market. In the past two months alone, the company announced Jump On Demand, which allows smartphone customers to upgrade at any time, and a promotion allowing customers that purchase a new iPhone to receive a free upgrade to a brand new iPhone 6S in September. Not to be left out, Sprint is unveiling its own in-your-face smartphone promotion with “iPhone Forever.” For a cost of $22 per month on top of your existing monthly smartphone charges, users will be able to upgrade...
Read more...
T-Mobile CEO John Legere has been promising that this day would come for about a year now. But now that Sprint has released its latest earnings report, which details its total number of wireless subscribers, Legere can finally pop open the champagne and celebrate capturing… a distant third place behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Sprint revealed for its first fiscal quarter of 2015 that it ended with 56.8 million total subscribers. T-Mobile, on the other hand, ended its Q2 2015 with 58.9 million subscribers. It’s a difference of roughly 2 million subscribers, but that’s good enough for bragging rights. T-Mobile CEO John Legere John Legere’s Twitter account was eerily...
Read more...
T-Mobile raised a few eyebrows earlier the month when it announced “The BEST family plan in wireless.” T-Mobile President and CEO John Legere was in rare form, lobbing insults at the competition the he revealed the plan that provides four lines of data — 10GB each — for $120 a month (of course, unlimited talk and text is included). Not one to sit on the sidelines and watch as the folks in magenta get all the press, Sprint has countered with some new family plans of its own. The Sprint Family Share Pack will offer customers four lines with 10GB of shared data for $100 per month. If customers pay an extra $20 per month ($120 total), your monthly shared data allowance quadruples to 40GB. Sprint...
Read more...
Sometimes it's better not to take the bait and get sucked into an Internet fight. Sprint boss Marcelo Claure is learning that the hard way after being drawn into battle with T-Mobile CEO John Legere on what can be considered his home field -- Twitter. If you're at all familiar with Legere, you know he loves to use Twitter to poke fun at rival wireless carriers, and he's turned himself into a bit of a rockstar using social media. We already covered the details leading up to this point, but to quickly recap, Sprint recently announced a new "All-In" unlimited phone plan designed to simplify everything by offering an entire package -- phone lease and all -- for $80 per month. The advertisement for...
Read more...
It was pretty much a given that an Internet fight would eventually break out between T-Mobile's outspoken CEO John Legere and whoever would be the first to get fed up with his inflammatory comments. The lucky 'winner' ended up being Sprint boss Marcelo Claure, who ripped off a series of Twitter posts blasting Legere and his "uncarrier bulls**t." The tiff seemingly started when Legere posted a condescending tweet about Sprint's new All-In unlimited plan followed by the hashtag #SprintLikeHell. He wrote, "I give credit to Sprint for swinging the bat when they do -- but All-In is a swing and a miss guys!!." Apparently that was the tweet that broke the...
Read more...
It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, and after Sprint announced a new "All In" unlimited plan that would restrict streaming video to 600Kbps, customers collectively made a squeak that Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure heard "loud and clear." As a result, Sprint has backpedaled on its streaming video cap and announced that it's removed it altogether. "At Sprint, we strive to provide customers a great experience when using our network," said Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. "We heard you loud and clear, and we are removing the 600 kbps limitation on streaming video." That's a win for consumers, though Claure left the door open to throttling speeds. "During certain times, like other wireless carriers,...
Read more...
