It’s been sometime since many of the major US cellphone carriers have willingly offered Unlimited Data plans. A hallmark of some of the earlier days of Smartphones, most carriers did not foresee how much data many of their customers would come to use over time. As those amounts rose, more and more companies switched off their unlimited data plans. Anyone that often found themselves still on one were in a grandfathered plan, though as more phones became more and more data intensive, companies like Sprint and Verizon moved their customers back to data-capped plans in an attempt to capitalize on overages that would inevitably come.
However, in an effort to revamp his company, Sprint’s new CEO has announced a plan that includes unlimited data for it’s customers at only $60 a month. While many will be swayed by this, this is hardly ideal. Sprint’s mobile network is one of the slowest and buggiest in the United States, though for the price many will be happy to deal with this inconvenience. Coming in at $20 lower than the only other unlimited data plan on the market with T-Mobile, Sprint obviously hopes to draw customers away from their competition with this marketing strategy.
There are, however, a few qualifications you must meet to be eligible to take advantage of their new plan, which is rolling out tomorrow. You must either own your phone outright or purchase one through Sprint’s Easy Pay installment plan, meaning if you are currently contracted to Sprint you will either have to pay a fee to move your upgrade date or wait until that time comes around.
As stated before, Sprint’s 4G LTE network is the slowest in the country, meaning that customers who are accustomed to using a large amount of data due to high requirements in their daily lives, or just because they have high demands of their service, will find this plan not quite up to par. The LTE network just doesn’t clock in competitively against it’s rivals, leaving many who would rather have high speeds looking to other carriers to accommodate their demands.
If you are considering switching to Sprint’s unlimited data plan, consider the average monthly amount of data that you use on your current plan. If you find yourself using 2GB or less of data a month, then an unlimited plan on a slower network may not be for you. Though the idea that no overage fees is appealing, often it becomes a side-note when speed is considered.
Many are hoping to see Sprint, and T-Mobile to a lesser extent, spark a new run at unlimited data plans in cell phone carriers in the United States. Verizon already has the highest prices on the market, but the best coverage and data speeds. If demand in Sprint rises, we could possibly see the resurgence of these plans again, much to the happiness of many of their consumers and their needs.
Sprint unveils their new unlimited data plan tomorrow, August 22nd, but be sure to do your research before spending any money that you may well be better off leaving in your current plan.
