New Streamlined Options Include Share Plans with Unlimited Data and Messaging for Less Than Competitors
Sprint (NYSE:S) is giving customers an easier way to budget for their monthly wireless expenses with the launch on June 15 of new simplified pricing plans. Building on the popularity of Sprint’s $99 Simply Everything(SM) plan, new share plans for families will include unlimited messaging and data for one low price, so there’s no calculator needed to figure out wireless costs for the whole family’s favorite services.
“These days, many families are facing tight finances, and unexpected extra charges on a wireless bill can make budgeting difficult – but with Sprint plans that include all the services customers want for one low price, they can have peace of mind that they’re getting a lower price than competitors offer,” said Will Souder, vice president of pricing for Sprint. “We want customers to be able to easily see the value in these options, so we’ve removed the clutter of more complicated plans. Customers can quickly compare and see which plan is best for them.”
The new simplified pricing makes choosing the right plan to fit each customer’s needs and budget as easy as 1 – 2 – 3:
- Choose an individual plan for a single line or a share plan for multiple lines.
- Choose voice only, voice with unlimited messaging, or voice with unlimited messaging and unlimited data.
- Choose the number of minutes.
For individuals, new voice-only Talk plans will be available for $39.99 for 450 minutes or $59.99 for 900 minutes. These plans join the Talk/Message/Direct Connect plans introduced in February at $49.99 for 450 minutes, $69.99 for 900 minutes or $89.99 for unlimited minutes; and the Everything plans introduced in February at $69.99 for 450 minutes, $89.99 for 900 minutes or $99.99 for Simply Everything with unlimited minutes.
Individual Plans
| Monthly Anytime Minutes | Talk Plans | Talk/Message/Direct Connect Plans – unlimited messaging, Direct Connect and Group Connect | Everything Plans – unlimited messaging, Direct Connect, Group Connect, email, mobile Web, Blackberry Internet Service, GPS Navigation, Sprint TV Premier, Sprint Music Premier, NFL Mobile, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile |
| 450 | $39.99 | $49.99 | $69.99 |
| 900 | $59.99 | $69.99 | $89.99 |
| Unlimited | $89.99 | $99.99 Simply Everything |
For families, options will include a voice-only Talk Share plan for $69.99 for 700 minutes shared between two lines; new Talk/Message Share plans for $99.99 for 1500 minutes or $149.99 for 3000 minutes; and new Talk/Message/Data Share plans for $129.99 for 1500 minutes or $169.99 for 3000 minutes. Additional lines are $9.99 per line for Talk Share and Talk/Message Share plans and $19.99 for Talk/Message/Data Share plans.
Share Plans
| Monthly Anytime Minutes (shared between two lines) | Talk Share Plans | Talk/Message Share Plans – unlimited messaging | Talk/Message/Data Share Plans – unlimited messaging, email, mobile Web, Blackberry Internet Service, GPS Navigation, Sprint TV Premier, Sprint Music Premier, NFL Mobile, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile |
| 700 | $69.99 | ||
| 1500 | $99.99 | $129.99 | |
| 3000 | $149.99 | $169.99 |
In most cases, these simplified options from Sprint also provide a greater value over other major competitors’ offerings, with more features included at a lower price.
“We think customers will appreciate that these plans give families a savings compared to competitors such as AT&T and Verizon,” said Souder. “Sprint revolutionized the industry with its $99 Simply Everything plan offering unlimited voice, data and messaging. And now customers can get unlimited data for the whole family included in their plan at a lower price than these other carriers offer. Sprint is now the obvious choice for families who use their phones for more than just plain old voice calls.”
For example, with the new Talk/Message/Data Share plan, customers will be able to get 3000 minutes to share between two lines for $169.99. This is less than competitors charge for the same number of minutes, with the extra value of additional services included at no extra charge:
| Sprint | Verizon Wireless | AT&T |
| 3000 minutes for two lines | 3000 minutes for two lines | 3000 minutes for two lines |
| $169.99 | $219.99 | $209.99 |
| Additional lines = $19.99 | Additional lines = $29.99 | Additional lines = $24.99 |
| Unlimited night & weekend minutes starting at 7 p.m. | Unlimited night & weekend minutes starting at 9 p.m. | Unlimited night & weekend minutes starting at 9 p.m. |
| Unlimited messaging, email and mobile Web | Unlimited messaging, email and mobile Web | Unlimited messaging, email and mobile Web |
| Blackberry Internet Service | Not included | Not included |
| Unlimited GPS navigation | Unlimited GPS navigation | Not included |
| Sprint Music Premier 50 commercial-free streaming music channels, 100 local stations | Not included | Not included |
| Sprint TV Premier 25+ channels of live TV, on-demand clips and full-length episodes | Full-length on-demand episodes not available | Full-length on-demand episodes not available |
| Unlimited NFL Mobile | Not available | Not available |
| Unlimited NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile | Not available | Not available |
With data included in the monthly cost, customers can take advantage of the blazing data speeds of Sprint Mobile Broadband on their phones. Sprint Mobile Broadband brings customers instant gratification so they can get what they want when they want it, with fast file downloads, Web browsing, GPS navigation, email access and more. Exclusive applications like NFL Mobile and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile are included (availability varies by network/phone).
The new pricing will be available starting June 15 to new and existing Sprint customers. Existing customers can switch to a new plan without extending their contract. New line activations require a 2-year agreement per line (taxes and surcharges excluded). To sign up for the new plans, customers should visit a Sprint retail store or call 1-800-Sprint1.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 53 million customers at the end of the first quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit http://www.sprint.com.
