Slashdot Mirror


Sprint Follows Rivals By Complicating Its Unlimited Mobile Data Plans (fortune.com)

Sprint on Thursday unveiled a new, more complicated lineup of unlimited mobile data plans. Sprint goes from having one plan starting at $60 per month to four different options costing $50 to $70 a month. "The main price hike hits customers who want to watch streaming video at HD quality instead of being reduced to DVD quality," reports Fortune. From the report: A new "Unlimited Plus" plan most resembles the carrier's current one, with subscribers allowed to use up to 15 GB monthly before experiencing slowed download speeds, receiving HD-quality streaming video, and getting free Hulu and Tidal subscriptions. It costs $70 for one line, rising to $180 for four lines. But Sprint also added a "limited time" promotion that cuts the price to $50 to $100 per month for customers who buy a new phone or bring their own device. A cheaper "unlimited basic" plan, starting at $60 for one line and up to $140 for four lines, slows downloads to 3G speeds after just 500 MB, downgrades streaming to DVD-quality, and offers just a Hulu subscription, but no Tidal account.

Although consumers no longer get cut off or have to pay expensive overage charges when they run through a monthly data allowance, they face an increasing array of restrictions and conditions on all but the most expensive unlimited plans, including slowed download speeds. Sprint's four-page press release announcing the new plans included 11 footnotes, signaling just how complicated they are.

2 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  2. Who cares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Being alive/conscious and paying attention to my surroundings and doing stuff is so boring, I must be entertained at all times. I must be spoon-fed a constant stream of vapid garbage video, even if I have to ruin my eyes watching it on a dinky little phone screen. I can't just, you know, do something else. Life is meaningless outside of watching video.