Sprint's "Unlimited" EVDO Service to Be Capped at 5GB a Month
Sprint Nextel has been an interesting company to watch over the last six months. It hired a new CEO in Dan Hesse last December, and then cut about 4,000 of its employees and shut down over 100 of its retail locations in January. The company then introduced the "Simply Everything Plan," which promised unlimited voice, data, text messaging, and more for $99 per month. It even considered getting rid of Nextel, effectively ending a merger that many would argue never really got off to the right start (and went downhill from there).
The January layoffs and store closings largely came about due to Sprint Q4 2007 loss of more than 100,000 customers. Since then, Sprint's been trying to woo people back with relatively inexpensive plans, improved customer service (although that still remains to be seen), and newer devices such as the Samsung Instinct.
And then Sprint goes and caps its data plans at five gigabytes. Not smart, Sprint.
It's been confirmed that Sprint's previously "unlimited" EVDO data plans will now feature a five-gigabyte per month limit for on-network usage and a paltry 300-megabyte per month limit when roaming off-network. A Sprint spokesperson told Web site BetaNews.com, the following:
"The use of voice and data roaming by a small minority of customers is generating a disproportionately large level of operating expense for the company. We are enforcing the existing terms and conditions for phone plans. We are placing a limit of 300 MB per month on the amount of data use allowed while roaming off network as well as a 5 GB per month limitation on total wireless data usage for Sprint's connection and phone as modem plans."
And with that, Sprint is no longer the only provider to offer truly unlimited EVDO data. AT&T and Verizon Wireless have both had five-gigabyte caps in place for quite some time now and Sprint's previously-unlimited data plan at $60 per month was a downright steal.
If Sprint's looking to attract customers, why not differentiate itself from the competition instead of enforcing limits on all of its data customers because of the consumption patterns of a "small minority?"
It's understandable that a certain segment of people who take the term "unlimited data" literally can cost a network more than the monthly fee they're charged, but it seems that all of the networks are constantly trying to one-up each other by promising faster and faster wireless data speeds to entice us all to consume more and more wireless data. It's almost to the point where some people could replace their cable modems and DSL boxes with a wireless broadband card.
It "was" almost to the point, rather. Sprint's new policy kicks in July 31st.
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Sprint overcharged my small (US) company for over $50,000.00. We caught them doing it and now they refuse to refund the over-payments. You can read the full story at www.sprint-really-sucks.com
Interesting that this is kicking in right at the same time that they're cancelling Sprint Broadband Direct home internet service. They're offering EVDO cards to those customers. At least now I know which home internet service I will NOT be getting to replace SBBD.
As it was explained to me by Sprint. This only affects the phone as modem plan and air card usage plan which were the mobile broadband connection plans and weren't included in the "Everything Plan". There is really nothing new here unless the customer didn't understand the difference in the plans in the first place.
As it was explained to me by Sprint. This only affects the phone as modem plan and air card usage plan which were the mobile broadband connection plans and weren't included in the "Everything Plan". There is really nothing new here unless the customer didn't understand the difference in the plans in the first place.
First of all after recently switching (3 months) to Sprint after long, but never really happy relationships with Alltel and ATT. I have been very happy with the billing and service from Sprint.
Secondly, as it was explained to me by Sprint. This only affects the phone as modem plan and air card usage plan which were the mobile broadband connection plans and weren't included in the "Everything Plan". There is really nothing new here unless the customer didn't understand the difference in the plans in the first place.