Mobile operator Sprint has been struggling for years to attract and retain subscribers—and today the company may have rolled out another hurdle to customer adoption, announcing it will be raising its post-paid data plan rates by $10 per month for new smartphone activations beginning January 30. Sprint is positioning the increased data fees as an alternative to the capped services offered by the likes of Verizon Wireless and AT&T: Sprint customers will still be able to tap into unlimited mobile data, they’re just going to pay more to do it.
“Sprint wants its customers to experience the range of entertainment and productivity possibilities available with today’s wireless technology,” said Sprint’s consumer business president Bob H. Johnson. “While some of our competitors impose overage charges and complex plans, Sprint continues to provide a worry-free, unlimited data experience while on the Sprint network. This is responsible, sustainable, and reflects our commitment to simplicity and value.”
The rate increase applies to Sprint’s 3G Everything data plans regardless of the type of phone involved: Android, BlackBerry, Palm, and Windows devices are all subject to the same increase. Sprint lays blame for the increase soundly at the feet of smartphone users. The company claims, on average, smartphone users consumer 10 times more data than users of “traditional feature phones”—and, of course, that includes everything from video to Web browsing to specialized applications. Existing 3G customers won’t see their rates increase until they acquire a new phone or renew their service contacts.
The rate increased put Sprint’s 3G data plans at essentially the same pricing points as its 4G WiMax service for the Android-based HTC Evo 4G and Samsung Epic 4G.
Sprint competitors AT&T and Verizon Wireless addressed the explosion in mobile data traffic by introducing tiered data plans last year.
Sprint has also announced a special event for February 7 where the company has promised to make an “industry first” announcment with the assistance of magician David Blaine.
