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America’s fourth largest wireless carrier, Sprint Corporation, is offering a final chance for would-be subscribers to sign-up for its $60 a month unlimited talk, text and data plan, before the company increases the rate to $70 per month (plus taxes) from the 16th of October. According to Sprint, the $60 plan is the most affordable rate from any of the four major carriers in the country, and offers the best value for customers who are worried about steep overage charges being slapped on them, should they go beyond their allotted data bucket. To qualify for the plan, new customers would need to buy a phone from Sprint through Sprint Lease or Sprint Easy Pay, meaning a monthly device charge will be added on top of the $60 plan charge. Customers may also choose to use an unlocked smartphone or buy one outright from Sprint at full retail price, to avail of the scheme.
Elaborating on the impending rate hike of the company’s popular unlimited data plan, the CEO of Sprint, Mr. Marcelo Claure, said, “At $70 a month, Sprint still beats the competition. Rather than increase the price without warning, we want to give customers one last chance to take advantage of the $60 rate”. The company however did point out that the hike is applicable only for new subscribers, meaning current customers won’t feel the pinch, as they’ll continue to pay the $60 monthly rate even after the increase. According to Sprint, “Those customers also may activate a new phone and remain on the $60 Unlimited Plan as long as they still meet the plan requirements and are purchasing a phone option and financing option that is compatible with the plan”.
In a press-release issued by Sprint on Wednesday, the company pointed out that mobile data consumption in the US has increased almost 10 folds between 2010 and 2014, which is why, the unlimited data plan actually makes a lot of sense for heavy data users. Seen in context of its rivals’ plan charges, Sprint’s rates actually look nominally cheaper on paper. T-Mobile is the only other company amongst the four major carriers to still offer an unlimited plan, but it costs $80 per month to sign up for that service. Verizon and AT&T, the two largest carriers in the country, do not even offer any unlimited plan.