If you ask me (which you didn’t) there are few things more consumer-unfriendly than charging people for 3G data on their handsets and then charging them again for the privilege of connecting their handsets to a computer in order to use that same 3G data.
Sprint sorta gets that and, as such, has announced its new “Simply Everything Plan + Mobile Broadband” for $149.99 per month, which I feel really bends the limits of what the words “simply” and “everything” mean especially as they pertain to Sprint’s marketing strategy.
The plan takes the gun out of the hand of consumers who would complain about having to pay an extra monthly charge to tether their phones by giving them a free USB data dongle (the Sierra Wireless 598U), effectively removing the handset from the equation altogether.
It’s a nice gesture, I suppose, but adding a separate data card or USB dongle to the $99 Simply Everything Plan normally costs $59.99 per month, so you’re saving ten bucks. And the wireless data is limited to 5GB which, again, flies in the face of the “everything” idea. It’s still a better deal than AT&T or Verizon, according to Sprint. Comparable plans would apparently run $199 per month on those two networks, resulting in a $599 per year savings with Sprint.
Full press release:
Sprint Brings Even More Value to Customers with New Simply Everything Plan + Mobile Broadband
Sprint subscribers can save on unlimited talk, messaging and data for their phone plus 3G Internet access for their laptop
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sprint (NYSE: S) customers enjoy the best value in wireless – and now they have one more way to save money while getting more done on the go. Starting today, Sprint is offering business and consumer customers a new plan that combines the unmatched value of Simply EverythingSM with the productivity of wireless 3G for a laptop. The Simply Everything plan + Mobile Broadband gives customers the power of mobility with unlimited text, picture and video messaging, GPS navigation, email and Web surfing on their phone – plus 5 GB of blazing Internet access on their laptop, all for just $149.99 per month.*
“With the new Simply Everything plan + Mobile Broadband, customers get the benefits of Sprint’s Now Network on their phone and on their laptop, so they’re not tethered to their home or office,” said Jeff Hallock, vice president of consumer marketing for Sprint. “Whether it’s to get work done at the airport or in between client meetings, finish a school project in the park or keep in touch with family while you’re at the coffee shop, this plan allows Sprint customers to access the Internet at 3G speeds almost anywhere to do more and save more on America’s most dependable 3G network.”
Ideally suited for small businesses and consumers who live a mobile lifestyle and want to enhance their productivity by being connected just about anywhere they go, the Simply Everything plan + Mobile Broadband allows customers to use their Mobile Broadband Card or USB modem to get ultra-fast access to the Internet on their laptop. The plan offers a savings of $599 per year vs. comparable AT&T and Verizon plans.1
Customers can learn more by going to www.sprint.com/nowires. Existing Sprint customers can switch to the new Simply Everything plan + Mobile Broadband bundle without a contract extension. The bundle is available on new lines of activation with a two-year agreement per line and includes activation on a Sprint Simply Everything plan and a Mobile Broadband Connection plan.
The Simply Everything plan + Mobile Broadband is the latest offering from Sprint to deliver incomparable value. Last year, Sprint revolutionized unlimited pricing in the wireless industry by moving beyond its competitors to deliver more features for a flat rate of $99.99 per month. Comparable messaging and data plans from Verizon and AT&T cost the consumer an additional $479 per year.2
In addition to cost savings, Sprint includes the added value of:
- Sprint’s Now Network, which gets you what you want, right when you want it, on America’s most dependable 3G network.**
- One of the broadest Mobile Broadband connection-card portfolios in the industry to meet a variety of customer needs.
- An award-winning lineup of cool phones, led by the Samsung Instinct, named by CNET as “Best In Show” at CTIA’s 2008 spring show.
- The Samsung Rant – offered now at $49.99 after $50 mail-in rebate and two-year agreement – named by LAPTOP Magazine as best cell phone at CTIA’s 2008 fall show.
- The easiest to use technology with One Click, which gives “one click” access to customers’ favorite content, including Google, Facebook, MySpace, email, NFL Mobile Live, and the Internet.
- Guaranteed friendly service with Ready Now, an exclusive Sprint experience that offers hands-on training and setup for customers at Sprint stores nationwide.
*No additional discounts apply on Simply Everything plan or Mobile Broadband Connection plan.
** “Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the top 50 most populous markets from June ‘08 to November ‘08. Not all services available on 3G and coverage may default to separate network when 3G is unavailable.
Sprint Simply Everything + Mobile Broadband [via Phone Scoop]
There’s a lot of market share to be gained by selling internet services through cell phone networks. Instead of having a “cable modem”, people could have a “3G Modem” in their home.
I want to see someone do that and sell it for less than $25/month, you could really disrupt the current business model of going through a cable wire or telephone wire to get broadband access.
Right.
Fuck you sprint (and you too AT&T). If I’m paying for data you don’t get to tell me how or where or on what I can use it.
My wife and I are on their Data Everything plan, and we’ve got nothing but praise for it.
These prices, to be honest sound like a rip-off!
Here in the UK, you can have mobile broadband on a 3G network for between £10 – £20 per month (so around $15 to $25 per month).
Surely for this price, Sprint is not bringing it down to the level at which most people would be able, or willing to pay for it. The U.S. needs more competition in this sector to bring this sort of service to the masses. I guess these folks (Sprint, AT & T and Verizon have the monopoly).
M Solanki,
Last I checked, the UK is roughly the size of our 2 largest states, maybe smaller.
The UK also has a significantly higher population density.
US carriers have to do significantly larger build out’s and such to have comparable service. I fully expect it to be more expensive here.
Thank you M Solanki, you are fully correct. The prices are very high, almost as if the US carriers are reading from a corporate script designed to ignore the bad economy in the US.
Art Intelli,
You are correct, the U.S. Carriers seem to be ignoring the bad economy. Sprint’s simply everything plans for average everyday users are just simply too expensive. Now, with this Simply Everything plus Mobile Broadband, Sprint is somehow thinking people who are already on the $99 Simply Everything Plan are willing to shell out another 50% per month!?!? I know that Sprint is cheaper than the other carriers but look at how many customers they are losing every quarter for the past several quarters and look at how many customers AT&T and Verzion are gaining every quarter. Sprint needs to do something major in order to start gaining customers instead of losing them. Discounting their mobile broadband service by a tiny $10/month only if I am already on their most expensive simply everything plan is not enough savings to wow most people.