Sprint Wants its 683,000 Customers Back

Yesterday Sprint was the first of the big four wireless carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and itself, to announce an unlimited data and voice plan for a flat fee. A smaller carrier, Helio which runs on Sprint’s network, has been offering an unlimited “All-in” plan since it launched in May 2006. The only problem is that, while the news seems to be taking the web by storm, the service is still only available in the Bay Area of San Francisco, Upper Central, CA, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Tampa. Like a fresh jar of Jiffy, we’d love to see it spread. Just for kicks, let’s take a gander at what that same $119 will get you across other carriers: Verizon Wireless: 900 minutes and data access, and unlimited text, picture, video, and instant messaging costs $119.99 a month. It’ll also nab you “Unlimited in Calling” and unlimited nights and weekends. AT&T: For $114 per month, AT&T will give you 1350 minutes and unlimited data access. T-Mobile: Top-of-the-line BlackBerry voice/internet plan will give you 1,500 minutes and unlimited data access for just $79.99. Of course, the draw back here is that you won’t have access to a 3G high-speed data network, but T-Mobile does offer its Hotspot @Home service that’s compatible with Wi-Fi phones like the BlackBerry Curve. The big question is whether this is a trend, or a move on Sprint’s part to lure fresh customers over from the other big carriers. This year Sprint lost 683,000 subscribers. Update: It’s been reported that Sprint has offered this deal for a little while now. We’re left scratching our heads wondering why it wasn’t advertised. Hopefully the positive reactions light a fire under Sprint to spread the offering nationwide.