Sprint changes exclusive to Wal-Mart distribution
Sprint over the weekend updated pricing for its Virgin Mobile USA brand, cutting prices and adding data exclusively for service activated through Wal-Mart locations.
The changed include the Data Done Right Single Line offer, which cuts prices by $5 per month and adds 500 megabytes of unthrottled data access. Plans now begin at $30 per month for 300 calling minutes, unlimited domestic text messaging and 3 gigabytes of data capped at 3G speeds for video transmission and up to LTE speeds for all other connections. The higher-tier plan is now priced at $40 per month and adds unlimited domestic voice calling.
For multiline accounts, Virgin Mobile USA is offering 2 GB of additional 3G/LTE shared data, pushing the two-line, $65 per month plan to 6 GB; the three-line, $90 per month plan to 10 GB; and the four-line, $115 per month plan to 14 GB.
Sprint continues to rely heavily on its prepaid brands, which also include Boost Mobile and the government-subsidized Assurance Wireless offers. The carrier recently reported that it added 546,000 net prepaid connections during its most recent quarter compared with a loss of 364,000 connections for the same quarter last year. That growth accounted for nearly half of the carrier’s total net connections for the quarter.
The move is also the latest across the prepaid space that has seen established operators and mobile virtual network operators aggressively target customers looking for no-contract services.
Virgin Mobile USA last year launched its Virgin Mobile Customer plan exclusively through Wal-Mart, which allows customers to select their own calling, messaging and data allowances at any time using an application embedded on their smartphone.
Wal-Mart has also been central to a number of these moves. The retail giant last month increased the amount of shareable data on its Family Mobile branded service that runs across T-Mobile US’ network. The $30-per-month plan now includes 1 GB of LTE data access, while the $40-per-month plan now includes 3 GB of high-speed data.
Tracfone Wireless recently unveiled its Verizon Wireless-powered Total Wireless service exclusively through Wal-Mart locations offering single- and multiline accounts that tap into data bucket trends established by larger operators in which multiple lines of service can share data access from a single account. The service is limited to Verizon Wireless’ CDMA-based 3G network.
Verizon Wireless earlier this month said that for a “limited time” prepaid customers signing up for its auto pay service will receive 1 GB of extra data every month after making their first automatic payment. The bonus data pushes the carrier’s $45 per month smartphone plan up to 2 GB of total data, while the $60 per month plan is boosted to 3.5 GB of data.
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