With the major carriers making a sudden move in the last month to jump big time into the unlimited data plan market, you may be wondering how prepaid wireless carriers will respond to these moves. Cricket Wireless is one of those carriers feeling the heat and today announced a new feature to try to keep users from jumping back over to the traditional carriers. Cricket's new Stream More feature employs some video compression technology to help users stretch their data allotment while enjoying streaming content.
Similar to what T-Mobile did for some time with their unlimited data, Cricket's Stream More takes high definition movies and downgrades them to standard definition when streamed to a mobile device. According to Cricket, this is still just as good as watching a DVD. The move means Cricket users will drain their data buckets less quickly than in the past. This is not as good as having unlimited data, but it does improve the value for customers assuming they are content with not having high definition video.
According to Cricket, there is no charge to activate Stream More on a user's account and users can turn it on and off as they see fit. Stream More will work when used in the U.S. or when roaming in Mexico or Canada.
Cricket says users should be on the lookout for a text message alerting them to when the new Stream More feature is available for their account. Cricket is rolling this out in a phased manner over the next few months. Cricket also promises more new features as they try to remain competitive in what has suddenly become a quickly changing market for wireless services.
