Sprint has recently decided to change their data plans for tablets and mobile broadband/hotspot in order to remain competitive with other mobile providers. It seems like Sprint has been tweaking its plans a lot lately and this new line-up has its ups and downs. All new changes went into effect today and only apply to non-smartphone devices. Smartphones will maintain unlimited data.
Sprint’s two high-tier plans offer more bandwidth than Verizon and AT&T and at a lower cost. You can get 12GB of data for $79.99 and 6GB fro $49.99. If you are simply using a tablet and want less data, you now have a 1GB option for $19.99 and 3GB plan for $34.99. The later also applies to hotspots as well.
All plans include 3G and 4G but if you go over in data you will definitely be punished for it. The Now Network is going to charge you an additional $0.25 per MB of overage, and if you manage to exceed 1GB you will have to pay a $50 penalty. Although the new pricing is really good and beats out Big Red and Ma Bell, the overage fees will definitely make you want to monitor your data usage more closely.
Jump past the break for the full low-down within Sprint’s press release.
Sprint Launches New 3G/4G Mobile Broadband Plans, Delivering More Data at a Lower Price Than Competitors
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), November 14, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE: S) today launched new 3G/4G mobile broadband plans that deliver more data at lower prices than similar plans from national competitors. The new plans are available in all Sprint sales channels.
Customers can choose from 6GB of combined on-network 3G/4G data usage for $49.99 per month or 12GB of 3G/4G data usage for $79.99 per month. The new plans deliver 20 percent more data for the same price as similar plans from Verizon and AT&T.
Sprint Verizon AT&T
$49.99 per month/6GB $50 per month/5GB $50 per month/5GB
$79.99 per month/12GB $80 per month/10GB NAWith an extra 1GB of data vs. Verizon and AT&T’s $50/5GB plans, Sprint customers subscribing to the new $49.99/6GB plan will be able to view approximately 6,667 additional Web pages, 2,000 more photos or 67 extra YouTube videos each month.1
“Sprint is committed to delivering exceptional value to its customers, and our new 3G/4G Mobile Broadband plans are the latest example of that,” said Will Souder, vice president of pricing for Sprint. “Sprint gives customers more data at lower prices than competitors, so they can do more with their mobile broadband devices on Sprint’s 3G and 4G networks.”
The $49.99/6GB and $79.99/12GB plans are compatible with all Mobile Broadband devices sold by Sprint, including tablets, dedicated mobile hotspot devices, USB modems, netbooks and notebooks.
In addition, Sprint is also launching a new plan available for tablets2 and dedicated mobile hotspot devices3 priced at $34.99 per month for 3GB of 3G/4G data usage, along with a new plan for tablets priced at $19.99 per month for 1GB of 3G/4G data usage.
The new plans replace all previously available Mobile Broadband plans and are available to new and existing customers.
Sprint provides to customers tools to monitor and manage their mobile broadband data usage and avoid overages:
Customers who have opted-in for notifications will receive email and/or SMS notifications when their 3G/4G data usage has reached 75 percent of their plan limit or higher.
Customers are also able to view their data usage by logging into My Sprint at www.sprint.com.
Customers with devices featuring the SmartView application can use the app to view data usage.
Tablet users can text “usage” to 1311 to receive a text with their current 3G/4G usage.