Currently, the fourth-largest Mobile Network Operator in the United States, Sprint are reportedly poised to announce a new Unlimited Data plan.The rumored plan is aimed at seniors and will allow customers up to two unlimited lines for $70 USD per month, plus global roaming perks.
The plan is understood to be launched on Friday, May 18, and will exclusively be available to customers who are 55-years-old, or older.
Many are calling Sprint’s new plan a direct response to T-Mobile’s similar price plan for the same age group. With over 65.5 million users, T-Mobile is the third largest mobile carrier in the United States and a direct competition to Sprint.
Owned by German corporation Deutsche Telekom AG, T-Mobile launched a similar ‘senior’ price plan in August 2017. At first offering two unlimited lines for $60 per month, the service recently saw a price increase to $70, supposedly informing Sprint’s price point.
Sprint look set to unveil ‘Unlimited 55+’ on May 18
Sprint's new plan aimed at users aged 55 and over is reported to be called Unlimited 55+, similar in name to the T-Mobile ONE Unlimited 55+ plan.
The price plan will start at $50 per month, for which customers can get one line of unlimited data, or for $70 they can get two unlimited lines. Considering that Sprint currently charges $100 per month for two lines with unlimited data, the new age-restricted price plan looks set to be a great deal for seniors.
Sprint’s Unlimited 55+ reportedly will offer users unlimited calls and texts, as well as unlimited data. The plan is also set to include unlimited use of mobile hotspots and access to Sprint's Global Roaming service. This allows users to text and grants data access under 2G speeds across the world in different 185 countries, with no additional roaming charges.
The downsides are that there are set to be certain data caps in place to users of the Unlimited 55+ plan. For Sprint customers using this plan, video stream quality will be capped at a relatively poor 480p, with music streams also capped to 500 kbps. Streams from gaming sites such as Twitch and YouTube Live will similarly be capped at 5 Mbps, while the unlimited mobile hotspot usage is also throttled to 3G speeds, way below what many smartphones are capable of handling.
Data consumption while roaming internationally is also capped, to 100 Mbps at 2G speeds, just enough to find your way around on Google Maps.
Sprint will be hoping that these drawbacks will do little to put off the prospective customers of this price plan. The company looks like it is banking that the age group being offered these slowed-down data speeds will be more enticed by the value for money the package represents.
Comparing Sprint with T-Mobile
Although Sprint is targeting new customers with their rumored Unlimited 55+ price plan, they are unlikely to entice users who already enjoy similar coverage on T-Mobile.
While the new package does represent a saving over market leaders AT&T and Verizon, T-Mobile offers a comparable service for the same price.
While T-Mobile’s unlimited data offering on their roaming service arguably seems a better deal than Sprint's - with unlimited data at faster speeds - Sprint's roaming service is available in a larger number of regions. So since this is the only area with any meaningful difference, T-Mobile ONE Unlimited 55+ users are likely to stay put.
Customers of rival companies however who are over the age of 55 may well have their heads turned when Sprint announce their new plan.
