Jamie Griesemer is a former Bungie designer who worked on several early Halo games. He was a designer on Halo: Combat Evolved, a design lead on Halo 2 and Halo 3, and also contributed design work to Halo 3: ODST and Halo Reach.

Griesemer helped shape the Halo sandbox, combat encounters, and overall pacing. He has now reflected on his work during the Bungie era and reignited the long-running debate around sprint in Halo.

His comments offer insight into how sprint affects Halo’s identity, how it interacts with level design and combat, and whether it makes sense at all.

Griesemer lays out his stance very clearly. He argues that asking whether Halo should have sprint is the wrong question entirely. He explains this by saying:

He believes sprint is not inherently good or bad and must be evaluated within the specific Halo title being built.

For the Halo CE Remake, sprint is currently optional. Griesemer believes this is the wrong approach. He says that if you “make a game mechanic optional you have abandoned your post, thrown up your hands and admitted you have no vision and that someone else should design the game. In this case, everyone else should design the game.”

His concern is that the optional sprint makes it impossible to tune the experience properly. Encounters depend on knowing where the player will be, and when. AI, timings, waypoints, sound triggers, and music cues all rely on predictable traversal speeds. If a player can sprint, they may outrun an intended moment, skip a beat that should land, or miss a vehicle or weapon placed to shape the encounter. Even a single missed element can weaken the pacing or the emotional weight.

Why sprint disrupts pacing and level design in Halo

The upsides of sprint are obvious. It lets you move faster when replaying missions or backtracking, and it helps you cross large empty spaces when a vehicle is not available. Griesemer believes these benefits only work if the campaign is designed around sprinting from the beginning. If it is not, sprinting can trivialize or let players skip combat encounters that were meant to shape the pacing. It also creates moments where players run past important details.

When this happens, pacing starts to fall apart. Developers then compensate with locked doors, walk-and-talk moments, or other slowdowns that exist only to keep the mission flow intact. These additions often feel artificial because sprinting lets players outpace the structure of the level.

Another issue is how sprint mechanics undercut vehicles. Griesemer says he has seen playtests where players finish full vehicle missions on foot because sprint makes it harder to recognise that the space was designed for a vehicle. Sprint solves the same problem vehicles were meant to address and leaves encounters flat.

Griesemer has suggested a few ideas to rein in sprint, although he treats these as temporary fixes rather than long-term solutions. These include draining shields while sprinting, creating extra noise that alerts enemies, increasing the damage players take during a sprint, or briefly preventing players from firing after they stop. These add risk, but they do not solve the core issue.

His view is that these ideas only treat the symptoms. The real fix is to build the campaign around sprint from day one so that pacing, encounters, and traversal all support it naturally. When sprint is part of the foundation, the game does not need penalties or workarounds to keep it under control.

The sprint debate continues

The debate will likely go on forever. Sprint has never been my cup of tea for Halo, but that’s okay. I think Halo Studios found a solid balance with sprint in Infinite, and I would argue that the grapple hook disrupts the game’s flow far more than sprint ever could. I would love to know where others stand on this. Let me know whether you care about sprint, want it, or are not all that bothered.

FAQ

Tello is making cellular service affordable for everyone with a range of plans to meet various budgets, and thanks to the company's latest deal for new and existing subscribers, you'll score double the data and twice the amount of minutes on the plan you choose through May 29! Tello's plans are already competitively priced compared to other service providers, and today's offer really helps blow the others out of the competition. New members will even receive a $15 account credit when signing up by May 19! That can be used towards the future purchase of a phone or put towards your monthly bill.

There's no need to stay locked into paying for an expensive service provider anymore while companies like Tello Mobile exist. Tello is an affordable, prepaid service which uses Sprint's network and has a variety of plans for less than $20 monthly. The best part is that you're never locked into a contract and there are no fees to worry about; you only pay the cost of the plan you choose.

One of the greatest features of Tello is its ability to let you customize your service by choosing the number of minutes or amount of data you need separately from one another. That's one major way Tello saves you cash where other providers would have you pay for service you're not even using.

Tello has plans starting at just $5 per month so you don't have to ever worry about your phone bill being the cause of missing a more important payment. You can select unlimited data or unlimited minutes, or choose both! Either way, you'll probably be paying quite a bit less than you would for something similar from Verizon or T-Mobile. You can choose to use a device you already own on Tello's network or buy one from Tello at a discount.

Tello Mobile even earned Android Central's badge of recommendation earlier this year; you can learn why and go in-depth with the service in the full review if you're looking to discover more before signing up.

In the last few years, phones and the mobile plans that go with them have gone from affordable to shockingly expensive. Add in the words unlimited data and suddenly your out of pocket costs rival that of your grocery bill.

Worse yet, when you want to switch carriers to save some money, you're pushed into buying a new phone that you don't need and can't afford just to recoup a little cash.

Sprint has a different approach. They know you searched high and low for the perfect phone, and you'd like to keep it. They also know unlimited doesn't have to be costly.

With Sprint's Unlimited Kickstart plan, you get the best of both worlds: You keep your phone and you trim the cost of your phone bill. Jump on one of America's best cellular networks, keep your phone and your number, and you'll pay only $35/month for unlimited talk, text, data, and DVD quality streaming.

Sprint's Unlimited Kickstart plan is a cool $35/month. No contracts, no exclusions, no fine print.

That's a deal in and of itself, but there's more.

BYOD, keep your number, pocket $300

When you sign up right now for the Unlimited Kickstart, BYOD, and port your number, Sprint will give you a $300 Mastercard. Yes, they'll actually pay you to make the switch. Keep your number with Sprint for 90 days, and you claim a prepaid Mastercard worth $300.

It's a win-win for everyone. And thanks to Sprint's 100-percent Total Satisfaction Guarantee, there's no risk.

How are you feeling about your current carrier? Looking for a change? Want to get some money for making the switch? Sprint's got the right deal for you today. It's called a "Bring Your Own Device" deal where you don't even have to give up the phone you're currently using or pay for a phone you don't need. Just take your phone to Sprint, make the switch and sign up for an Unlimited plan, and Sprint will give you a $300 prepaid Mastercard. It's really as simple as that. In addition to switching over, the deal's only other requirement is using the link to register online.

So in order to switch your phone from Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile, you will need to make sure your phone is unlocked first. If it's not, call your carrier and get an unlock code. That sometimes takes a couple of days (they don't want you to go!). Then you just enter the code on your phone to unlock it and go to Sprint's site to finish the process. Your next goal is to make sure your phone is compatible with Sprint's network. If it's any modern smartphone, chances are good that it is. But you'll want to find your phone's IMEI or MEID and enter it on the website.

After all that, all you have to do is sign up for one of Sprint's Unlimited plans. These plans start at $35 a month. Depending on how much you're paying now, you could potentially save money there as well. The plans include unlimited data, talk, and text. You'll get extra features like the ability to stream HD videos or use your phone as a mobile hotspot. You can even get bonuses like a free Hulu subscription or even subscriptions to Tidal or Amazon Prime depending on the plan you choose.

The $300 prepaid Mastercard will be shipped 90 days after you sign up.

What you need to know

• Sprint is now offering $15 a month unlimited 4G data for Windows 10.
• The all-digital plan is offered through eSIM like on Surface Pro X.
• Users can sign up with no contract through Mobile Plans app.

Sprint has been offering $15 unlimited 4G LTE data plans for connected devices since 2018, but it looks like devices like the Surface Pro X (and other eSIM-enabled Windows 10 PCs) now have Sprint as part of the instant-buy plans available through the Microsoft Mobile Plans app.

Up until recently, GigSky and Ubigi were the only two options available for those with eSIM-enabled Windows 10 PCs. While both are decent services, they were not cheap, with Ubigi offering 3GB of data for 30 days (expires) at $29.

Why (and how) Windows 10 PCs with LTE and eSIM will change the game

Now, Sprint is an option too, letting users sign up and agreeing to AutoPay for just $15 a month with unlimited 4G LTE data (the plan is typically $20 a month, but Sprint gives you a $5 discount for using AutoPay). There is no contract required.

Sprint has similar plans with a physical SIM, but with eSIM activation is instant, and users can toggle using a physical SIM when traveling. It also makes getting data on a device like the Surface Pro X much easier than going to a store to sign up or waiting for a physical SIM in the mail.

Unfortunately, there are no other major carrier options for Microsoft's Mobile Plans apps. Service from AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile would be welcomed as well due to the coverage and faster speeds than Sprint. Users can still use any carrier's physical SIM and then toggle over to a Sprint eSIM if they prefer, though, which is not a bad option.

To sign up for Sprint (or any other eSIM provider) users of the Surface Pro X can simply launch the Mobile Plans app from their PC, or use the Settings > Network & Internet > Cellular to toggle to eSIM and sign up that way.

Currently, the Surface Pro X is on sale through Best Buy and Microsoft. Amazon is offering a complete package (8GB/256GB) with keyboard and Surface Slim Pen for $1,249.

Severe weather events are the times that mobile communications are most important, especially during events like hurricanes when power outages can last for days and you may have to evacuate to shelters or unfamiliar areas hundreds of miles away. The preparation and the response of wireless carriers is vital to keeping connected during an already chaotic time, and here's the response being delivered by the four major carriers right now.

AT&T

Response teams are preparing in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, including the staging of mobile cell sites (including some drone-mounted cell sites) and command centers.

AT&T has also announced it is waving fees for going over on data for customers in the storm's path on the East Coast:

AT&T's Hurricane Dorian Disaster Relief Page

Verizon

Verizon has prepped Wireless Emergency Communications Centers, Tactical Command Trailers, and Response Trailers in advance of Dorian's Florida landfall, as well as preparing backup power systems fuel deliveries for generators in the event of prolonges power outages.

Verizon is also giving customers in the path of Dorian unlimited service this week, and also unlimited calls and texts to the Bahamas for families trying to keep in touch with family that's recovering from over 24 hours of devesating storm surges and bombardment from Dorian's eyewall. To receive these benefits you must be a Verizon customer living in one of the following counties:

• Florida: Brevard County, Glades County, Hendry County, Highlands County, Indian River County, Martin County, Okeechobee County, Osceola County, Palm Beach County, St. Johns County, St. Lucie County
• Georgia: Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty, and McIntosh
• South Carolina: Beaufort County, Berkeley County, Charleston County, Colleton County, Dorchester County, Georgetown County, Horry County, Jasper County

Verizon stores operated by Victra in Dorian's path are also offering the following services to customers:

• Free charging stations in stores for those without power
• Free one-time water damage services using Redux technology to dry out phones or other small devices with potential water damage
• Discounts on portable power supplies

Verizon's Hurricane Dorian Preparations

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is standing by with generators, network recovery equipment and community response trucks as they prepare network facilities for the hurricane. They've warned some stores might be closed while the storm passes, and reminded customers that there's an easy way to call for support 24/7: dial 611 from your T-Mobile phone. T-Mobile customers without Unlimited plans in the Bahamas are also having roaming fees waived for the next week and a half.

T-Mobile's Hurrican Dorian Preparations

Sprint

Sprint is waiving overage fees for customers in Dorian's path this week, and Sprint has also listed a couple of numbers Sprint customers can text donations to during and after Dorian as a one-time charge to their wireless bill.

• Text DORIAN to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross
• Text FOOD to 80100 to donate $10 to the World Central Kitchen
• Text DISASTER to 20222 to donate $10 to the Florida Disaster Fund - Volunteer Florida Foundation
• Text DISASTER25 to 20222 to donate $25 to the Florida Disaster Fund - Volunteer Florida Foundation

Sprint's Hurriane Dorian Updates

U.S. carriers are on board with supporting Always Connected PCs, but Sprint is looking to step things up a notch when it comes to data. The carrier is running a promotion through which you can get free unlimited data with a trio of Windows 10 on ARM PCs (via Engadget).

That said, there are some caveats.

Currently, the promotion applies to three Qualcomm Snapdragon 835-powered PCs on the market or coming soon: the HP Envy x2, the ASUS NovaGo (coming soon), and the Lenovo Miix 630 (coming soon). It's also not clear if Sprint will be selling the devices itself, but the promotion is listed as BYOD (bring your own device), so you'll have to pick one up elsewhere.

While data will be free at first, the deal is set to end on December 31, 2018. After that, data will cost $15 per month or $10 per month with autopay. However, Sprint says you can cancel at any time. Of course, the dreaded "taxes, fees and surcharges" and "speed maximums" apply.

Still, if you own or are planning to pick up any of these Snapdragon PCs, this is likely worth giving a look. There's been no official announcement of this promotion from Microsoft or Qualcomm, but it's possible we could see similar deals from other carriers as well. For now, you can check out the promotion at Sprint if you're in the market for one of the three compatible PCs.

One thing's for sure: it'll be interesting to see if a certain pending mega-merger will have any impact on this promo.

• See at Sprint
• See HP Envy x2

The rumors and speculation swirling for years are fomenting into a dust cloud of money. T-Mobile and Sprint, the third and fourth-largest carriers in the U.S., respectively, are poised to form a single entity in a $26.5 billion merger that would put the united company in a close third position behind AT&T with just over 70 million postpaid subscribers.

The companies announced the deal mid-day Sunday with a slick webpage called All for 5G, highlighting the ways in which the merged corporation will focus on next-generation wireless technologies more effectively against the competition.

Should the deal be approved by U.S. regulators — a tall order in an environment that has discouraged M&A between intra-industry entities — the New T-Mobile, as the companies are referring to it — T-Mobile's parent company, Germany's Deutsche Telekom, would own a 42% stake and seat nine board members, while Sprint's parent Softbank would have a 27% stake and four board members.

According to Bloomberg, which broke the story, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son will have a seat on the board.

On its merger marketing page, Sprint and T-Mobile promise that the New T-Mobile will keep prices low, offer outstanding service, and provide more competition, with "a MAJOR expansion of competition into rural markets and for businesses of all sizes!" Critics point to markets like Canada where just three well-entrenched wireless carriers have less reason to compete, forcing prices up and suppressing consumer choice.

According to a press release co-issued by the companies, the combined company will have a $146 billion market capitalization, with Sprint's $59 billion number based on the $6.62 closing share price as of Friday, April 27. Officially, the new company will be called T-Mobile —the Sprint brand will disappear — and will have "expected run rate cost synergies of $6+ billion" compared to the two companies operating on their own.

Current T-Mobile CEO, John Legere, will remain chief executive of the new company, while current T-Mobile COO, Mike Sievert, will retain that position at the New T-Mobile while also acting as President of the combined entity. Immediately following the merger, the New T-Mobile will hire thousands of new employees to fill retail, call center, and network infrastructure roles, according to the executive team, with investments of $40 billion in the combined network. While Verizon and AT&T will each still hold considerably more spectrum than even the combined Sprint-Tmo, Sprint's cache of unused 2.5GHz spectrum will be critical to migrating its customers to T-Mobile's LTE network, and will allow both companies to deploy low-band 5G more easily when the opportunity arises in 2019 and beyond.

T-Mobile and Sprint believe that the merger is perfectly timed, since cable companies like Comcast and Charter are poised to enter the wireless market, either as MVNOs or, later, as infrastructure owners of their own networks. While that hypothesis has yet to be proven, Sprint and T-Mobile believe that there is more competition in the market today than ever before, and the combined entity will be able to compete better on the network and content side.

At the same time, with the recent end of Net Neutrality in the U.S., both companies believe that they are in a good position to eke out as much profit per consumer as possible with a diverse selection of plans that may be able to take advantage of the availability of slow and fast lanes that weren't possible during the previous administration.

According to the companies, all of 54.6 million Sprint's customers will be migrated to T-Mobile's network within three years, and over 20 million Sprint customers already have phones that are compatible with T-Mobile's.

Whether you're a Microsoft diehard who packs a Windows phone, or an iPhone- or Android-toting Windows fan, here's how to find the best unlimited data plan for you.

With Verizon bringing back an unlimited data plan, the big four networks in the United States (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon) all carry an unlimited data plan now. That's important for power users as well as anyone who uses their mobile broadband internet as their sole way to stay in touch or for entertainment. The cost of data overages means that unlimited data is a must for many of us.

But just because everyone offers unlimited data doesn't mean that all plans are equal. Pricing is important as are "extras" like tethering and the hidden data cap that pushes you back to slower 3G speeds when you reach it. And of course, zero-rating means we have to pay attention to what unlimited means when it comes to the quality of streaming media as well as the source.

We took a look at what each carrier has to offer so we can decide who delivers the very best unlimited data package. Let's start with a look at the details for each carrier.

AT&T

Unlimited Plus

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• 10 GB mobile hotspot (tethering)
• Unlimited talk and text to Canada and Mexico
• Advanced messaging between compatible phones on the AT&T network
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico with free Roam North America Feature (if more than 50% of use is outside the U.S. the plan can be terminated)
• Unlimited music and video streaming with optional Stream Saver for less data use
• $25 monthly credit for DirecTV services
• One line of service on an AT&T Unlimited Plus plan is $90
• Two lines of service for $145
• Up to eight additional lines (includes any phone, LTE tablets, LTE hotspots and connected cars) for $20 per line
• Add a wearable for $10 per month

Unlimited Choice

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• Data speeds capped at 3Mbps
• Standard definition video streaming
• One line of service on an AT&T Unlimited Choice plan is $60
• Two lines of service for $115
• Up to eight additional lines (includes any phone, LTE tablets, LTE hotspots and connected cars) for $20 per line
• Add a wearable for $10 per month

Everything you need to know about AT&T's unlimited plans

Check out our review of the AT&T Lumia 950 Windows phone

Sprint Unlimited Freedom plan

• Unlimited talk, text, and data (with certain restrictions)
• Unlimited data for streaming video up to 1080p
• Unlimited data for gaming up to 8Mbps
• Unlimited data for streaming music up to 1.5Mbps
• 10GB high-speed mobile hotspot with VPN and P2P support
• Add a tablet with unlimited data for $25 per month
• One line of service is $50
• Two lines of service is $90
• Three lines of service is $90
• Four lines of service is $90

Everything you neeed to know about Sprint's Unlimited Freedom Plan

T-Mobile

• Unlimited talk, text, and data with 200MB of roaming data
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico
• One hour of free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi and unlimited texting on enabled flights
• Unlimited data and texting in over 140 locations at 2x speed (264kbps) (limited time offer)
• Unlimited music and HD video streaming (limited time offer, applies only in the U.S.)
• 10GB high-speed mobile hotspot use (limited time offer)
• One line of service on a T-Mobile ONE plan is $70
• Two lines of service for $100
• Three lines of service for $140
• Four lines is $160 and each additional line adds $20 to the total

A promotion starting March 1, 2017, allows post-paid customers with two or more lines to add another line free. This offer applies to T-Mobile ONE, Simple Choice and Simple Choice No Credit plans

Everything you need to know about T-Mobile's unlimited plans

Check out our review of T-Mobile's Alcatel Idol 4s

Verizon

Verizon used to have a single unlimited plan, but it has since expanded that to two, offering various levels of value depending on customer need.

Go Unlimited

Go Unlimited is the cheaper of the unlimited plans, aimed at users that don't necessarily need the fastest performance at all times or high-quality video streaming.

• One line: $75/month
• Two lines: $65 per line/month
• Three lines: $50 per line/month
• Four or more lines lines: $40 per line/month

Paper-free billing and $5/mo AutoPay discounts apply.

The Go Unlimited plan offers unlimited LTE data, but you're subject to reduced speeds (throttling) when the network is congested. Verizon may choose to throttle at any time of the billing cycle, which is unlike most other unlimited plans that only do so after a certain amount of data is used.

On Go Unlimited, all video streaming is capped at 480p on phones and 720p on tablets. And while the Go Unlimited plans offer unlimited mobile hotspot (tethering), the speed is capped at 600kbps, which is likely too slow for most people to do anything other than browse the web — slowly.

Beyond Unlimited

Beyond Unlimited is basically Verizon's original unlimited plan with some slight tweaks.

• One line: $85/month
• Two lines: $80 per line/month
• Three lines: $60 per line/month
• Four or more lines: $50 per line/month

Paper-free billing and $5/mo AutoPay discounts apply.

The Beyond Unlimited plan offers unlimited LTE data, but you're subject to reduced speeds (throttling) at times of network congestion if you exceed 22GB in a billing cycle (customers that sign up on a two-year contract get 25GB per month before throttling).

Video streaming is capped at 720p on phones and 1080p on tablets. Mobile hotspot use is unlimited, with 15GB of LTE data in each billing cycle. Laptops or other devices used through the hotspot have a 1080p hard cap for streaming video.

Everything you need to know about Verizon's unlimited plan

The best unlimited data plan

The best plan is the one that works where you need it to work, not the one that's the cheapest. And we can't tell you which that one is because it's different for each of us. Paying more than you need to for phone service is a bad idea, but so is paying for service that doesn't work.

Generally, if you live outside of a metropolitan area that means Verizon. A look at live, user generated coverage maps from Open Signal shows there are significant gaps in T-Mobile's coverage outside of metro areas. You will pay more for Verizon service when compared to T-Mobile (especially once taxes and fees are applied) but chances are Verizon will have the best coverage if you're in a rural area. There are exceptions, so be sure to investigate before you give any company your money.

If you're part of the 90% of the U.S. population who lives in a large town or city, your choices are expanded. T-Mobile is a great choice, as even with the One Plus add-on fee of $10 per month you'll still save money because they include taxes and fees in the cost.

Sprint's pricing offers an incredible value, but there are some very valid concerns about their network footprint. These can't be ignored when talking about "the best", though. Sprint has taken great strides to improve their coverage, and if Sprint works everywhere you need it to work, you should definitely take a look at what they have to offer.

Of course, none of this includes any customer-loyalty offerings or legacy plans you might be using. In those cases, you might want to stick with the carrier you have now instead of switching because of new pricing or new promotions.

All this makes it very difficult to make a one-size-fits-all recommendation about which plan is the best. If you need nationwide coverage in places that might be a little out of the way, Verizon is a better value than AT&T and generally has a better network according to independent studies from sources like Root Metrics. If you stay on the beaten path, T-Mobile offers the better deal.

We can't tell you which carrier will be the best for you. But we can tell you what to look for and where to start. Talk to your friends and see what service they are using and how well it's working, and call each company to see exactly what they have to offer. Most carriers have plans they don't advertise and one may fit your needs better than the default unlimited plans.

We just want you to enjoy the service you're paying for!

• See plans at T-Mobile
• See plans at Verizon
• See plans at AT&T
• See plans at Sprint

Your turn

What carrier do you subscribe to, and are you thinking of switching to either T-Mobile or Verizon? Let us know in the comments!

This post was updated on August 24, 2017 with the latest information.

Sprint and Project Fi are both network providers, but have very different strategies and sets of operations. Sprint is a company that owns its own equipment and everything required to build a nationwide LTE network in the U.S., complete with voice calls and messaging service. Project Fi is an alternative carrier, or MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator). That means it buys service from companies like Sprint that have the physical network in place, then re-sell it under its rules.

There are advantages and disadvantages for both. Sprint controls the equipment, which means it can make business decisions that are best for Sprint. It also has to pay to maintain that equipment and expand the network. Google (which owns Project Fi) only has access to a network another company built and maintains, but in doing so doesn't have the huge overhead needed to keep the equipment running.

For us, all that really matters is we have good service where we need it at a price we're willing to pay.

Let's compare Sprint and Project Fi to see how they stack up against one another.

• Sprint background
• Project Fi background
• Sprint plans
• Project Fi plans
• Project Fi phones
• Which should you go with?

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Sprint background

Who owns it? Sprint Corporation (as part of the SoftBank Group Corp.)

Which network does it use? Sprint maintains its own LTE network

How long has it been around? 1899 (as the Brown Telephone Company), 1987 (as the Sprint Corp.)

Tethering allowed? Yes.

Cheapest plan: $40 for one month: 2GB 4G LTE, unlimited nationwide talk, text, and 2G data

Project Fi background

Who owns it? Google

Which network does it use? Sprint CDMA and LTE, T-Mobile 4G LTE, U.S. Cellular CDMA and LTE

How long has it been around? Since 2015

Tethering allowed? Yes

Cheapest plan: $20/month: Unlimited nationwide talk and text, unlimited international text

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Sprint plans

Sprint is all about its unlimited plan. It sells prepaid service and offers a monthly 2GB plan, but it is focused on giving unlimited everything at a good value. Its best value is in its family bundle, with a current (expires September 2018) promotion for free lines after you buy two.

Family Plan

The promotion for a free third, fourth and fifth line ends September 2018. Afterward, prices are set as $60 per month for line one, $40 per month for line two and $30 per month per line for three, four and five.

Add-ons

Sprint offers extras like an Amazon Prime membership ($10.99 per month) or security services. See all its offerings.

International use:

Sprint offers per-call billing to anywhere. It also has three international monthly plans:

• Sprint International connect: $15 per month
• Sprint Cuba 20 Plus: $10 per month
• Sprint Mexico Canada Plus: $5

See all the details about Sprint's international plans.

Project Fi plans

Project Fi offers two types of plans: family and single. What you get with each plan is the same, but you'll save money on each additional family plan line (up to 5 lines).

Family Plan

Note: Google calls the base Project Fi plan "The Basics." No data is included and must be purchased at the rate of $10/GB. Data is not shared between lines on a family plan. Each line pays the same $10 per GB of data (domestic and international in 135 countries) with the cost of any unused data refunded at the end of each month.

Add-ons

Data-only SIM:

Google offers a data-only SIM card to use in any compatible LTE device. It shares data with the primary line at the same $10/GB rate. You need to have at least one line of service and purchase a minimum of 1GB of data to use the data-only SIM card.

Data pricing:

• 1GB of 4G LTE: $10/month

Phone Insurance:

$5 per month per device covers accidental damages and device malfunctions. You can make one in a 12-month period. Deductibles are $79 for Pixel, $99 for Pixel XL, $69 for Nexus 5X, $99 for Nexus 6P. When you make a claim Google will ship out a replacement device the next business day.

International add-ons:

International cellular calls cost $0.20 per minute.

• Learn more

Google Wi-Fi services:

Your Project Fi phone service includes Wi-Fi calling and texting anywhere in the world. In addition, Google VPN services are available and allow you to connect to open Wi-Fi hotspots safely and securely.

• Learn more

Project Fi and Google Hangouts apps:

The Project Fi app is tied to your Google account and can be installed on any Android or iPhone. You can pay your bill, check account balances and talk to customer service through the app at no cost. The Google Hangouts app allows calls and texts using your Project Fi number on any Android or iPhone.

Project Fi phones

Project Fi only supports phones from Google. That means your selection is currently limited to:

• Nexus 5X
• Nexus 6P
• Google Pixel
• Google Pixel XL

Note: While it's possible to enable Project Fi on unsupported phones, this is against the Project Fi terms of service.

A data-only SIM is available and can be used in any compatible LTE device as long as at least one line of Fi service is active.

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Which should I go with?

Start with the phone you use or want to use. If it's not a late-model Nexus or Pixel phone from Google, you can't use Project Fi. Google might be adding other phones to Project Fi in the future, but right now only those phones are supported.

Otherwise, the choice comes down to one thing: How much data will you use?

Of course, you need to make sure the coverage is sufficient in your area, and you have the service you are paying for in the places you go. If Sprint's coverage doesn't cut it, maybe Project Fi (which uses T-Mobile and US Cellular's network in addition to Sprint) can cover you. Coverage should always be your first consideration.

Once you have that sorted, ask yourself if you'll use more than 3GB of data per month. If the answer is yes, you should get a plan from Sprint. If the answer is no, you should use Project Fi.

Project Fi offers one of the best mobile experience possible. Google offers some great services in addition to talk, text and data, and some of them, like the free VPN that connects you to open WI-Fi hotspots and no fee for using your data plan in 135 countries can't be overlooked. Nor can the excellent coverage map Project Fi offers through the combined network of T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular and Wi-Fi services.

But if you need to use more than 3GB of data per month (or if you're setting up a family plan with three or more lines) Sprint is the better value. You get unlimited calling, texting and data (which can be slowed down if you use more than 22GB in a month) for $55. A basic plan with 3GB of data from Project Fi costs $50. Both services offer things like visual voicemail or tethering so that's mostly a wash.

If Sprint's coverage works for you and you use a lot of data, its plans — especially its deal on family lines — are some of the cheapest in the industry. If you have the right phone and keep your data use under 3GB per month, Project Fi is a superior experience with higher rates for pure data.

Both services have some extra baggage to consider. But for many people, the coverage from Sprint is great or they don't need unlimited amounts of data for their Nexus or Pixel. If you fit into either of these, you have two great choices for carriers with Sprint and Project Fi.

Unlimited data plans are back. Here's some insight into why, as well as a look at how much data we really use every month.

We've recently seen all four major U.S. carriers introduce or revamp their unlimited LTE data plans. Multiple times. For some of us, this is great news. The folks who use upwards of 10GB of data on a line they pay for themselves found plenty of creative ways to hold on to older unlimited data plans, and sometimes that could be a hassle. Now they are available with a click of the mouse.

This wasn't unexpected. Companies such as T-Mobile and StraightTalk made people notice the cost versus value proposition of a cell phone data plan. AT&T and Verizon enjoyed a consumer mindset that they offered something superior, when for many people alternatives could be just as good. When people started to take note of that, it was time for a small shakeup.

People who will utilize an unlimited data plan and get their money's worth are outliers. Everyone can have a month where they are traveling or otherwise away from Wi-Fi and use a good chunk of data, but when you look at the numbers telling how much data is used per person on average, you see that most people would be better served with a cheaper plan that offers a capped data allotment.

The numbers back this up. According to NPD Connected Intelligence, one of the groups that your carrier and the company that made your phone use for insight into growth and planning, in 2015 the average amount of data used per person per month was about 3.5GB. During the same time period, customers on T-Mobile used an average of 5GB per month and Sprint customers used about 4GB per month. Both carriers offered unlimited data plans to any post-paid customer.

Why this is important

These are average numbers. That means some people will be wildly outside the average on both ends. You might use 100GB of data per month but someone who uses 0.1GB per month offsets your input towards the average. An average can't predict the highest amounts of data being used (or the lowest) but it is a great way to determine how much data the average person uses each month. There's a lot of ways this data can be used, and of course multiple ways it can be interpreted. For example, the average data a customer with access to an unlimited data plan uses isn't dramatically different from the amount someone without access to unlimited data uses.

This means that the average person, regardless of network, doesn't need to pay for an expensive unlimited data plan. Unlimited plans are hype-fests that get everyone talking about something as mundane and boring as a cellular provider. The hope is that you'll decide you need to sign up for one even though you don't need one. Sure, you might use a little more each month knowing that you have an unlimited plan, but generally, people who weren't using large amounts of data before aren't going to use a lot of data after they switch.

None of this matters to the phone company. It has one goal: make money. That's how businesses work. Every decision, every promotion, every marketing campaign and everything else is a way to try and make more money. A company won't be around for long if it isn't trying to bank a profit. And sometimes, how that profit can be shown on a quarterly earnings report matters as much as the amount that goes into the bank.

The ARPU

The average revenue per unit, or per user, (ARPU) is the total revenue coming in from the service divided by the number of subscribers. It's also a pretty big deal in shareholders' reports and earning's calls.

ARPU is a number that translates into the amount of money a single line of service brings in over a set time. There can be a monthly ARPU, or a quarterly or yearly one. This number includes all the money you pay to your carrier minus tax and regulatory fees. That means things like extras you may be paying for (international calling or live TV for mobile devices) are included, as well as your normal contract or monthly price. The ARPU is an easy way for a company to track its income and growth over time, and each customer who pays for an expensive unlimited data plan brings this average up in a way that's statistically significant.

Your carrier wants you to be excited about, and ultimately sign up for, an unlimited data plan because of how it affects the bottom line as well as how much.

Another way your phone company looks at its finances is with an eye towards profit instead of just income. The profit from a customer can be more important than the overall income generated from one. A company can be healthy and profitable even with a low customer count, or vice versa. We see this in action when companies give earnings results.

Consider a hypothetical that's not too far removed from actuality. T-Mobile keeps pulling more and more customers away from Verizon Wireless. But Verizon is making more money and has a higher value. That means Verizon is making more profit per customer than T-Mobile.

Calculating profit is pretty simple. The service an account uses is tallied then compared to the amount of income that account generates each month. If you sign up for an unlimited data plan and still only use 3GB to 5GB of data per month, you help improve profit margins. All accounts are profitable, but some will be more profitable than others.

Don't hate the players

We're not trying to say your carrier is bad or unethical. This is just how business works when it comes to service providers.

Carriers need to offer you something that you feel is worth the monthly cost. If that means an unlimited data plan sounds like a good idea to you, one is available for you. With the U.S. telco market becoming more and more competitive, it was a given that all companies would offer a fixed service that included unlimited data for a fixed cost. Users who needed such a plan would sign on and help improve that income per customer metric, and users who didn't need an unlimited plan but signed up for other reasons helped improve the profit-per-user metric. This is how smart business works, and the people in charge at your carrier are smart businesspeople.

One thing to take away here: ask yourself how much data you need every month. No one answer fits everyone, but there is an answer that fits you. Compare how much you need to how much you're paying, and then check out what's available. A final metric that's harder to measure is how happy a customer is, and happy customers are loyal customers.

Make sure you're using a service that works for you and makes you a happy customer.

There are a number of things to consider before moving to an alternative carrier. How much data do you really need? Are you looking for better service, or just cheaper service? And if you already have a phone, will it work on the carrier that you choose?

We're going to delve into this topic, but there are a couple of things we should get out of the way beforehand.

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An introduction

Before we talk about whether your phone will work on a particular alternative carrier, we should direct you to a few introductory posts about what exactly these companies offer, and why you should think about switching over.

• What is an alternative carrier?
• What do I need to switch from the Big Four to an alternative carrier?

Once you read through those, there are a few more things you need to know. In the U.S., there are four major carriers with nationwide networks: AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon. All four of them use generally the same technology, but there are some major differences worth noting.

• Sprint and Verizon have 3G networks that use aging (and disappearing) CDMA technology. All phones that run on their networks must have special radios that support CDMA. Thankfully, most phones these days have some sort of CDMA support.
• T-Mobile and AT&T use a more common HSPA+ technology for 3G service. Practically every phone you can buy today — even those designed for Verizon and Sprint — will likely work on AT&T and T-Mobile, as long as the SIM card is unlocked.

Thankfully, the days of poor interoperability between carriers are behind us, but there are some lingering issues. Even though all the major U.S. carriers have adopted what amounts to the same LTE standard as their high-speed mobile internet offering, they all use different wireless spectrum — also known as wireless bands, or frequencies — to deliver calls, text and, most importantly, data, over the air.

Unlocking the phone

Even if your phone is technically compatible with a particular network, the SIM slot still needs to be unlocked to be able to work on carriers both in the U.S. and abroad.

In the U.S., unlocking services are free as long as your account is in good standing and your phone hasn't been reported lost, stolen or involved in illegal activity. All the Big Four carriers are obligated to unlock your phone, though the process differs between them. All recent Verizon phones are unlocked out of the box.

• Unlock an AT&T phone
• Unlock a Verizon phone
• Unlock a Sprint phone
• Unlock a T-Mobile phone

The carriers

Let's discuss the individual carriers, and why your phone — perhaps one you bought through your old carrier, or purchased unlocked from, say, Amazon — may or may not work on the networks.

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Alternative carriers powered by Verizon

There aren't that many Verizon-powered alternative carriers, or MVNOs, in the U.S., so we'll start with the easy one. Companies such as Total Wireless or Straight Talk, which are powered by Verizon's network, make it pretty easy to bring your own phone. They ask that you make sure your phone supports CDMA service, and offer network checkers to help you verify that your phone will indeed work on their network.

To work on a Verizon-based alternative carrier, your phone needs to support the following frequencies:

• 3G: 800Mhz (BC0), 1900Mhz (BC1) ¹
• LTE: 700Mhz (Band 13), 1700/2100Mhz (Band 4), 1900Mhz (Band 2)

¹ Phone must support bands on CDMA.

Many popular phones today, from the Samsung Galaxy S7 to the Google Pixel and cheaper devices like the OnePlus 3T and Moto G5 Plus, support Verizon's 3G and LTE networks. As long as you do your homework beforehand, you should be able to bring your phone over to any alternative carrier that runs on Verizon's network.

Here are the most popular alternative carriers that run on the Verizon network:

• Total Wireless
• Straight Talk

Alternative carriers powered by Sprint

Sprint is, like Verizon, a combination of CDMA-based 3G and modern LTE — though it uses different wireless frequencies. The upside is the same, though: Your phone will need to support CDMA service on 3G in order to make calls and texts, and likely to register on the network entirely. Even if your phone supports Sprint's LTE bands, it won't be able to connect to Sprint's core network.

There are many alternative or prepaid carriers in the U.S. that rely on Sprint's network, including Ting, Straight Talk, and Boost Mobile. Most of these alternative carriers have online services to allow you to check whether your unlocked phone is compatible with its host network, though some — like Sprint-owned Boost Mobile — have explicit restrictions. For example, Boost Mobile customers cannot bring a Sprint-branded or Virgin-branded phone over to its network.

To use a phone on an alternative carrier that connects to the Sprint network, your phone needs to support the following frequencies:

• 3G: 800Mhz (BC10), 1900Mhz (BC1) ¹
• LTE: 850Mhz (Band 26), 1900Mhz (Band 25), 2500Mhz (Band 41)

¹ Phone must support bands on CDMA.

These are the most popular alternative carriers that run on the Sprint network:

• Boost Mobile
• Virgin Mobile
• Republic Wireless
• FreedomPop
• Net10
• [Straight Talk](/e?link=https%3A%2F%2Fmint-mobile.pxf.io%2Fc%2F159229%2F444520%2F7915%3FsubId1%3DUUwpUdUnU47162%26subId2%3Ddwp%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.mintmobile.com%252F%26ourl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.mintsim.com%252F%253Fcid%253Daff--mobilenations--dwp--UUwpUdUnU47162--content%2526utm_source%253Ddwp%2526utm_medium%253Daffiliate%2526utm_campaign%253Dmn_mintsim%2526utm_content%253DUUwpUdUnU47162%2526tid%253Dmobilenations%2526subid%253DUUwpUdUnU47162&token=jzdzB0kX" rel="nofollow">

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Alternative carriers powered by T-Mobile

Like Sprint, there are many prepaid and alternative carriers that rely on T-Mobile's network, including Mint Mobile and MetroPCS.

The good news for those bringing their own phones to one of these networks is that there's a good chance, if it was bought in the past couple of years, that it will just work. All that you need is a SIM card and service from the new provider and you should be good to go.

That's because T-Mobile uses a combination of 3G and 4G LTE technologies that have been widely adopted throughout the world, and most phones today, from the Google Pixel to the Galaxy S7 and OnePlus 3T and many others, will just work on an MVNO that runs on the T-Mobile network.

To make sure it will work, though, you have to verify your phone supports the following bands:

• 3G: 1700/2100Mhz (Band 4), 1900Mhz (Band 2)
• LTE: 700Mhz (Band 12), 1700/2100Mhz (Band 66), 1900Mhz (Band 2)

These are the most popular alternative carriers that run on the T-Mobile network:

• Mint Mobile
• Consumer Cellular
• MetroPCS
• Project Fi
• Ultra Mobile

Alternative carriers powered by AT&T

Like Verizon, AT&T doesn't power many smaller prepaid or alternative carriers, but it does own one: Cricket Wireless. And like T-Mobile, bringing a phone to an AT&T-powered MVNO is usually no big deal; most phones sold in the past couple of years work with AT&T. Indeed, AT&T's adoption of the worldwide HSPA+ standard for 3G, plus its standard LTE capabilities, means that even phones purchased overseas should work with Ma Bell.

After you've verified that a phone is SIM-unlocked, you need to make sure that your phone has the following bands to work with an AT&T-powered alternative carrier:

• 3G: 850Mhz (Band 5), 1900Mhz (Band 2)
• LTE: 700Mhz (Band 12), 1700/2100Mhz (Band 4), 1900Mhz (Band 2)

These are the most popular alternative carriers that run on the AT&T network:

• AT&T GoPhone
• Cricket Wireless
• Net10
• Consumer Cellular
• H2o Wireless
• Straight Talk
• FreedomPop

Alternative carriers with multiple networks

The final piece of the puzzle is a bit complicated, but let's talk it out. Some of the above providers, such as Project Fi, rely on more than one host network to function properly. Others, like Consumer Cellular, connect to either AT&T or T-Mobile. This usually means that the SIM card inside your phone will choose between T-Mobile and Sprint depending on your location and signal strength. You don't have to make any decisions, but your choice of phone could impact the quality of service.

As long as everything is working properly — your phone supports both networks, and you are in an area that has good coverage on at least one of them — then you don't need to think about it at all. But it's a good thing to know, since these kinds of carriers can be to your advantage if you happen to be in an area where both the host networks are strong.

Questions?

Some of this stuff is stupidly complicated, and we'd love to help. If you're having issues figuring out whether your phone will work on a particular prepaid or alternative carrier, let us know in the comments below.

We often tease Sprint for its desperate attempts at getting customers on other networks to switch over, but this latest deal is a doozy and well worth investigating.

Until June 30, customers on T-Mobile, AT&T, or (especially) Verizon get up to five lines of free unlimited service by switching over to Sprint. There are a few caveats, which we'll get to in a moment, but as long as you're a new Sprint customer, the deal is very enticing. The service is not some limited version of Sprint's regular unlimited plan, either: up to five lines get Sprint's full unlimited package, which includes calls, texts and up to 23GB of high-speed 4G LTE (and unlimited data at slower speeds after that) just by switching over.

Sprint claims customers who bring five lines over can save over $2,000 in the first year if they switch from Verizon.

Now, the caveats:

• The offer is open to new customers only.
• After the first year, which technically ends July 31, 2018, service will cost $60 for the first line, $40 for the second, and $30 for each subsequent one.
• The offer is only open to customers who bring their own unlocked and eligible phones. (This includes devices like the Google Pixel, Nexus 6P, Moto G5 Plus, iPhone 7, and Galaxy S8. Check out the full list.)
• You have to buy SIM cards through Sprint for $2.99 each and activate them on the company's online portal.

Along with the unlimited calls, texts and data, users get 10GB of hotspot data per line and HD video streaming at 1080p.

So while there are a few hoops to jump through, it's definitely worth pursuing for that insane level of savings. If Sprint has even decent LTE service in your area, you can't beat this kind of deal.

See at Sprint

Sprint has announced that customers can now sign up for Amazon Prime service through Sprint. This will allow customers to pay for the service on their Sprint bill for $10.99 per month.

From Sprint:

Customers wishing to add Prime to their Sprint bill can head over to Sprint's Prime site, call 1-(800)-SPRINT1, or head to a Sprint store to sign up. You'll get an activation link in a text message, which you'll need to click to finish the process.

Sprint is also the official wireless retailer of Amazon Prime Day, a sales event during which Amazon will offer Prime members deals on a wide variety of products. Prime Day will take place on July 12.

Following the devastating terror attacks at Istanbul's Atatürk airport, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have announced that their customers can call and text friends and family in Turkey for free.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere condemned the attack, saying that the carrier will offer free calls and texts to Turkey through July 5:

Sprint CEO mentioned that all calls and texts to Turkey from Sprint, Virgin Mobile USA, and Boost Mobile customers will be waived off until July 5:

From AT&T:

Verizon is offering free calls and texts to Turkey until June 29:

Sprint has rolled out LTE Plus in New York City. The newly added location joins 190 other markets across the U.S. who already enjoy the network's improved LTE speeds. The company has revealed that speed and capacity of more than 900 cell sites across the New York metropolitan area have been doubled.

As well as expanding its network, Sprint notes the company has invested in fine-tuning its network across New York and New Jersey. In addition to network infrastructure improvements, Sprint also included a reminder of the company's current running promotion which could save you up to 50% off the price of most plans available elsewhere, plus there's $650 on the line to cover switching fees. More details can be found below.

Press Release

NEW YORK (BUSINESS WIRE), April 15, 2016 - Sprint (NYSE:S) customers across the New York Metropolitan Area are now experiencing faster, stronger, more reliable service with the availability of Sprint's LTE Plus Network. LTE Plus, now available in New York City and 190 other markets across the country, takes advantage of Sprint's rich triband spectrum portfolio and uses some of the world's most advanced technologies in wireless.

Since the beginning of the year, Sprint doubled the speed and capacity of more than 900 2.5GHz cell sites across the New York Metropolitan Area with the deployment of two-channel carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation, a feature of LTE Plus, creates a wider lane that allows more network traffic to travel at higher rates, enabling Sprint to provide customers with even faster data speeds.

With Sprint LTE Plus, New Yorkers and customers throughout the five boroughs will experience faster speeds than before while surfing the Web at Chelsea Piers, sending panoramic city views from the One World Trade Center observation deck, or live streaming video from a concert at the Barclays Center. In fact, according to Sprint's analysis of Nielsen Mobile Performance data, Sprint now delivers the fastest LTE download speeds in New York.

"There's no better proving ground for our network than New York," said Günther Ottendorfer, Sprint Chief Operating Officer, Technology. "In the past few months we made tremendous improvements across the entire metropolitan area, and we're committed to providing The City That Never Sleeps with an exceptional wireless experience."

Within the past six months, Sprint has added or upgraded service at several popular locations such as Rockefeller Center, the 9/11 Memorial, Jacob Javits Center, JFK International Airport, and The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Sprint continues to lead with more stations on air to-date than any other carrier. Sprint is contracted to complete all seven phases of 279 underground stations in the New York City subway project. Sprint will be deploying 4G LTE to all underground stations and service will be ready for customers in 2017.

In addition to improving service in key venues, Sprint has relentlessly focused on expanding and fine-tuning the network across New York and New Jersey. Network performance has continued to improve with the addition of new cell sites, increased coverage and capacity, and systematic optimization of each cell site to maximize LTE Plus performance. Key LTE Plus benefits include:

• Faster service with double the network capacity and speed, and peak speeds in excess of 100Mbps on capable devices
• Stronger service with smart antenna technology that extends the cell signal further at 2.5GHz
• More reliable service utilizing three bands of spectrum – 1.9GHz for broad coverage, 800MHz for better indoor service, and 2.5GHz for even faster data speeds

"Our 2.5GHz spectrum excels at moving high volumes of data at very fast speeds. And our deep 2.5GHz holdings give us more capacity than any other carrier in the U.S.," said Dr. John Saw, Sprint CTO. "This is a tremendous advantage, allowing us to keep adding the capacity and speed needed to serve New Yorker's demand for data now and well into the future."

New York, Switch to Sprint and Save 50%

In addition to offering the super-fast LTE Plus Network in New York, consumers switching to Sprint can take advantage of the biggest wireless offer in U.S. history – 50 percent off the price of most Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile rate plans. Customers who switch get 50 percent off most current rate plan prices from their current carrier. And, Sprint will pay switching fees up to $650 per line. Sprint also offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee – the industry's best consumer satisfaction guarantee. If customers aren't completely satisfied within 30 days, Sprint will refund the cost of the device and service charges.

Sprint and Dixon's Carphone Warehouse have announced a new partnership, pairing the US carrier with the European retailer. It's expected this deal will accelerate Sprint's retail transformation, an effort to increase the number of retail stores dedicated to pushing out hardware and wireless plans.

The two parties will launch 20 new stores in the US, which will be operated by Carphone Warehouse in a similar fashion to third-party retailers who already run Sprint-branded stores across the country. The carrier will own and staff the pilot stores, but Carphone Warehouse will effectively manage them.

If the initial pilot of 20 stores are successful, the two companies will launch a number of new retail locations, offering an enhanced consumer experience working off the expertise Dixons has from its established European markets.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), July 02, 2015 - Sprint (NYSE:S) and Dixons Carphone today announced a commercial relationship that pairs Sprint with a premier European consumer electronics retailer renowned for innovation in wireless retail sales. The relationship is expected to accelerate Sprint's retail transformation, and is the latest inventive move to grow its number of retail stores.

As part of the arrangement, in coming months Sprint will work closely with Dixons Carphone Connected World Services (CWS) division on a pilot program to build and operate about 20 new Sprint stores in select U.S. markets. These Sprint stores will operate similarly to the third-party retailers who operate Sprint-branded wireless stores across the U.S. Sprint will own and staff the stores while CWS will manage them. CWS will also apply its expertise and best practices across all of Sprint's sales channels.

Dixons Carphone is Europe's leading specialist electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company and is recognized as a global retail innovator with world-class retail expertise. In a former joint venture with Best Buy, the company helped launch Best Buy Mobile.

This agreement is the latest in Sprint's strategy to expand its distribution and provide shoppers with a better customer experience. Earlier this year, Sprint quickly and cost-effectively doubled the number of corporate-owned stores by opening Sprint at RadioShack in 1,435 locations, which are currently undergoing renovation. Sprint has also launched Direct 2 You, a one-of-a-kind service that brings a personalized sales experience directly to customers whenever and wherever they want – for free.

"Sprint is going to offer customers a greatly enhanced experience in buying wireless products and services," said Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. "We are partnering with the world's leading wireless retailer to improve the customer experience in our stores. Dixons Carphone has the expertise and capabilities to accelerate this important part of our transformation journey."

"We are delighted to be working with Sprint and to be a part of a transformation in their business that is already making impressive headway," said Andrew Harrison, Dixons Carphone Deputy Group Chief Executive and CEO of CWS. "This is a very exciting venture for us, and is a significant step in growing our CWS business in the US. We bring specialist knowledge and skills to this relationship and will be looking to deliver innovation and outstanding customer service under the Sprint brand."

If the pilot stores prove to be successful Sprint and Dixons Carphone will establish a joint venture to open and operate a substantial number of new Sprint-branded stores across the U.S. The two companies will equally fund the start-up costs of the joint venture and each will initially have 50 percent ownership interest.

Verizon Wireless and Sprint will pay a combined total of $158 million to settle billing complain charges filed by the Federal Communications Commission. Under the terms of the settlement, Verizon will pay $90 million, while Sprint will have to spend $68 million, for a total of $158 million. At least $120 million of the total amount will go to reimbursing consumers hit with the charges.

The FCC said that both companies billed their customers for "unauthorized third-party premium text messaging services", which has become known under the term "cramming." The government agency previously settled a similar case with T-Mobile in 2014, for the price of $90 million. AT&T also agreed to pay $105 million to the FCC to settle its own "cramming" charges in 2014.

Source: FCC

Sprint says that users within range of a Boingo hotspot will now be able to automatically connect to the Wi-Fi network at no additional charge. From Sprint:

As mentioned above, Boingo operates Wi-Fi hotspots in 35 major airports across the U.S., so if you're a Sprint customer, chances are you'll be able to take advantage of this service at some point during your next trip.

Source: Sprint

Sprint customers who own the HTC 8XT should be seeing a small firmware update for the Windows Phone device rolling out. The update is designed to fix a minor bug in the smartphone.

Specifically, the update brings the version number to 3.10.651.09 and the change notes state that it offers a fix for a "MMS over LTE issue". There's no word on how large the download is but we would expect it to be pretty small. Sprint previously released an update for the HTC 8XT in December that upgraded the OS from Windows Phone 8 to Windows Phone 8.1.

Source: Sprint; Thanks to John for the tip!

T-Mobile CEO John Legere stated today that the wireless carrier has overtaken Sprint, in terms of the number of its customers, to become the third biggest wireless carrier in the US. Legere made those claims as part of T-Mobile's quarterly conference call to analysts following the release of its latest financial results.

Legere claims Sprint's customer base has stayed the same for the past two years with 55 million customers, while T-Mobile has experienced a massive amount of customer growth. During the conference call he stated:

He also claimed that Sprint has used some inactive MVNO customers when reporting on its customer base. In other words, T-Mobile is ahead of Sprint, but just barely. However, Legere said that T-Mobile's lead over Sprint would become clearer "by the next quarter or two."

This morning, T-Mobile reported a profit of $101 million for the fourth quarter of 2014, compared to a loss of $20 million for the same period a year ago. Revenue came in at $8.15 billion for the quarter, up nearly 20% from a year ago. The carrier added 2.1 million new customers in the quarter and said it added 8.3 million new customers for the entire year.

Source: T-Mobile (YouTube); Via: The Verge

The top five carriers in the United States will on Feb. 11 implement new unlocking procedures for smartphones, tablets, and other cellular devices sold on their networks. The new unlocking standards were set forth by the CTIA in late 2013 and, though a voluntary commitment by the carriers, define the conditions under which carriers must unlock your devices — and it's all looking good for the consumer. Once you've paid off your phone, you'll probably be able to get it unlocked, and it'll be even easier with future smartphones.

Here are the broad strokes of what you need to know:

• AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon will all adopt these standards starting February 11, 2015.
• Post-paid devices will qualify for unlocking as soon as the device is paid off or the service contract ends (depending on your specific plan, naturally).
• Prepaid devices will qualify for unlocking no later than one year after activation.
• Military personnel can have their phones unlocked upon presentation of deployment orders, regardless of payment status.
• Unlocking for current customers will be performed at no cost, and at "a reasonable cost" for non-customers and former customers.

There are, naturally, some restrictions on all of this. Owners of both postpaid and prepaid devices will need to ensure that their devices have been fully paid off and that their account is in good standing with the carrier. Devices must also not have been flagged as stolen, lost, or associated with fraudulent activity. Additionally, there are two different kinds of devices that we're looking at here, Master Subsidy Lock (MSL) and Domestic SIM Unlock-capable (DSU), and that will affect how the unlocking process happens:

• MSL devices have been manufactured and/or launched prior to February 2015. They will require an MSL code from the carrier to override the restrictions keeping that device locked to the carrier's network.
• DSU devices will launch starting in February 2015 and will be capable of receiving an over-the-air unlock command from the carrier. Very few (apparently only one) devices have been manufacturer before now with DSU capability.

Either way, MSL or DSU devices that are unlocked will have their SIM card slots unshackled and free to take a SIM card from whatever carrier you so choose. Of course, the device still needs to actually support the frequencies used by your carrier of choice, though thankfully most modern flagship smartphones and tablets support a wide range of frequencies for easy interoperability. Older phones and mid-to-low-tier devices won't necessarily have support for your carrier of choice, but it won't hurt to unlock if you're eligible.

We don't have exact details on how all of these carriers will implement these new standards, but we can tell you a bit about what Sprint has planned. Sprint will include a message on the appropriate month's bill for MSL devices when they're eligible for unlocking. DSU-capable devices on Sprint will be automatically unlocked over-the-air once they've become eligible.

There's a brave new world on the horizon for unlocked devices in the United States. Soon it will be easier and clearer than ever to get your smartphone, your tablet, your hotspot, or even your laptop unlocked from the carrier. And that's a very good thing indeed.

Thanks to anonymous for all the details

Following its preliminary publication, Sprint has today shared its final report for Q3 2014. The US carrier managed to bag just short of one million new connections, boasting "significant progress on building a consistent and reliable network". It's not all good news, however. As the recent Super Bowl ad teaser revealed, the company hopes you're watching.

First, the good stuff. The report shows the total new connections up 42 percent year-on-year, adding 30,000 postpaid, 410,000 prepaid and 527,000 wholesale (via Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile brands) customers in the quarter alone. The postpaid gross additions is the highest in three years and 4G LTE coverage has reached over 270 million customers. Now for the bad.

The new additions came at a cost. Sprint reported an operating loss of $2.5 billion (including non-cash charges of $2.1 billion; EBITDA of $1.04 billion), compared to an operating loss of $576 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenue also took a serious blow, falling 1.8 percent to $8.97 billion. Also, while the company sure added new connections, there were also account holders who opted to emigrate. All 205,000 of them.

While its aggressive marketing clearly appears to be attracting new customers, the company's earnings are starting to feel the marketing strain. Check out the full report on Sprint's website if you're interested to read through results in full.

Source: Sprint

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced that the city has reached a deal with Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile to bring 4G LTE from all four carriers to the Chicago Transit Authority's subway system. The network, which will replace the decade-old system currently in Chicago's subways, will provide continuous coverage for 22 miles.

Mayor Emanuel expressed his hope that this upgrade will help make Chicago a more competitive city in the official announcement:

The network upgrade began in early January, and is expected to be complete by the end of 2015.

Source: City of Chicago

Sprint's taking the fight straight to T-Mobile and is offering customers of the Un-carrier a guaranteed minimum trade-in credit of $200 for their current working T-Mobile smartphone. That's in addition to the current contract buy-out offer (though T-Mobile ditched traditional contracts nearly two years ago) or up to $350 in credit to pay for their new Sprint phone.

The offer's good through April 9, and as with the $350 switcher credit, can be combined per line. Though it's worth noting that any high-end smartphone in good condition, even one from the last two years, will likely fetch more than $200 in trade-in. Though if you've got a bargain basement smartphone on your T-Mobile line and have been thinking about a switch to Sprint (check Sprint's coverage map to see if they're good for you), this might be a deal worth considering. Considering their last quarter, Sprint would certainly like you to think about it.

Source: Sprint

There's been a flurry of carrier-themed guides for best phones crossing the front page of Android Central lately. We wanted to round them all up for you here and give a bit of insight to our thinking when putting them together. Windows Phone makes an appearance on a few lists, and there's a good chance of more finding their way onto these round-ups over time.

Each one of our guides runs through the best phones on any given carrier, and stacks up all of the relevant information for each. Rather than a straight spec comparison, these tables condense opinions from our in-depth reviews and those of others around the web. Handy links are available to dive into the specs and buy each phone from their respective online store.

All of these are intended to be living articles. No, that does not mean we're constructing pixelly word golems to maraud cyberspace. (We wish.) It means they'll be updated to keep up with the times, and ensure that anybody looking for help will get the best information possible. The goal here is to provide a highly glanceable, highly relevant guide no matter your purchasing situation.

• Best Verizon phones
• Best Sprint phones
• Best AT&T phones
• Best T-Mobile phones
• Best prepaid Verizon phones
• Best prepaid AT&T phones

We're all ears when it comes to corrections, additions, and new article ideas. You can hit us up on Windows Central's various social channels, or you can ping me directly on Twitter. Derek Kessler has been putting together the awesome design on these, so give the guy a high five (or nag him if anything looks borked).

What do you guys think so far? Anything you'd change? There's a lot more of this kind of stuff on the way, and we want to make sure to get it right.

Sprint has today announced the US carrier has rekindled its partnership with Microsoft and Windows Phone. The company will be offering the Lumia 635 across multiple brands, including Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. The device, running Windows Phone 8.1, will be available through those two brands from December 23, with Sprint postpaid customers having to wait until January 16.

According to Sprint's announcement published today, the company will offer the Lumia 635 in cyan at Boost Mobile and white on Virgin Mobile, both for $99.99. Sprint hasn't yet shared what the pricing will be for its own subscribers for the January launch.

Check the official announcement (main snippet published below) for more details on available plans and comparisons.

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sprint and Microsoft will proudly showcase a renewed partnership with the announcement of Lumia 635 arriving across multiple Sprint brands beginning with Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile on Dec. 23. It will be available on Jan. 16 to Sprint postpaid customers. This is the first Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone to launch on Sprint's network and the first Lumia Windows Phone available to Sprint's prepaid customers.

Both Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA offer budget-conscious, no-contract wireless plans, including unlimited talk, text and data options. Lumia 635 will be available in cyan at www.boostmobile.com/lumia635 and in white at www.virginmobileusa.com for $99.99 (excludes taxes). Starting Jan. 9, Lumia 635 will also be available at Boost Mobile's exclusive retail stores, select independent wireless dealers nationwide and later in the month at select national retail locations. Sprint pricing will be shared at a later date.

Lumia 635 is a powerful device for the smart shopper looking for something new. Cortana, your personal digital assistant, helps manage daily tasks and can set reminders based on time, location and people – so you know if traffic is backed up before your appointment across town. The nimble Windows Phone 8.1 operating system combined with a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 1.2GHz quad-core processor and enhanced LTE access (where available) make for fast browsing and multitasking capabilities on the Sprint 4G LTE network, currently serving 540 cities.

The Windows Phone home screen provides a smooth overview of your life, keeping all emails, upcoming appointments, websites and contacts front and center. Windows Phone 8.1 offers a revamped notification system, people can set up custom shortcuts within the Action Center for everything from Bluetooth to music to the camera, and certain alerts can easily be previewed without opening the app in question. Familiar Microsoft services are also available, including Office, Skype and OneDrive.

"We are excited to welcome Lumia 635 as our first Windows Phone on our two no-contract brands – Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA – providing customers the ultimate in financial flexibility and choice," said David Owens, senior vice president, Product Development. "This device is the showpiece for our reinvigorated relationship with Microsoft, and we know our customers will appreciate all they can do with the powerful Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. Our Sprint postpaid customers will experience this device right after the new year."

"We are pleased to partner with Sprint and offer even more U.S. customers the opportunity to choose Lumia smartphones," said Matt Rothschild, head of North America sales for Microsoft Mobile Devices. "The Sprint, Boost and Virgin brands have great synergy with the value represented by the Lumia 635 – a great, affordable smartphone that delivers uncompromised experiences to help people do more."

Owners of the Sprint HTC 8XT should be on the lookout for a new, and long awaited, over-the-air update to the smartphone. Windows Central has received tips that claim the long awaited Windows Phone 8.1 update for the device began to roll out today.

The update to the smartphone comes just a week after Sprint started rolling out the same software for the Samsung ATIV S Neo smartphone. The wireless carrier is no longer selling either device on its website, but a company spokesperson told us that Sprint does expect to sell new Windows Phone devices in the near future.

Thanks to Steven and Rey for the tips!

Earlier today, we reported that Sprint had stopped selling its two Windows Phone devices, the HTC 8XT and Samsung ATIV S Neo, on its website. We emailed the carrier for comment and just got a response back from its PR representative, and the good news is that Sprint still seems to be interested in selling future Windows Phone devices.

Here's the full statement we received from Sprint:

Hopefully, Sprint will offer more support for the Windows Phone platform than they have in the past in the coming months.

The team at Sprint may no longer be selling Windows Phones, but the carrier is still supporting the older phones with new over-the-air updates. This week, Sprint started rolling out the Windows Phone 8.1 update to its version of the Samsung ATIV S Neo.

The support page on Sprint's site states that the update will bring the phone's firmware number to 2216.14.11.2. Other than the Windows Phone 8.1 update, there's nothing else noted in the change log. AT&T's version of the Samsung ATIV S Neo got the same update a few weeks ago. It may take a few days for all of Sprint's devices to get the new update.

Owners of Sprint's HTC 8XT have been waiting patiently for the same Windows Phone 8.1 update to come to that phone — we contacted HTC today on this subject and they told us, "It's currently in the certified stage with Sprint and you can expect it in the near future."

Source: Sprint

Sprint, the third largest wireless carrier in the US, is no longer selling any Windows Phone devices on its website. So far, the company has not yet commented on this decision.

A quick check of the Sprint website shows that not only does it not show any Windows Phone units on sale but that the selection of smartphone operating systems on its menu is only showing iOS, Android and BlackBerry models. We have contacted Sprint's PR reps to see if they have any comments on this move but so far they have not responded to our inquiries. If and when they do, we will update this post.

While Sprint itself may not be selling any Windows Phone models, other retail outlets are offering phones from the carrier, at least for now. The Microsoft Store website is still selling the Sprint models of the Samsung ATIV S Neo and the HTC 8XT. Amazon is also selling the ATIV S Neo.

However, this action by Sprint is also not unexpected. The carrier has never been the biggest supporter of Windows Phones, at least compared to its competition at AT&T and T-Mobile. Even Verizon Wireless has shown more support for Microsoft's OS this year than Sprint has.

Source: Sprint Thanks to dorelse for the tip!

A new report claims that Sprint is among the many companies that might be thinking about acquiring FreedomPop, the wireless carrier that offers a number of voice minutes and data for free each month to US customers.

USA Today, citing unnamed sources, also claims that some of the other companies that might be in the running to purchase FreedomPop include an unnamed but "large U.S. technology company" as well as another wireless carrier that's smaller than Sprint. Both Sprint and FreedomPop's official spokespersons would not comment on the rumors.

Sprint ended its acquisition talks with rival T-Mobile in August, and fired its old CEO Dan Heese around the same time. Its current leader, Marcelo Claure has been trying to gain more subscribers with price cuts on its plans. An acquisition deal with FreedomPop, which launched in 2011, could help boost Sprint's revenues but that increase could be small since FreedomPop is tiny and Sprint's numbers are small compared to its two biggest rivals, Verizon and AT&T.

Would a Sprint-FreedomPop deal make you more interested in using Sprint?

Source: USA Today

Sprint will reduce the data access charge for its $80 and $90 Sprint Family Share plans to $15 a month beginning on Friday, November 14 in their latest attempt to undercut the pricing plans of its competitors.

Sprint claims that the data access reduction means that it offers more data for its customers than comparable plans at AT&T and Verizon for the same price or lower. It says that Verizon's $80 a month limited time promotion on its More Everything plan has a $15 data charge while AT&T's $70 Share Value Plan has a date charge of $25 per month.

However, this price cut does have a limit. Sprint will end this promotional pricing on January 15, 2015. Will you take advantage of this offer while it lasts?

Source: Sprint

Sprint has reported its second quarter 2014 financial results today. Overall the carrier is reporting an operating loss of $192 million on operating revenue of $8.5 billion. On the subscriber front, Sprint said it has added a net total of 590,000 customers. Most of these additions were through its wholesale business, however, as the company experienced a net loss of 272,000 postpaid customers while picking up a total of 35,000 prepaid customers.

These numbers are a bit bleak for Sprint, but it's not all bad news, as the company is reporting that its postpaid phone gross additions grew 37 percent month-over-month in September, and increased year-over-year for the first time this year. Sprint also says that it has increased its 4G LTE coverage to 260 million people nationwide.

In addition, Sprint has outlined what it is calling a 'transformation plan' in order to turn its business around based on a variety of factors such as network upgrades, cost reductions, and the launch of compelling price plans for customers.

You can find the detailed press release below:

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), November 03, 2014 - Sprint Corporation (NYSE: S) today reported operating results for the second fiscal quarter of 2014, including consolidated net operating revenues of $8.5 billion, an operating loss of $192 million, and Adjusted EBITDA* of nearly $1.4 billion. These results occurred during a transitional quarter for the company, as Marcelo Claure was appointed the new president and chief executive officer in mid-August.

"We have started a transformational journey," said Claure. "While the company continues to face headwinds, we have begun the first phase of our plan and are encouraged with the early results. Every day we are focused on improving our standing with consumers, improving our network and controlling our costs."

Taking Actions to Improve the Business

Entering the quarter, the company faced challenges related to competitive positioning and adverse impacts to the customer experience resulting from its comprehensive network upgrade efforts over the last several quarters. As a result, the company has incurred losses of postpaid phone customers that are pressuring revenue trends. To address these challenges and begin to improve the performance trajectory, the company has initiated its transformation plan with a focus on four key areas.

• Competitive Value Proposition ++ During the quarter, the Sprint brand was repositioned with the launch of compelling new price plans and promotions designed to deliver the Best Value in Wireless. Sprint Unlimited Plans offer the best value for individuals and couples at $50–$60/month per line. ++ Sprint Family Share Pack offers the best value for families and doubles the data of national competitors. ++ Sprint Business Share Plans offer lower rates and more data than national competitors' smartphone plans. I++ ndustry-first iPhone for Life leasing plan offers the lowest total cost of iPhone ownership for consumers starting at only $20/month.
• Network ++ The company is focused on delivering a consistent, reliable network experience with competitive voice performance, data capacity to meet growing customer demand and improved coverage. ++ Deployment of Sprint's multi-band 4G LTE service offering continues, with emphasis on completing the build out of the 800 MHz spectrum and expanding the 2.5 GHz spectrum coverage.
• Cost Optimization ++ Sprint is undertaking a comprehensive review of all expenses to optimize its cost structure and is targeting $1.5 billion of annualized cost reductions compared to 2014 spending levels. ++ As part of the cost reduction efforts, the company is announcing additional headcount reductions of approximately 2,000 positions. Inclusive of recent work force actions, total labor cost is expected to decline $400 million on an annualized basis which will include internal and external labor costs.
• People ++ The company has launched a management review and will seek to grow its leadership talent with a combination of internal candidates, new outside talent and SoftBank resources.

Early Market Results.

Early reaction to Sprint's new positioning and offers is encouraging.

• Postpaid phone gross additions grew 37 percent month-over-month in September and increased year-over-year for the first time in 2014.
• Sprint platform postpaid phone net losses slowed by nearly 60 percent in September.
• Sprint achieved its most successful iPhone launch in company history with record sales volumes. "While we are pleased to see customers respond to our new value proposition, we must continue to take bold actions to reach our goal of returning to growth in postpaid phone customers," added Claure. "By improving our competitive position and driving costs out of the business, we plan to deliver long-term value creation."

Network Deployment Continues and Performance Improves

• 4G LTE coverage expanded to 260 million people.
• 2.5 GHz LTE deployment now covers 92 million people and remains on track to hit 100 million by the end of the year.
• Sprint's network recently received 94 first-place or shared first-place RootScore® Awards for reliability, call and/or text performance in cities across the country, according to recent reports by RootMetrics®.

"In RootMetrics recent studies of many top population metro areas we've seen improvements in Sprint's data network reliability and speeds from a year ago," says Bill Moore, CEO of RootMetrics, an independent mobile analytics company. "This is good news for Sprint's customers in these areas, who are benefiting from investments that Sprint has made in these markets."

Quarterly Financial Results

• Operating loss was $192 million compared to an operating loss of $398 million in the year-ago quarter primarily driven by lower depreciation and amortization as the year-ago period included accelerated depreciation related to CDMA assets.
• Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA* of nearly $1.4 billion grew 3 percent over the prior year period, driven by double-digit growth within the Wireless segment. Wireless Adjusted EBITDA* of $1.37 billion increased 14 percent from the prior year period, as cost reductions across the business offset lower service revenues driven primarily by continued postpaid phone customer losses. Lower cost of service expenses related to the completion of the 3G and voice network replacement, lower net subsidy costs from the introduction of installment billing plans, and lower customer care and selling costs all contributed to the year-over-year growth.
• Sprint platform net additions were 590,000, mostly driven by strong wholesale net additions.
• Postpaid tablet net additions were 261,000 in the quarter, while phone losses were 500,000 and other device losses were 33,000.
• Sprint had 55 million connections at the end of the quarter.

Updated Outlook

• Given the success of the new offers, the company expects increased selling costs associated with significantly higher gross additions and upgrade volumes in the fiscal third quarter of 2014. In addition, the significant loss of postpaid phone customers over the last few quarters has pressured wireless service revenue, and this trend is expected to continue into the next quarter. Therefore, Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA* is expected to be $5.8 billion to $5.9 billion for calendar year 2014.
• The company still expects to meet its 800 MHz and 2.5 GHz deployment targets for the year, and now expects capital expenditures to be under $6 billion for calendar year 2014.

Source: Sprint

Sprint has announced that, starting today, they are offering "double the data" on high-end data plans compared to AT&T and Verizon. Sprint's 32GB, 40GB, and 60GB Family Share Pack plans will now offer 60GB, 80GB, and 100GB at no extra cost. Customers must sign up by October 31 in order to take advantage of the offer. Existing customers can take advantage of the promotion by visiting a Sprint retail store or call Sprint customer support.

Businesses can also take advantage of this deal beginning this Friday, October 3. Business Share plans with 40GB, 60GB, 80GB, and 100GB can also get double the data, with 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, and 200GB options, for no extra charge. As with Family Share plans, businesses must sign up for the offer by October 31.

Sprint is also trying to sweeten the deal for data-hungry switchers, both consumers and businesses. If you move your number from another carrier to Sprint, the company will waive the monthly access charge for phones, tablets, and mobile hotspots through 2015 if you choose a data plan with 20GB of data or more. Any device must be purchased using Sprint Easy Pay or the Sprint iPhone for Life plan.

Will you be taking advantage of Sprint's new offer? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Sprint

It looks like Sprint may be get its first Lumia smartphone on its 4G LTE network as FCC documents reveal that the Lumia 735 supports compatibility for Sprint's Spark network. Listed under the model name Nokia RM-1078 in regulatory filings, the phone sports similar dimensions to the Lumia 730 and Lumia 735 variants, and comes with a removable back battery cover, micro SIM card slot, and microSD card slot along with support for Sprint's LTE bands 25, 26, and 41

The Lumia 730 and 735 debuted in Berlin at the IFA show as a mid-range selfie phone with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The phone sports a 4.7-inch ClearBlack Display 720p HD screen, quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, and 1 GB of RAM to power the Window Phone 8.1 operating system. The Lumia 735 is a single SIM LTE variant of the Lumia 730.

So far neither Microsoft nor Sprint has announced the Lumia 735 for Sprint's network.

Are you on Sprint's network? Are you excited to see a Lumia Windows Phone added to the mix?

Thanks to Dee for the tip.

Source: FCC via PhoneArena

The Sprint Prepaid brand will now have three new monthly plans, all of which offer its customers unlimited talk and text. The cheapest is now priced at $35 a month with 1 GB of data, followed by $45 a month with 3 GB of data and $55 a month for 6 GB of data.

Those new plans, which the company announced in an email press release, are a lot better than what the Sprint Prepaid brand offered when it launched in March. Back then, it had a $45 a month ultimited talk and text plan with no data and a $60 plan for unlimited talk, text and data, but with only 2.5GB of full-speed data that cut down to throttled speeds afterwards.

Sprint says that these three new pricing tiers "include respective 3G/4G high-speed data allotment applicable to monthly plan" and added that "video streaming may be limited to 3G speeds". So while it's not perfect, it's at least a step up from their previous poor plan and data selection. What do you think of this change by Sprint Prepaid?

Either HTC's Twitter account is drunk and spouting off random timeframes, or HTC and Sprint are really in no rush for to update their HTC 8XT, a custom phone that looks like a cross between the HTC 8s and HTC 8x.

Asked about the Windows Phone 8.1 update, and presumably not the capital 'U' version aka 8.1.1, and HTC responded to Aaron B. on Twitter with the succinct "You can expect the Windows 8.1 update to roll out to Sprint's HTC 8X in November." Note not by November, but in November.

This follows on the earlier news about Verizon's HTC 8X not getting the update until "late October", which is barely better.

We suppose HTC's Twitter account could be wrong, even if they sounded confident in the response. Indeed, when asked about T-Mobile's 8X they gave a more familiar "We don't have any info to share on that right now. Stay tuned for future announcements."

One alternative interpretation of this news is the Sprint, and HTC are skipping 8.1 and going for 8.1.1 aka Update 1. A November timeframe for that release makes sense.

Updates are something that require carrier approval and Sprint is never leading the pack on those, nor Windows Phone devices in general. In the past, we have advocated people just drop Sprint as a carrier if they want a better Windows Phone experience. This late 8.1 update, if proven accurate, only solidifies our argument (it also does not make HTC look good).

By comparison, a good percentage of Lumia phones have received Lumia Cyan and 8.1 already. The one holdup appears to be for those on the Preview for Developers, but even they make up technically a small minority of users.

HTC, meanwhile, has had issues taking the 8.1 update, even through the Preview for Developers program, which has been blocked since August. Current devices enrolled do not get the latest 8.1.1 version, as there is a deeper issue that HTC needs to solve for hardware. Microsoft did change a lot in 8.1, for the better, but some of it are broad changes like a standard Bluetooth stack (Bluetooth SMART), aspects of the camera, and other underlying memory functions. Presumably, HTC is having a rough time at getting it to work.

Source: Twitter; Thanks, @Supergamer65, for the tip!

Sprint has announced its new Family Share Pack plans that replaces the company's Framily plans, and the new plans offer more data for less starting on August 22. According to the Now Network carrier, Sprint's plans will offer customers as much as twice the amount of data to comparable plans from rivals.

That means that a family of four will get 20 GB of data, instead of 10 GB from AT&T and Verizon, on the $160 plan.

Additionally, through 2015, Sprint is launching a promotional plan where users get 20 GB of shared data across all their lines, up to 10 lines for a family, for $100. Additionally, as an added bonus, customers will also get an additional 2 GB of data per line for up to ten lines.

Under this plan, a customer with 10 lines will see a total of 40 GB of data that they can share through 2015 with the included 2 GB of added data per line for $100. For the same price, customer who have 4 lines will see 28 GB of data with the 2 GB promotion per line.

Though these plans seem cheap, Sprint Easy Pay users who don't buy subsidized phones will have to add $15 per phone for plans with the data plans of 20 GB or higher and $40 per line for users who opt to get subsidized phones.

So, what this means is that for a family plan of 10, provided you pay full price for all your phones and don't take any device subsidies, you're looking at the base $100, plus $15 for each of the ten lines, bringing your total to $250 per month. For that price, you'll see 40 GB of promotional data through 2015 along with unlimited talk and text. If you take subsidies, you're looking at a bill of $500 per month for ten lines.

Sprint says that this makes the plans a full $60 cheaper than some of its rivals and doubles the data.

If you're enticed and are looking to switch to Sprint, the carrier says that it will pay up to $350 per line in early termination fees from your current carrier.

What do you think of Sprint's new plan under its new CEO?

Source: Sprint

Update: The appointment has now been confirmed, see the full press release at the bottom of this post.

Original story:According to a new report, Sprint looks set to announce a new CEO this week. Marcelo Claure, a board member and founder of Brightstar, is to be named as replacement for current CEO, Dan Hesse, according to re/code. Softbank, which owns a majority shareholding in Sprint, also owns a majority of Brightstar. At this point nothing is official, and Hesse is still in charge until Sprint comes out and says otherwise.

The news comes in a week when Sprint has also reportedly pulled out of talks to merge with rival carrier, T-Mobile. Sprint has thus far not commented on either story, but re/code goes on to say that the new CEO could be announced as soon as tomorrow.

Source: Re/code

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), August 06, 2014 - Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) today announced that its Board of Directors named Marcelo Claure as the company's next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 11. Claure, 43, joined the Sprint Board of Directors in January and is the Founder and CEO of Brightstar Corp., a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp. As President and CEO, Claure's first priority will be to continue the build out of Sprint's network by leveraging its strong spectrum holdings as well as ensuring that Sprint always maintains truly competitive offers in the marketplace.

Since founding Brightstar in 1997, Claure has grown the company from a small Miami-based distributor into a global business, with $10.5 billion in gross revenue for the year ended in 2013. Brightstar has become the world's largest specialized wireless distributor and a leading provider of diversified services to the wireless industry. Claure was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, highlighting exceptional global leaders 40 years of age or younger. Throughout his career, Claure has received several Entrepreneur of the Year and CEO of the year awards.

"Marcelo is a successful entrepreneur who transformed a start-up into a global telecommunications company. He has the management experience, passion and drive to create the strongest network and offer the best products and services in the wireless industry," said Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son. "While we continue to believe industry consolidation will enhance competitiveness and benefit customers, our focus moving forward will be on making Sprint the most successful carrier."

"I've had the unique opportunity to spend the past few months actively engaging with Sprint's Board, management team and front-line employees," said Claure. "I am honored to have the opportunity to now lead the Sprint team as we mobilize to become the wireless carrier of choice in the U.S. In the short-term, we will focus on becoming extremely cost efficient and competing aggressively in the marketplace. While consolidating makes sense in the long-term, for now, we will focus on growing and repositioning Sprint."

Claure will resign his position at Brightstar effective August 11 and SoftBank announced it would acquire Claure's remaining interest in the Company.

Claure succeeds Dan Hesse, who joined Sprint as President and CEO in December 2007 and led the company through a series of acquisitions, including the merger with SoftBank, and a multi-year overhaul of its nationwide network, including the shutdown of the Nextel network. Hesse received Corporate Responsibility Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and was named by Glassdoor in 2014 as being among the highest-rated CEOs by employees, and twice received Wireless Week's Leadership Award. In 2014's American Customer Satisfaction Index, Sprint is the most improved U.S. company in overall customer satisfaction, across all 43 industries, over the last six years.

"I'm proud of the resilience of Sprint's people during a difficult transformation and I'm optimistic about how they will build on a foundation of innovation to succeed in the future," Hesse said. "It's been an honor to have led such dedicated teammates for more than six-and-a-half years. Marcelo has been a great addition to Sprint's Board and his entrepreneurial background, business savvy, industry experience and strong relationship with Masayoshi Son make Marcelo an excellent choice to lead Sprint going forward."

"Dan has guided Sprint through a challenging period and has built a solid foundation for future growth. The Board sincerely appreciates his leadership," said Son.

Claure will be based at Sprint headquarters in Overland Park, KS, and plans to relocate to the Kansas City area.

According to sources at the Wall Street Journal, Sprint is said to be abandoning any plans for a proposed T-Mobile merger or buyout. According to these sources at Sprint, the regulatory challenges are too steep to further the idea, as there were serious doubts within the company about reaching any deal between the two companies that would be approved by regulators.

This makes the talk of Iliad's $15 billion bid for control of T-Mobile much more interesting, though reports today have said that T-Mobile has rejected Iliad's initial $33 per share offer. It's worth noting that Iliad isn't trying to buy T-Mobile outright, but just purchase a controlling interest in the company.

Supposedly, Sprint will give an official announcement on the matter early Wednesday. We're waiting for the official story on this one, but it certainly sounds like dreams of a Sprint and T-Mobile combined force to take on AT&T and Verizon are dead.

Source: WSJ (paid content)

Sprint today released its earnings report for the first fiscal quarter of 2014, detailing a net income of $23 million, the best result in over seven years. The US mobile operator also confirmed that 3G network maintenance was largely complete, while LTE coverage expands to cover approximately 254 million people. Sprint had previously been struggling with new affordable plans to attract custom and forking out for upgrading 4G infrastructure.

It's safe to say Sprint is starting to turn things around. The company's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $1.83 billion grew by 30 percent year-on-year and the adjusted margin of almost 24 percent was the best recorded in six years. The main issue Sprint was experiencing was losing customers, which totalled 383,000 last quarter. This has been reduced to 220,000 and while it's still a sizeable figure, the amount of customers switching is at least dropping.

However, bearing the above in mind, Sprint also reports the network was able to increase postpaid gross additions by 16 percent compared to the same quarter in 2013 and retail smartphone sales almost hit 5 million. The network also added a total of 503,000 wholesale and affiliate customers during this quarter, serving over 53 million subscribers at the end of fiscal Q1 2014. As well as finances, Sprint also touches on the collection of awards obtained in the report.

Forecasting the future, the company expects calendar 2014 adjusted EBITDA to be between $6.7 and $6.9 billion. The quarterly earnings conference call will be held at 8:30am (ET) today.

Source: Sprint

Sprint has announced a new trial program for their network. Sprint will be giving a full refund to customers who aren't satisfied with their Sprint service within the first 30 days. Specifically, Sprint will refund customers the cost of the device, and all activation and service fees will be waived.

Sprint will begin this program this Friday, June 27. It will be available to new customers in Sprint stores, over the phone, and online. Much like T-Mobile's recently announced 'Test Drive' program, Sprint's trial is a way for customers to try a different network with minimal risk. Unlike Test Drive, Sprint's trial lasts for 30 day, though it seems that customers will need to buy their device from Sprint, though as mentioned above, it is refunded if you are not satisfied with your service.

Will you be giving Sprint's trial a shot? Tell us below in the comments.

Source: Sprint

Sprint has announced an expansion of their 4G LTE service, adding 28 new markets. Cities added today include San Jose, Cleveland, and Seattle. With this expansion, Sprint now has LTE coverage in 471 cities. You can view the full list of covered cities here.

Sprint Spark coverage has also been expanded, and is now available in three more cities. St. Louise, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro, North Carolina will now have access to Spark, bringing the total number of Spark markets up to 27. Sprint says that Spark has average speeds of 6-15 Mbps, with peak speeds of 50-60 Mbps on compatible devices.

Are you covered by Sprint's LTE, and do you have access to Spark? Tell us below in the comments.

Source: Sprint

Sprint has signed agreements with 12 carriers to expand the LTE footprint of everybody involved. The dozen carriers, all smaller regional and rural networks, cover 34 million Americans not touched by Sprint's fledgling LTE network. The roaming agreements will expand Sprint's LTE coverage into those areas, as well as giving those carriers access to Sprint's network.

The carriers involved include: C Spire Wireless, Carolina West Wireless, Flat Wireless, Illinois Valley Cellular, Inland Cellular, James Valley Telecommunications, Nex-Tech Wireless, nTelos, Phoenix Wireless, SI Wireless dba MobileNation, SouthernLINC Wireless, and VTel Wireless.

The agreement will bring additional Sprint LTE coverage to 325,000 square miles spread across 23 states.

Sprint's partnering with local carriers has long been part of their methods. Does the spread of Sprint LTE coverage help your perception of the carrier's network?

Source: Sprint

Normally the offer is off the table the instant you walk out the door with your new phone, but for the month of June any customer on Sprint will be able walk back in that door of no return and purchase insurance for their device. The offer doesn't change the price or service at all — it's still $11-a-month for the Ausurion-provided loss/theft/damage replacement, or $13/month for Total Equipment Protection Plus which adds in data protection as well. Prepaid customers on Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile can get coverage for $8 each month.

The offer is only good through the end of the month, though, so any Sprint customer that's regretting having not purchased a Total Equipment Protection plan when they bought the phone will be able to reverse that decision. Well, so long as that regret isn't from having already lost or broken the phone — you'll have to physically bring the device into a Sprint store for inspection before they'll issue insurance.

Who's game for adding insurance they didn't before to their Sprint phone?

Source: Sprint

Softbank is making an end-run around concerns about a merger of Sprint and T-Mobile US by instead hitting up T-Mobile's parent company Deutsche Telekom. As reported by Japanese news agency Kyodo, Japan-based Softbank has entered into an agreement with Germany-based Deutsche Telekom to buy the latter's ownership stake in US carrier T-Mobile. The US Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice have expressed their concerns about the potential for such consolidation in the US cellular market, and the move by Softbank would likely end up still being heavily scrutinized.

The end result (a Sprint/T-Mobile merger) would likely still be the same, though this move might bring the two companies as separate entities under the same umbrella corporation first. Softbank bought Sprint last year for $21.6 billion, and they've been vocal about their desire to also buy T-Mobile. Sprint, too, has been pursuing T-Mobile, though it's more likely that Softbank's even deeper pockets would be better suited to such an acquisition.

We don't have any indication right now of how much the deal may end up costing Softbank (estimates range up to $50 billion), though T-Deutsche Telekom's 67% stake in T-Mobile US. When AT&T attempted to buy T-Mobile and was shot down in 2011, the purchase prices was set at a whopping $39 billion. T-Mobile of 2011 was a radically different company than T-Mobile of today. A good portion of T-Mobile's success today actually comes thanks to the failure of that acquisition, which garnered T-Mobile a multi-billion-dollar break-up fee from AT&T, as well as the spectrum needed to enhance their network.

Deutsche Telekom has expressed interest in the past in unloading their share of T-Mobile US, much like last year's massive sale of Vodafone's stake in Verizon Wireless to Verizon. With Deutsche Telekom wanting out of the US, and Softbank wanting to expand rapidly in the US, it seems all but inevitable that T-Mobile will trade hands. But will such a sale and merger be good for US consumers, and what will happen to the Uncarrier in the process?

Source: Kyodo; Via: Reuters

Sprint has a new protection plan for both your phone and the data on it. Dubbed "Sprint Total Equipment Protection Plus", the plan costs $13-a-month-per-device and adds data security, automatic media backups, and personalized tech support on top of the existing damage, loss, and theft insurance that is part of the standard $11-a-month Total Equipment Protection package.

The Sprint Protect app is part of the TEP Plus add-on, and it's powered by long-time device insurer Asurion. Here's a list of what's included with the app, though it's worth noting that not all features will be available on all platforms, depending on the capabilities and permissions of the operating system.

• Automatically back up and secure data
• Identify threats with built-in antivirus and privacy protection
• Access monitoring and optimization tools to maximize battery life and improve a phone's overall performance (Android only)
• Remotely find a phone from the secure web portal using GPS or lock and erase personal information from a missing phone (lock is Android only)
• Provide one-click direct access to a tech expert for premium support to address any smartphone issue

That's all in addition to the next-day loss, theft, damage, and malfunction replacement offered by the standard TEP plan.

It's worth noting that many manufacturers cover a lot of those bases, particularly with services like Find my iPhone, Android Device Manager, BlackBerry Protect, and Windows Phone's "find my phone" feature. And virus protection, while something that makes the news all too often, is hardly a concern for the overwhelmingly vast majority of smartphone users.

But, if that sort of thing appeals to your needs and desires for deeper and more comprehensive protection on all levels, Sprint now offers it. Is anybody interested in this sort of everything-on-your-phone-and-the-phone-itself protection from your carrier?

Source: Sprint

Vector is Mobile Nations' cross-platform, cross-site analysis show where we take on the most important stories in tech with the smartest people in the industry, from the big picture to granular details, current events to future implications. On today's episode Rene Ritchie and Neal Gomba dive deep into the technology and policies that make net neutrality so complicated in North America, common carriers and local loop unbundling, the crippling of DSL, Sprint, the insanity that is 700 MHz and Band 12, Qualcomm's royalty rate, and more. Subscribe and listen along!

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• Local loop unbundling
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• 700MHz mobile spectrum: A sad tale of regulatory and interoperability failure
• iPhone 5S and 5C: The best support for 3G and 4G LTE networks worldwide
• Extreme Tech
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Sprint today as part of its announcement of the exclusive Harman/Kardon edition of the HTC One M8 also announced a new deal for Spotify subscriptions — if you're on Windows Phone 8 or Windows Phone 8.1.

All new and existing postpaid (ie not pre-paid) Sprint customers will get six free months of Spotify Premium, if you're on a "Framily" plan. And Sprint's extended the deal to those on Android and iOS, of course.

And after the initial six months, you'll get a discount on your Spotify subscription, which varies depending on your level of Framliness.

Here's the deal.

And that's it. The whole thing starts this Friday, May 2.