LAS VEGAS – Sprint is looking to keep the momentum of last year’s Spark network announcement going, noting at the CES event that it has expanded the enhanced service to six new markets, pushing total penetration to 11 markets.
The new market launches are heavily Texas-centric, including Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio as well as Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The carrier had previously began offering the service in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Tampa, Fla. Sprint noted it plans to cover 100 million potential customers with the tri-band network by the end of 2014 and 100 markets within three years.
Sprint announced its Spark initiative last October, looking to tie together its 800 MHz, 1.9 GHz and 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings to power its LTE service. The carrier noted at the time that Spark consumers accessing its deep 2.5 GHz spectrum band would see network speeds of up to 60 megabits per second.
Sprint said it has tapped Samsung, Nokia Solutions and Networks and Alcatel-Lucent to implement its Spark initiative, with each provider handling roughly one-third of the deployment. That lineup is somewhat interesting in that NSN has replaced Ericsson on the vendor list compared with Sprint’s network-wide Network Vision program. Ericsson is still involved in the process through its managed network services agreement with the carrier.
The Spark effort will also see a continued reliance on remote radio head technology, which the carrier began to utilize as part of the Network Vision program. The Spark-specific equipment will include support for eight transmitters-eight receivers, which the carrier said would be the first deployment of that technology in North America.
“These radios will be capable of improved coverage, capacity and speeds when compared to the more traditional 2T2R or 4T4R radios used by our competitors,” Sprint explained.
In an acknowledgement to the growing importance of the no-contract space, Sprint noted that during the first quarter it would offer a mobile hotspot device compatible with the Spark service through its Virgin Mobile brand. The Broadband2Go-branded service will run across the NetGear Mingle device with service prices beginning at $5 per day or monthly data plans for $25 with 1.5 gigabytes of data transmission or $55 for 6 GB.
Sprint added that it offers a half-dozen devices that are either currently compatible with its Spark service or were set to be upgraded for support, with plans to add a NetGear-supplied wireless router that backhauls data services across the carrier’s network as well as LG’s curved-screen Flex device.
Redefining the family (plan)
Away from its network plans, Sprint also rolled out new rate plans targeting multi-line customers, though not necessarily those that belong to the same family. The so-called “Framily” plans allow customers to link up to 10 lines of service under one account, with customers paying less per line the more lines they have on the account.
For one line of service, new Sprint customers pay $55 per month per line for unlimited talk, text and 1GB of data. For each additional new Sprint customer that joins the account the cost per person goes down $5 per month up to a maximum monthly discount of $30 per line. If the account has at least seven people, all lines would pay $25 per month per line. Customers can also add unlimited data to any one line for an extra $20 per month.
New customers signing up to the plan will be required to either pay full price upfront for their device or select Sprint’s Easy Pay device payment plan that spreads the cost over 24 months. New customers can also activate any existing Sprint device and forgo the pricing models.
For current Sprint customers the plan can be set up using a single line of service, with additional lines only eligible to join the new combined account if they are already owned by the same person. To add a current line using a subsidized device will require an additional $15 per month per line fee until that line is upgrade eligible. Sprint did note that for a limited time it would waive that fee for customers that had purchased a subsidized phone before Jan. 10, but who are not yet upgrade eligible.
The bolstered family plan comes just days after AT&T announced it would begin offering T-Mobile US customers up to $450 per line to switch their allegiance. The savings requires T-Mobile US customers to trade-in their current phones with AT&T for a credit of up to $250 that can be used towards AT&T products or services. Those customers will also be eligible for a $200 credit per line whey they transfer their T-Mobile US phone number and select one of AT&T Mobility’s Next rate plans. Those plans require customers to pay full price for a device or activate a device compatible with AT&T Mobility’s network.
That move surprised many who were expecting T-Mobile US to announce a new promotion targeting family plan accounts from its rivals. T-Mobile US does have a press conference scheduled for the CES show on Wednesday afternoon.
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