A few weeks back I mentioned that Sprint was offering a $119/month unlimited voice plan in select US markets, this on the heels of MVNO Helio (a Sprint partner) offering a $99 unlimited plan including all you can browse handset data and messaging.  Soon after, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all announced their own special deals on unlimited voice plans, and now Sprint has upped the ante a bit with their newest offer.

Sprint's $99 Simply Everything plan gets you unlimited voice, data, text, Email, Web surfing, Sprint TV, GPS, Direct Connect and Group Connect for a C-note per month.  That's better than any of the other guys' plans save Helio, which offers a few things Sprint doesn't - (and vice-versa.  Sprint is also offering a family plan that lets you add additional Simply Everything lines for $5 less per additional line (i.e. $99 then $94 then $89 and so on).

I'm 99% certain that laptop tethering isn't included in the $99 plan, and about 75% certain that it will be an option, likely for about $15 more per month.  In any case, Sprint seems to be serious about getting themselves back from the customer-bleeding edge of bankruptcy and into consumers' hearts - and I'm all for it. 

Hopefully this move will work out for them and they'll continue to push the envelope with innovative devices and service offerings, and that whole WiMax thing (!), in the months to come.  Sprint's customer service issues have been well documented, but I've consistently been impressed by their willingness to move the industry forward with everything from the first $.99/track over the air music downloads to that crazy UpStage phone and now to the $99 Everything plan. 

Keep your fingers crossed that this works out for Sprint ... and that the other major carriers follow suit.