Shared data plans have gained quite a bit of traction in the mobile industry recently, with carriers like AT&T, Verizon and U.S. Cellular all hopping on the family data bandwagon. Now a new report claims that that wagon may soon gain another rider, as Sprint is reportedly testing out the feature.
Sources speaking to CNET say that Sprint is testing a shared data plan in San Diego, Portland and Las Vegas. The plans include unlimited talk and text as well as the following data allotments:
Like other shared data plans, customers that sign up for Sprint’s offering will need to pay an access fee for each line that’s drawing data from the bucket. With the 1GB to 10GB allotments, that fee is $25 for a smartphone, while the 20GB or higher plans come with a $15 access charge.
In addition to this new shared data plan, Sprint is said to be testing discounted Framily plans in Buffalo, Philadelphia and Providence. These plans start at $45 per month, $10 less than the standard Framily plan, and bottom out at $25 per month with five users. The typical Framily plan bottoms out at $25 with seven users. Sprint is also offering annual upgrades for unlimited data customers in Buffalo and Philly, while Providence-based users will pay $5 per month for annual upgrades.
Finally, Sprint is rumored to be trying out a new individual plan in Chicago, Minneapolis and West Michigan. The plan is available to customers that pay full price for a smartphone, bring their own device or opt to pay for a phone with monthly installments. The plans include a $40 pan with unlimited talk and text and 3GB of data or $50 for an unlimited offering.
As I mentioned previously, adoption of shared data plans has been growing quite a bit lately, so it’s no surprise to hear that Sprint may at least be toying with its own shared offering. Whether or not any of these test plans are launched to the public remains to be seen, but some of them sound pretty interesting, including the $50 unlimited plan for BYOD customers.
Will you sign up for any of these plans if Sprint ends up launching them nationally?
Via CNET