Sprint Launches Rollover Data For Prepaid Customers

According to Angela Rittgers, vice president of marketing for Sprint Prepaid at U.S. mobile operator Sprint, Sprint prepaid rolling data will be available on Sprint prepaid monthly plans and will not expire. Sprint now offers up to 30 GB of rollover data with three of its prepaid plans, which can be purchased at Best Buy. All three plans, which are called Monthly Rolling Data, have unlimited voice and SMS and include either 1 GB, 3 GB or 6 GB of data and cost US $35.00, US $45.00, and US $55.00, respectively. There is no expiration date, as the data will roll over indefinitely as long as the subscriber stays below the 30 GB cap. Sprint indicated that this offer will only be available for a limited time but did not say when it would expire.

We do not know whether this move by Sprint will increase its subscriber base and enable it to be more effective in the very competitive U.S. mobile market, but considering Sprint’s historically subpar coverage, it seems counterproductive for the operator to focus on rollover data offerings instead of bettering its service. If Sprint does not improve coverage, this offer is unlikely to be worth much to customers. In addition, we would not be surprised to see the other major U.S. operators eventually counter Sprint’s prepaid rollover deal. Currently, the available options for rollover data from major U.S. operators are as follows: AT&T’s rollover data expires within one month or with any change in plan. T-Mobile’s Data Stash, which holds data for one year, is only available to subscribers who purchase the 3 GB monthly plan for US $60.00 or a more expensive plan. As for Verizon, according to remarks CFO Fran Shammo made during an interview this past January, the carrier will not be following AT&T and T-Mobile’s lead in providing rollover data. However, we would not be surprised if at some future point limitations on rollover data were to be removed by all the U.S. operators, as has happened with voice and SMS.

The above item appeared in a recent issue of The Tarifica Alert, a weekly resource that analyzes noteworthy developments in the telecoms industry from around the world. Contact Tarifica for a subscription to the Tarifica Alert. 
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