Boost launching $50 unlimited calling / texting plan
By Darren Murph 
posted Jan 15th 2009 9:59AM
posted Jan 15th 2009 9:59AM
posted Jan 15th 2009 9:59AM
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
ummm -- that is insane.
i dont care if the iden network is garbage or not -- that is a fantastic deal. i just signed up for TMO FLEXPAY on a sidekick and may just scoop up an i880 for $50 unlimited everything.
According to Boost's website, it comes with unlimited talk, text, walkie talkie, nationwide roaming, AND WEB. So you can go on e-harmony to check if that girl from Niagara Falls area has written back, you nerd. And 50 bucks is incredible. If I'm reading their website right, it's 50 bucks EXACT, with no extra taxes. Metro offers 35, but it goes up to about 60 bucks because of all that extra taxes, texting, and crap. 50 bucks for a Nextel phone and service? Sign me up!
Rob, yes you are correct $50- includes unlimited voice, text, web, push to talk. Also no extra fee and from what I've read Boost will be paying the users tax from within the fifty dollars! This is the best thing going, now lets see what the offer carriers do to match......
Or stick with the prepaid iDEN and use the mobile web and tethering for free thanks to loopholes.
wow that's a really good deal. i pay almost twice that a month with my Verizon contract. i dont think i could leave my smartphone but it sure makes ya think.
Standby - I bet there's a smartphone coming soon :)
Not avail in my area, but its still one sick deal. They using SIM chips?
No matter how big and bad the largest carriers are, they won't be happy to see another competitor literally lower the bar to this type of pricing. How can even their prepaid options compete with this? Even POTS only users may have to look at this as a viable replacement.
For someone who talks a lot and doesn't need the most high tech gadget (insert most Americans here) $50 for unlimted everything with no contract and nationwide coverage is really hard to beat.
Sure gadget whores like us will always want the better phone and geeky apps to boot, but I can really see this taking off and it may be just what Sprint needs to gain marketshare back from their rivals especially among the budget conscious crowd or those who are smart with their money and looking for the best value around.
From what I hear, Sprint has put a lot of $$$ into improving their iDEN network and adding more network capacity to handle a large influx of users.
My only concern is that it may cannibalize their existing postpaid base. However, with Sprint's ARPU already near the $50 mark, who really cares at this point.
I see two positives with this promotion. First, this can bring massive amounts of cash to Sprint in the short term if it really takes off. Secondly, with more customers and a constant stream of users, the iDEN network all of a sudden becomes much more valuable and a much easier sale down the road to savvy business opportunists.
For those of you with other carriers, don't fret. If this hurts their bottom line, they'll have to respond which potentially means you'll have much better prepaid options to choose from too.
keep in mind its limited to ur region, so u cant travel with it
Uh, no. You can travel anywhere in the US on Sprint's Nextel (iDEN) network. You're confusing this with their CDMA offering which is regional and has traveling charges.
@ace587: Actually, these are national plans not regional plans. That is why there is so much excitement surrounding it.
These are actually regional plans. They attract an additional cost while roaming outside home networks.
Nope their $50 unlimited plan isn't regional- I work at Sprint and Hesse just sent an internal FYI/PR email that touched on this very topic:
"According to third-party data, Cricket has more than four times and MetroPCS has twice the number of dropped calls as Boost. And unlike MetroPCS and Cricket, Boost doesn’t charge additional $3 convenience fees or roaming fees up to $0.79 per minute, which can end up costing customers $10 more per month. With Boost, $50 means $50. There are no hidden fees"
mak618...there is no roaming
according to the Boost Website (http://plans.boostmobile.com/pdf/english/unlimited.pdf)
$50/month-Unlimited Talk
$60/month-Unlimited Talk & Text
$70/month-Unlimited Talk & Text & Web
that is boost unlimited CDMA service; not iDen bro.
Even with the 50/60/70 prices, it is still a good deal.
I am a Boost Master Dealer. You are looking on the current plans. This new plan will only became efective on Jan.22.
Anyone figure out what zips get coverage? I don't seem to get covered for the unlimited plan (do for pay as you go and Sprint), and was just wondering if it was because it is not the 22nd yet.
The current CDMA unlimited offering is only available in select states, but this new iDEN Monthly Unlimited is available nationwide. If you have Nextel service, you have Boost service. You can always refer to Sprint's iDEN coverage maps to verify.
Hmm.. just seen this today..
My Sprint contract just died.. and I already have an i880.. I just might consider the jump..
Sprint iDEN phones are already unlocked for use on Boost iDENs right?
Ooooh boy.... The iDEN network had better take its Viagra for this romp. Sprint is really doing this to kill Virgin mobile. It will let Metro PCS and Leap grab a foothold in this market, but this will be a knock out blow for VM. The stock price is below $1 and the company has until May to get it solidly above $1 and they will be delisted from the NYSE. Virgin is a MVNO for ............ the owner of Boost - Sprint (CDMA). With Circuit City out of the picture the delivery of phones to retail customers has also dramatically changed as well. Currently Virgin is at $80 a month for unlmited service. There is no fiscal way for them to reduce their subscription fee by more than 35% and still meet their financial obligation of a market cap of 100M (now at 45) to the stock exchange, a ballon payment of $370 to Sprint in 2009, and their ARPU just above $20 with only 5 Million subscribers. The Boost offering is superior to all of VM hybird plans except for the plane with 700 minutes of talk, unlimited text and unlimited data at 44.95 before taxes. Sprint is desperate for subscribers and this would be an easy 10% increase for eith customers who migrate to Boost in the first half of 2009 or those that get swallowed by Sprint CDMA in the later half of 2009. The CDMA and iDEN networks are severely under utilized because of their merger debacle over the past three years ... swallowing Virgin will be easy.
Wow !
How much is ATT going to stick it to me if I switch from my two year deal?
I pay almost this much for 450 minutes, with NO texting and NO messaging, it seems incredible.
I just signed up for the new Boost $50 unlimited plan, and I am happier than ever. The sign up process was extremely simple, I ported my number from T-Mobile and within 15 minutes it was a done deal with transferring my number right online from the Boost activation website.
I was with T-Mobile for about 6 years, what did they give me during that time? Next to nothing really, I used their service and it was adequate but they left me with a very empty feeling when it came to loyalty or perks or anything else. I had 600 minutes a month and they wanted 39.99 for that and 6.99 for Tmobile to tmobile and another 5.00 for messaging. They just didn't give back to the consumer, phones are still very expensive when you have an upgrade and I wasn't feeling any love coming from T-Mobile at all. Hello, world - I have a new carrier. Direct connect via the Nextel network, unlimited calls, unlimited messeges, unlimited web, and includes taxes for a flat $50 = a great deal with a lot of love.
Can I keep my current number?
Wow, this is a really great deal. Seriously, and boost has some awesome pay-as-you-go rates as well. 10cents a minute, and 10cents to send a text, free to receive. its really good. now all they need to do is add more attractive phones, so they can attract more customers. boost chirp used to be the coolest thing for teens, now they all want a sidekick. they need to release a cool texting phone that'll attract new customers.
this unlimited plan kicks virginmobile's overpriced ass.