In an effort to eliminate consumer confusion, Sprint today announced a new “All-In” pricing plan that includes unlimited talk, text and data* for $80 per month. On the surface, this new plan seems to be quite simple and actually pretty valuable, though it does have a few too many caveats for our liking. Here’s how it works:
For $60 per month (plus taxes), you will have access to unlimited talk, text and high-speed data, as well as a leased smartphone for $20 more. There’s also a one-time activation fee of $36, and well-qualified consumers will pay $0 down when they sign up.
Unfortunately, that’s just the easy part. Sprint has also included a few easily-overlooked footnotes in the announcement that will likely turn many users away from the plan. Take a look at the excerpt below:
To improve data experience for the majority of users, throughput may be limited, varied or reduced on the network. Streaming video speeds will be limited to 600Kbps at all times, which may impact quality. Sprint may terminate service if off-network roaming usage in a month exceeds: (1) 800 min. or a majority of min.; or (2) 100MB or a majority of KB.
To clarify, Sprint is giving users unlimited talk, text and high-speed data, just like it advertises. However, what it does with that data is actually quite upsetting. Streaming video speeds will be limited to 600Kbps at all times, which will absolutely affect the way users will watch videos.
It’s important to note that the FCC recently fined AT&T a hefty $100 million for quietly throttling unlimited data plans without letting users know. In response to that fine, Sprint actually stopped throttling its users’ unlimited data plans once the FCC’s new rules took effect. It’s odd that Sprint would be able to get away with this new All-In plan, especially since the FCC is noticeably going on the offensive when it comes to what exactly carriers are advertising.
To promote this new plan, Sprint has created a new ad campaign that features David Beckham. The ad will premiere tonight during the U.S. Women’s World Cup match, but you can see an extended version attached below.
If you’re interested in this plan, be sure to read through the entire Sprint announcement before making any decisions. It’s clear to me that this deal won’t be for everyone, so try to keep the major caveats in mind before signing up.