Sprint’s Virgin Mobile USA division is doing what no wireless carrier has ever done. The company is rolling out the industry’s first-ever no-contract data sharing plans. The only catch, if you can call it a catch, is you have to go through Walmart to get it.
The new plans are available now on four 4G LTE smartphones: the HTC Desire, LG Tribute, LG Volt and Samsung Galaxy Core. All four devices come pre-loaded with a Virgin Mobile data-sharing application that lets you pick data buy-ups and international add-ons.
“At Virgin Mobile we are committed to offering prepaid customers innovative new wireless options,” said Angela Rittgers, vice president of Sprint Prepaid. “We were the first prepaid carrier to offer texting keyboards and texting-only plans, first to help customers pay less for talk they weren’t using, the first to feature a totally customized plan, and now the first data sharing plans. The new data sharing plans bring some of the most aggressive shared-line plans ever launched to Walmart.”
Consumers Win Again
Rittgers is not just blowing smoke. Virgin Mobile USA is getting ultra-aggressive as the wireless industry competition continues heating up, especially on the pricing front. Last week, T-Mobile rolled out a $ 40 pre-paid wireless plan with unlimited data, talk and text with 4G LTE data buckets.
Let’s drill into the particulars of Virgin Mobile’s “Data Done Right” data share plan. Beyond the pre-loaded data-sharing application that lets you buy data in increments of 1 GB for $ 10 a month, every multi-line plan will also come with a free mobile hotspot feature so you can share data across Wi-Fi enabled devices.
Virgin Mobile is promising no additional monthly line fees and the company is also letting you use popular social media and music streaming apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pandora, without data charges when you opt to pay $ 5 a month. That gets you unlimited usage without counting against your data allotment. Flexible international plan options and parental control features, including device curfew and app restrictions, are also part of the package.
We caught up with Jeff Kagan, an independent technology analyst, to get his thoughts on the new Virgin Mobile USA plan. He told us the move gives new choices to consumers at a time when the wireless marketplace is changing and growing.
“Yesterday there was not much of a choice for customers. Yesterday customers simply chose their favorite carrier by brand,” Kagan said. “Today choice is continuing to grow. Today customers not only have different carriers to choose from, but within those carriers they have lots of different service choices like prepaid and post-paid for voice and data.”
Attracting the Slices
The Data Done Right plans start as low as $ 30 per line and run up to $ 115 per month for four lines. The two-line plan costs $ 65 a month and offers unlimited talk and text and 4 GB of data. The three-line plan offers 8 GB of data to share for $ 90 and the four-line plan offers 12 GB of data to share. Again, you can buy extra data in increments of 1 GB for $ 10 a month.
In terms of the devices that go with those plans, you can purchase the HTC Desire 510 for $ 99.88; the LG Tribute for $ 79.88, and LG Volt for $ 149.88; and the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime for $ 129.88. The Galaxy Core Prime features a 4.5-inch display, 1.2 GHz quad core processor, Android 4.4 KitKat and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. Virgin Mobile plans to add more devices to its new plans by the end of February.
“No single service offering is perfect for everyone. That’s why carriers like Sprint are offering a growing variety of choices,” Kagan said. “This way they can not only compete, but win with more slices of the consumer pie.”
Kagan expects Virgin Mobile’s new plan to prove attractive to at least one slice of the consumer pie — the no-contract slice. And he said that’s the whole point. Carriers are offering a wider variety of choices so they can both hang on to and win new customers.
“That’s the direction the entire wireless market seems to be heading. Customer needs and demands are growing,” Kagan said. “Many customers are interested in a no-contract plan. This is another way for Sprint to compete in this space with their Virgin Mobile USA brand.”
