“iPhone 5″ LTE strategy of Sprint: A plus or minus? April 27, 2012Sprint Nextel WirelessOff

April 27th, 2012, 1: 54 P.M. — New research shows Americans not into expensive data plans, should Sprint stick with its “unlimited” strategy? Or offer cheaper monthly plan for the iPhone 5?

According to a report posted by CNET last Wednesday, Sprint will focus on offering unlimited data, even when the next version of the iPhone arrives, or the iPhone 5, with or without the Long-Term Evolution technology.

Sprint’s Chief Dan Hesse told the technology publication that the company’s unlimited data services offer “distinctive differentiator,” allowing them to attract customers, raking in monthly fees on top of the subsidized phones. Sprint’s Q1 report shows that some customers love the approach, in fact, Sprint said its revenues grew 5 per cent over the same period in 2011, adding around 263,000 postpaid subscribers to its network.

However, one research firm posted a new study suggesting that Americans, at least two-thirds of U.S. consumers, are not willing to pay more than $50 per month for mobile data. Surprisingly, the data, as reported by Engadget, also confirmed that smartphone users, nearly fifty per cent of them, don’t even know how much data (for starters, the amount in Bytes, MB or GB transferred and received) they use per month.

Sprint’s “everything” data plans are bundled with unlimited data, but post a price tag above $50. Sprint’s rivals are already moving away from unlimited data services, like Verizon for example (except the grandfathered accounts), which offers “limited” data plan bundles that put customers below the $50 per month data fee.

With so many options available now, and the rumored iPhone 5 coming before the lucrative fourth quarter 2012, should Sprint introduce flexible data plans to attract more customers? Via.

 

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