Technology
With New Family Share Plans, Sprint Finally Pulls the Plug on “Unlimited” Data
(Daily Tech) – With Dan Hesse out and Marcelo Claure in as CEO, Sprint Corp. (S) unveiled its first major revision to its plans — the phase out of unlimited data. The beginning of the end for Sprint’s “unlimited” data days was hinted at with the arrival of the Sprint Family Share Pack, which ditches the unlimited data option of previous “Framily” plans.
I. The (Long-Coming) Death of Unlimited Data
For Sprint customers saddened by the beginning of the end of your unlimited data, the writing has been on the wall for some time now.
A half decade ago T-Mobile U.S., Inc. (TMUS), Verizon Communications Inc.’s (VZ) Verizon Wireless, and AT&T, Inc. (T) offered unlimited data options, just like Sprint. AT&T was the first to turn its back on unlimited data, moving to a capped alternative in mid-2010. Verizon and T-Mobile followed in suit in May 2011. This capping followed both networks starting to throttle their heaviest users’ data speeds in the waning days of their “unlimited” data offerings.
