Is Sprint being left behind?

[Stormin]

It seems as if all of the news about network upgrades and new hot phones are on T-mobile, Verizon, and ATT. Is Sprint being left behind? You don't hear many good rumors pertaining to Sprint.

 

[stukuz]

Not only is Sprint being left behind, but:
their current phones are not being upgraded in a timely fashion "sometimes in 1 Half 2010" ( by which time hardware upgrades will have obsoleted the current phones);
no new phones are even hinted at; and
what's with their brick and morter (other outlets do not require mailing in manufacturer rebates and don't charge re-stocking fees).

Still with Sprint, but not sure how much longer....

 

[Stormin]

My contract ended on the 17th. I am looking for a reason to stay with Sprint. They canceled my plan. They are raising the prices of their current plans. The new Android and iPhones are with OTHER carriers. HEY SPRINT, help me out here, give me a reason to stay.

 

[durandetto]

They're still the cheapest for data and they have the Hero and the moment.

 

[mysticmead]

Not only is Sprint being left behind, but:
their current phones are not being upgraded in a timely fashion "sometimes in 1 Half 2010" ( by which time hardware upgrades will have obsoleted the current phones);
no new phones are even hinted at; and
what's with their brick and morter (other outlets do not require mailing in manufacturer rebates and don't charge re-stocking fees).

Still with Sprint, but not sure how much longer....

Verizon charges a restocking fee if you return the phone and cancel within the first 30 days.

My contract ended on the 17th. I am looking for a reason to stay with Sprint. They canceled my plan. They are raising the prices of their current plans. The new Android and iPhones are with OTHER carriers. HEY SPRINT, help me out here, give me a reason to stay.

Sprint prices are cheaper than the others. Also Sprint uses the Verizon towers as well as their own. if you go to another carrier you get forced into an extra data charge for all smartphones. I currently have Verizon and will be switching in Feb once my contract runs out on 2 of my 3 lines.. I'll just eat the ETF for the 3rd line. I would stick with Verizon BUT, when I was told that I would be charged an EXTRA $30 per smartphone even though I currently have unlimited data. Once on sprint I'll even be adding a line..and pay less than I currently do with Verizon for 3 lines.

so to give you a reason to stick with Sprint... look at how much you'll end up spending over an entire 2 year contract.. Sprint will be cheaper

 

[Howie]

...Sprint prices are cheaper than the others. Also Sprint uses the Verizon towers as well as their own. if you go to another carrier you get forced into an extra data charge for all smartphones. I currently have Verizon and will be switching in Feb once my contract runs out on 2 of my 3 lines.. I'll just eat the ETF for the 3rd line. I would stick with Verizon BUT, when I was told that I would be charged an EXTRA $30 per smartphone even though I currently have unlimited data. Once on sprint I'll even be adding a line..and pay less than I currently do with Verizon for 3 lines.

so to give you a reason to stick with Sprint... look at how much you'll end up spending over an entire 2 year contract.. Sprint will be cheaper

Also, look at Tmobile. Their coverage has grown a bit over the last few years and they have great prices too. $79 ($99 with contract) for unlimited talk/text/data or $139 ($179 with contract) for two lines with all unlimited. Not bad.

But, yes I think Sprint is putting themselves behind. They do not keep up with hot new phones to draw people in, have poor customer service (even just this Summer for me when I tested it out literally for only one day), and still bleeding millions of customers on top of that each year. I'd like to see them survive, but really don't understand how they have this long.

 

[momoceio]

Wasn't the Hero and Moment just released in October?

 

[mysticmead]

yes... both the Hero and Moment were recently released.. both are Android phones.. they are running an older version of Android but that will be corrected in 2010 (the question is when in 2010).. Tmobile was first to get Android.. they have the biggest selection of Android phones.. Verizon has the Eris (same as Hero) and Droid.... the Eris isn't running Android 2.0 yet... but it will be soon.. the Hero is going straight to 2.1.. AT&T has NO Android phones at this time (it would draw people away from iPhone)

what does all this mean?? it means that Sprint is no farther behind in Android phones than Verizon...and already ahead of AT&T.. T-Mobile is WAY ahead of the rest.. but their contract prices are more than Sprint.. $179 for 2 lines?? WTF?? Sprint is $167 for 4 lines with unlimited data.. sure that's for 1500 minutes.. but with the any mobile any time that's 1500 minutes to call land lines.. I'm not sure about you but I rarely call land lines anymore... it seems like most people are dropping traditional land lines in favor of a cell...

Sprint is still there and I think they'll still be in the fight for many years to come...

 

[momoceio]

Yeah, that's the point I was trying to make. They just released two android phones 2 months ago and they're already behind? C'mon...I just switched from ATT to Sprint and am quite pleased. I love my Hero phone and look forward to other phones that will surely come to sprint in the near future.

 

[drdom]

My contract ended on the 17th. I am looking for a reason to stay with Sprint. They canceled my plan. They are raising the prices of their current plans. The new Android and iPhones are with OTHER carriers. HEY SPRINT, help me out here, give me a reason to stay.

Where did you hear that Sprint is raising their plan prices? I've spoken to no less than a dozen Sprint reps, including a district manager, and it's news to them. Also, when you do a serious comparison, they have the best deals when you compare plans. Take a look at their any mobile anytime. I also live in a 4G market. Their customer service has improved 200% in the last year and they have a competitive lineup of handsets. They were the first carrier to secure a commitment for the upgrade to 2.x from HTC for any handset other than the Moto Droid. They didn't up their ETF to $350, and were the first with a decreasing ETF. They're working pretty hard for my business, and after prior experience with AT&T, I wouldn't think of leaving Sprint. There's several reasons.

 

[Stormin]

Where did you hear that Sprint is raising their plan prices? I've spoken to no less than a dozen Sprint reps, including a district manager, and it's news to them. Also, when you do a serious comparison, they have the best deals when you compare plans. Take a look at their any mobile anytime. I also live in a 4G market. Their customer service has improved 200% in the last year and they have a competitive lineup of handsets. They were the first carrier to secure a commitment for the upgrade to 2.x from HTC for any handset other than the Moto Droid. They didn't up their ETF to $350, and were the first with a decreasing ETF. They're working pretty hard for my business, and after prior experience with AT&T, I wouldn't think of leaving Sprint. There's several reasons.

Sprint, $4.99 surcharge added in January This forum.Plus with the 200 minute unlimited data plan no longer available, for me the 450 minute and unlimited data plan is only $5.00 difference. The new Sprint Android phones are months behind, and no rumors of anything that can compare to the Droid or gPhone. ATT has the gen4 iPhone coming out this spring.When I travel, I often run out of Sprints coverage.I do plan on staying with Sprint month to month and see if anything is coming. Six months max. I want a new Android phone and not the Moment.

 

[drdom]

Sprint, $4.99 surcharge added in January This forum.Plus with the 200 minute unlimited data plan no longer available, for me the 450 minute and unlimited data plan is only $5.00 difference. The new Sprint Android phones are months behind, and no rumors of anything that can compare to the Droid or gPhone. ATT has the gen4 iPhone coming out this spring.When I travel, I often run out of Sprints coverage.I do plan on staying with Sprint month to month and see if anything is coming. Six months max. I want a new Android phone and not the Moment.

The 4.99 surcharge is only for accounts with spending limits, and can be avoided by going to auto pay. That's not a rate increase. It only affects a small percentage of users, and users can ask to have their spending limit status reviewed.

As for new handsets, CES is a little more than a week away. Everybody will have product announcements, including Sprint. It's not for me to let the cat out of the bag.

But Sprint is far from being left behind. They're the first national carrier to actually deploy a 4G network, have very price competitve plans, greatly improved customer service and some major announcements coming at CES. With free roaming on CDMA networks, "running out of coverage" may simply be a handset in need of an update to the PRL.

A year ago, I might have agreed with you, to some extent. Right now today, my experience has been that Sprint has made great strides forward, and is on the right track. They've earned my business. But like everything in this world, there are different perspectives, and different needs, so it's great to have choices. My opinion, for my situation, is that Sprint works well for me. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[momoceio]

I don't get how you say their Android phones are months behind...if that's the case then Verizon and Tmobile are the same and ATT isn't even a consideration.

 

[Howie]

... and were the first with a decreasing ETF....

Actually AT&T Wireless was the first to do that (pre-Cingular, then they ruined it).

I don't get how you say their Android phones are months behind...if that's the case then Verizon and Tmobile are the same and ATT isn't even a consideration.

T-mobile - yes (but not for long)
Verizon - not yet (but will be in Jan)
AT&T =

The Droid is the latest and only device running 2.0.1 officially (since we're not talking about international and can exclude the Liquid from Acer). The next "hot" Android will be the rumored Google phone if it releases in January on T-mobile (can't wait!)

 

[Stormin]

Last I heard there were no plans for a 4G phone and even if there were it will be decades before they have it in my area.As for the phones being months behind, they are running Android 1.5 with plans to update sometime in 2010?????. True ATT does not have a top end Android phone, but are planning the release of the gen4 iPhone this spring which shows me they are trying/fighting back against the Droid etc. I am by no means going to ATT and the iPhone but love the advances in technology. Folks, the reason for this thread was not to stir shit or bash Sprint. I have been a fairly happy customer and kind of hope to stay. I am just not hearing any hot rumors coming from Sprint. My contract is up and I really want some new hot cutting edge technology.By starting this thread some of you are showing that MAYBE There is something that will pique my interest on the horizon. And like I said, I'm not leaving in the short term.

 

[drdom]

Last I heard there were no plans for a 4G phone and even if there were it will be decades before they have it in my area.As for the phones being months behind, they are running Android 1.5 with plans to update sometime in 2010?????. True ATT does not have a top end Android phone, but are planning the release of the gen4 iPhone this spring which shows me they are trying/fighting back against the Droid etc. I am by no means going to ATT and the iPhone but love the advances in technology. Folks, the reason for this thread was not to stir shit or bash Sprint. I have been a fairly happy customer and kind of hope to stay. I am just not hearing any hot rumors coming from Sprint. My contract is up and I really want some new hot cutting edge technology.By starting this thread some of you are showing that MAYBE There is something that will pique my interest on the horizon. And like I said, I'm not leaving in the short term.

I think what am reacting to is just the premise that Sprint is somehow being "left behind".

Depending on which rumors you believe, there may be an official announcement regarding a 4G phone as soon as within the next 2 weeks. Sprint has said publicly that it will happen in first quarter 2010.

The Sprint/ClearWire 4G build-out is progressing, and is up an running in a number of markets. On the Android front, Sprint took the position of waiting just a little bit for the technology to mature before adopting it. They secured their place in line for Android 2.0 or 2.1 or 2.whatever for the Hero early on, and made sure it was publicly confirmed by HTC. With the exception of Motorola/VZ and the Droid, Sprint appears to to be in as good a spot as any carrier.

And 2.x for the Hero will drop soon. They just want it to work right the first time. I for one am willing to wait a little longer, if it means a stable product will result.

And I don't agree that there aren't any "hot" rumors about Sprint getting any hot new handsets. But if one were to accept that premise, one reason that the rumor mill may not have been as active lately is that CES is less than 2 weeks away, and everybody, including Sprint and their handset vendor partners, are saving their thunder for the show.

Sprint & LG are rumored to have a major by invitation only event coming up at CES in Vegas. And there is lots of other fodder for the wireless rumor mill besides just Android stuff.

I'm not a spokesperson for Sprint. I just respectfully disagree with the premise that they're somehow being "left behind". I've heard their CEO, Dan Hesse, speak publicly about the direction Sprint is headed in. And given the progress they've made in the last year, I think they have take a well thought-out position, and are certainly headed in the right direction.

To assert that a company that was first out of the blocks with a real, functioning 4G network, up and running in multiple markets as being "left behind" just doesn't seem to me to be a logical conclusion.

 

[IOWA]

Sprint is concentrating on thier 4G offerings right now, which I think is a step in the right direction... I mean, 4G IS the *future* right? Sprints customer service also has gotten SOOOO much better. Every time I call I wait no longer than a few minutes, then my problem/issue is resolved quickly, not that I even have many problems or issues. ( I think i've called twice in the last year? Not even with problems with general questions!) Sprint bashing is a media fad, and i've dug up an old post of mine on another forum... its quite the read but I feel it applies here... The information contained in it is dated, but its the general message that counts.

so, as my title suggests, maybe it's me, but it seems the internet and media fad is to rip sprint nextel corp apart. as of recent, i've watched engadget and the any genius report post false headline stories about sprint nextels upcoming launch of the samsung instinct. both websites berated sprint nextel for requiring a simply unlimited plan and did not hesitate to make comparisons with att and the iphone plan rates. only after a backlash of posts from commenters and others did they quietly acknowledge thier mistake and take down the posts. there was no apology or correction, simply a removal. the other day gizmodo has posted a letter to sprint nextel corp and intel complaining about the wimax delays which, as far as i an concerned, was overly harsh. and lacked any real understanding of the current playing field and was overtly bias towards the PAPER STANDARD that is LTE. maybe i an being hypersensitive, after all i am a long time sprint nextel customer and own stock in the company, but just hear me out. are there media outlets really that blind or are they making a conscious decision to ignore the facts and would rather take the easy way out by openly bashing everything the company pursues. as sprint customers we are all aware that sprint nextel corp was recently as a crossroads after use botched purchase of nextel and the horrid leadership by gary forsee and his minions, sprint was in a bad way. customers were leaving in droves, stock prices were plunging and nothing was being done. the company had two choices, continue on the same track or purge out some of the corporate infection. lucky for us, stock holders chose to oust forsee and bring in mr dan heese. i've already said it before on this forum but i'll say it again. i an wholly confident that dan heese will be the saving grace of sprint nextel corp. it's not going to be easy task for this man, nor will it be a quick one, but i am extremely confident that under his leadership the sky is the limit. since heese's arrival some months ago, there has already been a noticeable change in the company. sprint has put customer service to the top of the priority list and improvements are already noticeable through the introduction of emailing dan@Sprint.com, echat, and whatever they are doing at the call centers making a difference day in and day out. sprint has reaffirmed it's commitment to iden for at least a few more years. this will help drive ptt on the sprint pcs network. sprint has announced some exciting new handsets, including the instinct, new treo, new blackberry, and a line of qchat ptt capable phones. likewise, sprint has affirmed it's commitment to keeping it's pda and pocket pc users up to date with the latest software with announcemants that they will provide updates to all current windows mobile 6.0 devices, bringing then to windows mobile 6.1, something that is a major change for sprint. the biggest thing of all, in my opinion, is that sprint has projected the most contemporary and revolutionary picture of what the cell phone is. for sprint, the calling experience is only part of the picture, now you have data, video, text, music, web, gps, ptt, and the like. they have affirmed this by launching a new media campaign and the release of thier simply everything plans which by far, offer the biggest bang for your buck. under forsee, wimax was chosen as the 4g technology of choice. under his leadeship we have seen delay after delay after delay. once dan came aboard, if reaffirmed a commitment to wimax, got talks rolling with clearwire again, and secured at least 2 billion from intel for the network build out. not too shabby if you ask me. now i'm not aware of the particulars, but it is by no means an easy task to build out a national network. it is an expensive feat and requires a host of factors working flawlessly in tandem. currently sprint has wimax working in a handful of test cities and was originally supposed to launch this month in the first set of markets. sprint did announce a delay in the launch and targeted this summer. while this is unfortunate, it's really not all that bad. sprint will still see a 2 year market advantage over those who have chosen to go lte. likewise, would everyone like sprint to launch the network when performance may not be up to could be or bugs not fully ironed out? seems to me that it is a lose lose situation with many of the media tech outlets. do they not see the noteworthy progress that has been made by sprint nextel in the last few months alone? i feel that they have purposely chosen to ignore it because it is so much easier to sit back and bash away. clearly sprint is not out of the woods by a long shot but progress is being made rapidly. as i've said before sprint is not a one dimensional company, the wireless service being the tip of the iceberg. heese is addressing a whole array of problems and concerns from the top down. now i am not advocating we be soft on sprint. it's my opinion sprint wants to hear our gripes and concerns, and as sprint customers it is our right and duty to voice them maturely. but i an completely and utterly tired of the mindless and haphazard bashing that is going on. sorry if this sounded too much like a rant. thanks for reading

Yeah, thats a read lol.

 

[Stormin]

You seem to have access to a lot more information than the rest of us. I hope that it is true and we will see some new stuff from Sprint. I guess that I and some others are getting impatient with all the NexusOne news and the new gen4 iPhone news.

 

[numus]

Stop thinking other carriers are ahead.. They aren't.. the only reason verizon has a 2.0 phone (the droid) is because google HELPED MOTOROLA MAKE THE DAMN PHONE.. they released the droid TWO WEEKS after Android 2.0 was released to any other manufacturer and the public.. How could you ever expect another mfg to compete in a timely fashion when motorola had the OS for months before anyone else, and had google working with them to adapt the OS to the droid...

Sprint is concentrating on thier 4G offerings right now, which I think is a step in the right direction... I mean, 4G IS the *future* right? Sprints customer service also has gotten SOOOO much better. Every time I call I wait no longer than a few minutes, then my problem/issue is resolved quickly, not that I even have many problems or issues. ( I think i've called twice in the last year? Not even with problems with general questions!) Sprint bashing is a media fad, and i've dug up an old post of mine on another forum... its quite the read but I feel it applies here... The information contained in it is dated, but its the general message that counts.



Yeah, thats a read lol.

4G is pretty much worthless in a cell phone.. The real planned rollout for 4g is to the aircard users and to eat at the current home internet market... With the processor limitations of a cell phone, let alone the resolution of the screen, there is no program that would benefit for the speed of 4g... EVDO Rev B is already to fast for most phones to utilize... So you loose 1 second on load times for an internet site.. Streaming even 1080p onto a screen the size of most smart phones, at the native resolution of the phone requires only a couple hundred kb a second.. in which REV A already surpasses that..

 

[latinmaxima]

I have to agree with what other say. First provider with 4G. Two of the the top android phones on the market. Only lacking cause of Motorola and Google doing some exclusivety with 2.0. And more coming plus the pricing. Sprint is not falling behind. Though I think they can push the Moment a little more. The hero gets plenty o airtime coming from HTC mostly and Samsung needs to step up advertising on the Moment to help since Sprint is pushing 4G. Samsung seems to focus on ads with At&t which surprises me since At&t is pushing the Iphone so hard.

 

[travisr528]

I think Sprint must have a huge announcement to make if they managed to hold on to it this long. The Iphone, Nexus, Passion all have been very hot topics with mentions to Verizon, ATT, and T-mobile. Sprint has not said a word, except for the LG Prada ( not worth anything in my view). I am assuming we will have a road map after the 2010 CES. We are not that much further away, lets hold out and see what happens?

 

[Stormin]

I think Sprint must have a huge announcement to make if they managed to hold on to it this long. The Iphone, Nexus, Passion all have been very hot topics with mentions to Verizon, ATT, and T-mobile. Sprint has not said a word, except for the LG Prada ( not worth anything in my view). I am assuming we will have a road map after the 2010 CES. We are not that much further away, lets hold out and see what happens?

Ya, this is what I was thinking.

 

[mattcoz]

I see no reason to think that Sprint will not be getting a version of the Dragon/Passion/Bravo/NexusOne. Considering there hasn't been any official word on ANYONE getting one of these phones, I think it's a little early to say Sprint is falling behind.

 

[durandetto]

I thought T-Mobile was officially getting the Nexus One.

 

[kelcya]

Im wondering if sprint will get any new phones. Will they announce anything @ CES in a couple of days? I feel like tmobile and verizon are getting all the good droid phones.