#Sprint 4 lines for $160 how to
#Sprint 4 lines for $160 android

Lower-cost phones also tend to receive fewer updates, so they should have the latest Android software with recent security patches out of the box.

Software: A budget phone is slower than a high-end model, so it’s important that the phone isn’t loaded down with unnecessary, poorly performing apps or customized user interfaces.If the smaller carriers start grabbing a significant share of customers, maybe even mighty Verizon will be forced to embrace the end of the data bucket. And the allure of the new unlimited plans may make that seasonal rebound even larger than usual. But with a new iPhone expected soon, switching is bound to increase. Verizon has made no moves on unlimited.Ĭustomer defections among the carriers have been at record lows so far this year, perhaps feeding a sense of confidence at the larger carriers. In January, AT&T brought back an unlimited plan at $100 a month but only for subscribers to its DirecTV satellite video service. The ultimate question may be how Verizon and AT&T, which together serve about two-thirds of the U.S. But, as both carriers pointed out, only a tiny minority of customers use tethering, and few could tell the difference between DVD and high-definition video on the small screen of a phone (T-Mobile said more than 99% of its subscribers had stuck with DVD quality video when given a choice under their prior Binge On program). The moves drew protests and whines from some of the digerati in the media and on Twitter. Sprint allowed customers on its new plans to tether 5 GB of high speed data for free, but limited the quality not only of streaming video but also streaming music and online game playing. And tethering, or using a phone to connect another device like a laptop to the Internet, would be at super slow speeds unless a customer paid $15 for 5 GB of additional data. T-Mobile said customers on the new plan would get only DVD-quality video unless they paid another $25 per month for HD quality video. Of course, Sprint and T-Mobile also took steps to lower the impact on their networks from the new unlimited plans. T-Mobile argues that because its network has been expanding rapidly over the past two years, it has more modern equipment that can handle the load. Sprint, which has the fewest customers and the most unused spectrum among the Big 4 carriers, probably has the most headroom. T-Mobile noted that some users might want to opt for prepaid service under the MetroPCS brand, where plans start as low as $30 a month.Īnalysts offered mixed views about whether Sprint and T-Mobile would be able to maintain the quality of their networks if a crush of users switched to unlimited plans. Still, by phasing out lower cost plans with limited data allowances, the two carriers seem to be favoring data hogs and family plan subscribers over individuals with more limited needs or available cash flow.

#Sprint 4 lines for $160 how to

“Nobody knows how to count megabytes…it’s fraught with confusion and complexity.” “How absurd is it that in 2016 almost everybody on the mobile Internet is limited, and what they’re supposed to do is count up megabytes,” he said. Its old unlimited plan started at $75.Īs T-Mobile chief operating officer Mike Seivert said on Thursday, it’s almost impossible to even predict how much data will be consumed by downloading a standard definition versus a high definition movie. Sprint went even lower, offering its unlimited plan for $60 to $160. A prior unlimited plan ranged from $95 for an individual customer to $280 for four lines. T-Mobile’s new plan started at $70 for one line and went up to $160 for four lines. Both T-Mobile (TMUS) and Sprint (S) introduced new, cheaper-than-ever unlimited data plans. Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.īut slowly unlimited plans have been coming back, and this week they nearly took over the entire scene. Carriers, as they explain over and over again, own a limited amount of spectrum, or airwave licenses, thus limiting capacity for customer data usage. And AT&T and other carriers phased out unlimited data plans starting about six years ago.įor most of the years since, mobile industry executives have explained that unlimited plans just don’t make economic sense for the carriers, especially as simply surfing the Internet has expanded into all manner of apps, realtime driving directions, streaming music and video, and online games. Two-year contracts and subsidized phones are almost gone. Monthly limits on voice and texting are long gone. In the almost 10 years since, wireless plans have evolved and morphed almost beyond recognition.