Prepaid LTE. Good Idea?

[xcharles718]

It hasn't been discussed, so i'll start.

 

It would be nice to buy a Sprint Galaxy Nexus off-contract, pop in a Virgin Mobile LTE SIM and have prepaid LTE on it.

Of course this is not the case. But this can be an interesting way to get subscribers onto the LTE network (only 5% of VZW subs have 4G devices). Since Sprint wouldn't have to worry about subsides, what the customer pays would go directly to them. It would also help speed up adoption to LTE, free up 3G spectrum on a otherwise hard to move sub base since service doesn't have contracts, old devices would remain in use longer.

[legion125]

Good idea. Since LTE requires a SIM card, it could work on VM and Boost if Sprint would allow it due to the establishe spectrum on the chip sets. This would certainly give consumers a lot more versatility, but I don't think Sprint would go for it. However with VoLTE is certainly gives it a better possibility if a chip can be designed to support all the varying LTE frequencies all the carriers will be utilizing.

[xcharles718]

I think they should. I can't see any negative to do so.

 

Like if the EVO 3 is announced, Both Sprint and Sprint Prepaid Group(Boost & Virgin) can sell it. Don't feel like getting a contract(since Sprint makes you sign a 2-yr agreement even if you BYOD)? Buy it off-contract, pickup a SPG SIM and be on your way.

Edited March 5, 2012 by xcharles718

[pyroscott]

I think it is a good idea. The only sticking point is that carriers usually save the best features for their bread and butter postpaid customers. They reap more profit from the postpaid customers, which is probably why they try to promote postpaid subscription over prepaid. Although prepaid is still a large part of sprint's business model, and they have given boost and virgin mobile a lot of premium services and LTE is less expensive to maintain than evdo. It's probably just a matter of time. We will see what Verizon does since they have a LTE head start

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[ericdabbs]

I think prepaid LTE can work in the future but not now. The focus for Sprint should be to retain and gain new customers for postpaid. Sprint currently does not have enough capacity with just a 5x5 block to support both prepaid and postpaid customers. Heck I think it might even work out for Sprint to starve the prepaid market without LTE so that they might even convert to postpaid just so they can get the speed. Once Sprint has enough capacity then they can start to talk about prepaid LTE which hopefully is not until 2016.

[irev210]

I agree with above. Sprint's goal with postpaid is to offer the best services with the best phones.

 

Prepaid is great at offering the most value.

 

At some point, I am sure that you will see Sprint offer a prepaid LTE plan but probably not for a while. They will want to take advantage of the increased efficency of LTE but will probably give well definied speed caps and data caps to keep Sprint postpaid a premium product.

[4GHoward]

4G WiMAX Prepaid Model seems to be working out for Clearwire.

[MacinJosh]

4G WiMAX Prepaid Model seems to be working out for Clearwire.

 

Except for people like me who manage to consume 60+GB/mo of data, lol.

[xcharles718]

Is there any chance that Sprint would adopt SIM cards in the future?

[lynyrd65]

It hasn't been discussed, so i'll start.

 

It would be nice to buy a Sprint Galaxy Nexus off-contract, pop in a Virgin Mobile LTE SIM and have prepaid LTE on it.

Of course this is not the case. But this can be an interesting way to get subscribers onto the LTE network (only 5% of VZW subs have 4G devices). Since Sprint wouldn't have to worry about subsides, what the customer pays would go directly to them. It would also help speed up adoption to LTE, free up 3G spectrum on a otherwise hard to move sub base since service doesn't have contracts, old devices would remain in use longer.

 

I say yes but only on 2500mhz and MAYBE 1900mhz spectrum. The 800mhz spectrum should be post-paid only. I think V-Mo and Boost are part of the reason the Sprint network has fallen so far in network quality.

[NiteSnow]

Is there any chance that Sprint would adopt SIM cards in the future?

 

I doubt it. It's likely that it relates to the chance of people using their Mobile phones LTE RUIM for unlimited LTE on data cards and tablets without a tethering/tablet/mobile broadband plan.

[iansltx]

Wait, don't the new LTE phones on Sprint *have* to have SIMs for the LTE component? I know that every single Verizon device I've seen with LTE has a SIM.

[MacinJosh]

Wait, don't the new LTE phones on Sprint *have* to have SIMs for the LTE component? I know that every single Verizon device I've seen with LTE has a SIM.

 

They have SIM's, but they are imbedded into the device, so they aren't hot-swappable like Verizon. Hopefully one day Sprint will start releasing LTE devices with removable SIM cards.

[NiteSnow]

They have SIM's, but they are imbedded into the device, so they aren't hot-swappable like Verizon. Hopefully one day Sprint will start releasing LTE devices with removable SIM cards.

 

There is no point for them to release a RUIM as their devices are the only ones that support their spectrum. It would be nice to switch between Sprint devices, but it's pretty easy to switch devices on the sprint website.

[MacinJosh]

 

There is no point for them to release a RUIM as their devices are the only ones that support their spectrum. It would be nice to switch between Sprint devices' date=' but it's pretty easy to switch devices on the sprint website.[/quote']

 

Verizon LTE devices only work with Verizon and yet they have removable SIM's. I wonder if it isn't more cost effective to have the SIM built into the phone though.

 

Sent from Joshs iPhone 3Gs using Forum Runner

[ryry4ya]

Verizon LTE devices only work with Verizon and yet they have removable SIM's. I wonder if it isn't more cost effective to have the SIM built into the phone though.

 

Sent from Joshs iPhone 3Gs using Forum Runner

 

Sims can get burnt out. It is wise to have detached that way you could swap out

[MacinJosh]

 

Sims can get burnt out. It is wise to have detached that way you could swap out

 

I wrecked more SIM cards by switching devices back and forth, lol.

 

Sent from Joshs iPhone 3Gs using Forum Runner

[xcharles718]

There is no point for them to release a RUIM as their devices are the only ones that support their spectrum. It would be nice to switch between Sprint devices, but it's pretty easy to switch devices on the sprint website.

When Sprint decides to deploy LTE in the PCS A-F blocks, MetroPCS' and some AT&T phones should be able to(hypothetically) use Sprint's LTE network if provided with provisioning and a SIM(in the case of AT&T devices, data-only would most likely be the only choice available unless there VoLTE). If AT&T decides to create LTE phones that are able to access their 850MHz holdings(but using superset Band Class 26 instead of just Class 5), those devices should also be able to be usable on Sprint's 800MHz LTE holdings.

 

This Pantech device(P8010) just went through the FCC. It's includes Band Classes 2, 4, 5, and 17. It doesn't include superset Band Classes 25(Class 2 + G Block) & 26(Class 5 + ESMR).

http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/15/pantech-p8010-meets-fcc/

https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1687578