xcharles718

Wireless providers are also regulated until Title II, though with many parts of it excluded(and that it only apply to the 'phone' component). The FCC's 'Open Internet' policy included some rules that covered wireless as well(such as banning carriers from blocking VoIP). I'm interested in seeing if provisions such as these will be included in the FCC's regulatory policy when they are expected to announce reclassification next month.

Open Internet didn't seem to prevent things like T-Mobile's "Music Freedom" from happening, though if that will still be the case will the case in the future, I'm not so confident.

Sprint's support for the measure would hopefully make the public more aware of the importance of the topic.

They can join an existing Framily, but can not create a new one.

 

Sent from my Sprint LG G3

But AFAIK, the new customer would be placed under the account holder of the original Framily(as in liability & the billing would go to the existing Framily), which goes against one of the sale points that made this plan palpable(separate bills).

I think their $60 2GB plan or whatever will do a LOT to keep current subs from totally leaving. They may downgrade service to the lower plans though. I think the promo is very smart with the free 1 GB per line or whatever. In fact right now you can get the 10 GB more everything plan for 2 lines for $130+phone cost. That is pretty good value on Verizon.

AFAIK, the $60 2GB(the contract plan) does not include the bonus GB; but is offered on the MORE everything plans(which also has a $60 plan, though if you want a device, you'll have to pay full retail or buy through EDGE).

I can definitely see VZW subscribers switching to the plan, though I do wonder how long Verizon will be willing to hold on to contract-based plans.

I wouldn't expect their subscriber base to consider Sprint for at least another year, by then it should be clear if Verizon is willing to complete with T-Mobile & Sprint full-heartedly in value(data tier or price).

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Can someone else confirm that new customers can't get a iPhone on the regular $60 plan?

Both the main & my school's discount website only allow purchase with the $50 plan. Personally, I wouldn't keep a phone for longer than a few months & with the discount, It'll be cheaper to get the $60 plan. 

Sprint definitely needs a new CEO to kickstart this Network Vision plan.  Dan Hesse was ok in coming up with the idea of Network Vision but the execution has been frankly poor the last 1.5 years.  Honestly they need a CEO like Legere who is not afraid to go toe to toe with the big 2 and now with Tmobile.

I don't see how a new CEO is going to make Network Vision go any faster. Saw has been at Sprint and we've been some deployment improvements for some time, and Sprint isn't cash-strapped like it was when NV originally started.

Back on topic, I doubt that Illiad ever intended for this bid to be accepted, but it does introduce another possible buyer for TMUS, which will have an effect on any future bid by Softbank from a regulatory perspective. Son will have to see if this pushes down the chance of the deal getting approved to the point that it would no longer be worthwhile. 

DT has no interest in remaining in the U.S. market and would be open to outside investment; as for how much Illiad is willing(and able to) pay & if other buyers arise, time will tell.

It would be interesting to see how a new majority shareholder that isn't Softbank would affect the proposed joint-spectrum venture.

Gotta have a subscription to read it...and...i don't....:-(

Searching the title with Google usually works.

http://www.google.com/search?q=With+shouts+and+hugs%2C+Sprint+boss+Masayoshi+Son+drives+turnaround+at+struggling+wireless+carrier&oq=With+shouts+and+hugs%2C+Sprint+boss+Masayoshi+Son+drives+turnaround+at+struggling+wireless+carrier&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

I'm thinking that a Sprint/T-Mobile/Dish deal seems very likely considering all the recent developments in the past few weeks.

I believe that T-Mobile will be mention by name at some point during next week's event, as for if Sprint will outright say that they're looking to acquire T-Mobile, that seems unlikely at this time. I would also expect that the Dish/Sprint broadband trials would also be mentioned, talking up about how both companies are committed to rural broadband, and something about how great of a partner Dish truly is.

In all, I believe that the current plan in the works is that any bid that Sprint might make would be a joint bid with Dish, in which Sprint gets the subs & PCS, and Dish gets the infrastructure(along with Sprint's support to get Dish's HW/Handsets/Spectrum up and running). As for 700 & AWS, where that ends up would be on how long does Sprint expect to take to move subs over to their side.

Feds gets their 4 carriers. DT gets paid. Son gets to compete. Ergen gets his network.

One big happy Framily℠...

The way it works in a third party store system is that physical paper sits at the store for months then a box gets shipped to sprint. After a rep goes over it in their system there is a box they check thats says customer agreed to to terms. The fact you never initialed that box doesnt matter bevause the rep clicked you agreed to all terms. The system will not go tobthe next page and activate unless they ckick that box.In sprints eyes you are in a contract because your rep fucked up.

 

Im sorry you are experiencing all this trouble as a new customer and i hope ive helped a little. Not all reps are created equally or trained equally.

 

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the help. I really been looking forward to returning to Sprint after leaving when things were so bad here in NYC back in 2012. I usually don't go to 3rd party stores, but this was the closest to me, and my T-Mobile service already lapsed.

I definitely will try to make a effort to go back to this store before the end of the week, and specifically ask them to get the contract removed(which should, in theory, remove the Framily fee).

First of all that is a third party. 2nd the 2nd picture top right box says 24 month contract. When a third party does a no contract properly it says "N/A" there. If you intitialed and signed that you did a contract.

 

Return that to the store and say you do.not want a contract.

 

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

Never initial that box on either copies of the service agreement, though I'll try to go back to that store in a few days and have them attempt to take me out of the contract.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

Post a picture of the agreement and black out personal stuff. Ill see if i can figure out what they did.

 

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http://imgur.com/le6vVJE

http://imgur.com/nLwtFeh

When I originally signed up, the rep said that I could drop TEP online, so I did, along with the 2GB buy-up. Don't know why she wrote $40 though, as when I signed up to that particular Framily, I was the 9th line.

Edit: I ever actually did drop the 3GB add-on(was planing to, when I saw the Framily charge showed up on My Sprint, and the 3GB add-on was gone).

Okay, So if I am reading this right, you went in with a used phone that you purchased from a 3rd party and activated a new line of service on your own account? Or was your line added to someone else's Framily/Account? I think it may be a confusion at the store level. As far as I know being able to bring a line to sprint(even with a used phone) without a contract is a brand new thing.

I opened a new account, using someone else's Framily code.

Above and beyond that, the $15/m fee being referred to is currently being waived... They messed something up and you should go to a store and get fixed if possible, don't wait. 

The particular Sprint store I activated my phone at has said that this fee is systematically applied to all Framily plans(even after I showed them on the service agreement I signed the exact terms of when this fee is charged).

So going back to that store wouldn't get me very far(nor would I have the time to do so for the next few days).

The $15/mo/line only applies to current Sprint customers that are not upgrade eligibile (still in contract) when moving to a Framily Plan. However, this fee is waived if you're a current Sprint customer in contract and purchased a discounted phone prior 1/10/14 and not upgrade eligible.

I wouldn't(or at least shouldn't) be in contract, has I just got service this Monday(and didn't have Sprint prior to then).

Contacted retentions and according to them, the store put me into a contract. They said contact the store(which I already visited), so getting any help from them would be unlikely. So they said wait until I receive my first bill, and they'll go from there.

I just hope the bill comes before my 1st 14 days are up.

I decided to join a Framily on Monday, porting in my main number from T-Mobile. However, I've run into an issue.

According to My Sprint, I'm being charged a $15 Framily Service Charge, which, according to both the service agreement I signed, and according to the Framily FAQ's on Sprint's website, I shouldn't be charged, as I purchased my phone off-contract & used from a 3rd-party, and didn't move to Framily from a Sprint line still in-contract(as I've never had Sprint service in my name, nor used Sprint in any capacity since 2012).

Contacting Sprint CS, they state that on their end, it shows that I've purchased my phone with a discount(I assume they mean either on contract, or via Easy Pay), which I inform them I have not. They then state I should go to the Sprint Store I activated service. The Store told me that the service fee is charged to all Framily customers, and that I can either call CS again, or cancel my service.

So before I decide if I go with the latter, is there any way that I can get this fee removed?

I was in Sunnyside and averaging 30+ on Spark, same goes for Midtown.

 

The fact that people base their carriers on the maximum speed (which has a long list of environmental reasons as to how that speed was achieved), instead of doing a complete needs analysis is sad.

How solid is Spark coverage in Midtown(and network conditions there in general)? I saw in the premiere maps thread that the WiMax-only to TD-LTE site ratio was roughly 6:1, with a lot of them not looking like they're being upgraded anytime soon.

are we aloud to post our Framily ids so anyone can use them? Or is there a thread for that already and I can't find it.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

Not sure if there was any edict made regarding posting IDs here, but I would recommend starting a new thread for them.

Most of the users here already have Sprint, so they wouldn't be able to join. However, for the few that don't(myself included) & visitors of the site, it would definitely make the process of finding Framilys to join a lot easier.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

In less than 90 days msrp or easy pay will be the only way to get phones from sprint.

 

Sent from tapatalk

Would subsidized phones still continue to be available via 3rd-party retailers after this time(for those who want to stay with their Simply Everything plans)?

For those of you who signed up, is the Framily discount applied in time for the first bill, or will you really have the wait two billing cycles?

Also, are taxes calculated before or after Framily discount(s)?

I meant to say 2 lines are ready now to upgrade and the others will be in a few months. I would rather pay the 199$ then the 699$

 

Also can someone show me where it says if you go with the unlimited you get a upgrade 1 time per year every 12 months? i have not seen this anywhere in there terms

From the Framily Q&A link :

http://support.sprint.com/support/article/title/315d1dfb-7fe2-4e5a-b633-36db2003ecc8?INTNAV=LP:RMB:01092014:QA#faq20

How do I exercise my Annual Upgrade option?

 

Customers on the Sprint Framily Plan that buy-up to the $20 per month unlimited and annual upgrade and have the buy up on their account for 12 consecutive months can give back their current Installment Agreement phone (or an authorized replacement) and enter into a new Installment Agreement via Sprint Easy Pay. Give back of current phone in good and functional condition will waive the rest of their current installment agreement.

 

 

Do these Framily plans include taxes & fees, or is that on top of the per line cost?

Plus carriers buy handsets at wholesale cost. There is profit in selling them at MSRP. If this removes the discounts and subsidies etc, the end result is still them making a profit on devices. They may just end up having their cake, eating it and selling shares of it. Too long the carriers have all had the same business model, pricing pretty much in step with each other. This is great to see. Sprint are offering more choice, more flexible approaches, without compromising their bottom line. They have sat back and watched what tmo have done, they are offering non unlimited data options which is good for long term network health. They have been very sensible about watching what the real world repercussions would be and they have made their move. As NV moves toward a network that can stand toe to toe with vzw on coverage and beat it on capacity but with offerings that aren't draconian and offensive to customers, life is looking good for Sprint and their subs. 

 It's the "pump pipe" scenario that most telecoms fear, and that Sprint and other companies are finally starting to embrace.

It's the way services like this should be offered.

But it will drop ACPU which is something a consumer or mom and pop investor doesn't hear about but it integral to the financials. ARPU is something that people like to see increase, but if it drops but net income rises then people focus more on the income. It's a factor but people making large investments will understand that a drop may not be bad. The balance between ACPU and ARPU is where the coin is, if both drop by the same amount but your net adds goes through the roof then it is magnum of moet time and for a business like cellular coms a rise in net adds will result in a drop in acpu by default above and beyond the drop due to the exclusion of of the CPE cost. 

With NV, this should be the case. I guess my only concern is if the growth Framily(an awful name, imo) might bring in be sustainable long-term.

That would put the duopoly on their toes.

One Up definitely got the ax much faster than I would've expected. This new plan structure does make me want to return to Sprint a lot, since the more people I refer onto my "Framily" bundle, the cheaper everyone's service cost.

Plus, on the resell market, Sprint phone generally go cheaper than those of the other Tier-1 carriers(saw a new LG G2 on eBay for $330), so it wouldn't be hard to have service without the subsidy. 

What does worry me is that this might be solely a ploy to pump up the subscriber count, which at the surface is fine(especially in building an ecosystem of BC 41 devices), but overtime, this will plunge ARPU, which will piss off investors(and taking some of S stock price with it).

If there's one thing that Sprint has been notoriously good at, it would be marketing...

I just hope they start allowing all devices to be activated on prepaid.