[ericsmcdonald]

It really doesn't even out in end. Take myself for example. When I looked into Verizon's pricing, to get what I get with Sprint would have been about an extra 110 per month. I have 3 lines. Even if Sprint charge me an extra $500 per phone, I'd still save over $1000 on Sprint by the end of my 24 month contract. And that's not including Verizon's high EFTs (if I did ever need to end my contract), and none of the phone price discrepancies are anywhere close to $500 (I think around $150 might be the max).

If the spread is that much, you're right, you'll save more with Sprint.

However, are there other options you can investigate? Like 3 lines on a Family Share?

[Gawain]

I don't think anyone said that a move to allow outside ESNs would, "turn the company's marketshare loss around" what I said is that it would be an advantage over Verizon.

As to your second point, that's the advantage. There's no oversight here. Sprint could piggyback free of charge on Verizon's $400 million Droid marketing campaign. Sprint would be out nothing. They don't have to focus any effort here. All they would have to do is say that they'll except the ESN from your Droid onto their network. Verizon would be the one marking the phone, subsidizing the phone, and collecting the $350 EFT while Sprint would be the one collecting the monthly revenue generated by the contract. Furthermore, Sprint looses a lot of its money in phone subsidizes. This would give them a way to collect monthly contract revenue without have to paid any upfront cost.

The bottom line is that it would be an advantage for Sprint. Would it change everything? No, but no one single thing is going to change everything. It could also be an advantage if Verizon allowed Sprint's ESNs onto their network, but it wouldn't work as well for Verizon. Sprint would get more of a benefit because they offer lower cost plans, and because they're usually behind Verizon on getting the newest and best phones.

Let's just remember that it won't happen. Because of the advantage it would give Sprint, Verizon would absolutely do something to retaliate. Most likely allowing Sprint exclusives (think Pre) onto their network or trying to modify roaming contracts. The whole thing would be a two-way street. But to say that it wouldn't give any advantage just isn't true. Companies are paying for exclusive phones. They want those phone locked to their network.

I think in the arena of smart phones, this is easier said than done. There are back-channel-support issues that Sprint would have to address as well.

Let's take Joe, buys a Storm2 at retail at VZW. Joe goes to Sprint to activate on Sprint's network. Sprint would have to have the OS optimized for their network flashed on to the phone. Since they don't have an agreement in place with RIM to support such a device, they'd have to start from scratch, with RIM to develop an OS which meets Sprint's idiosyncrasies. It's not a simple CDMA to CDMA swap. The monthly revenue for the trickle of customers isn't worth the cost to Sprint to provide the infrastructure to support such a device. Sprint has always had an established relationship with Palm. Unfortunately, a variety of factors hurt both companies dearly. Palm's WebOS is really really cool. I like it a lot (but alas no BBM), but honestly, I don't think they were able to generate the hype during pre-release, which is what both Sprint and Palm really needed. They had the goods...but....soooo close...

In the area of dumb phones I don't think it's a likely scenario anymore. I had an old Motorola V-type phone which I gave to my dad (who was on an old ALLTEL network at the time). ATTEL didn't sell that specific version of Moto phone, and what "could have"/"should have" (??) been a simple "flash" to activate that phone turned out to be a major pain in the @ss.

Sprint has the advantage on their cost of plans to the consumer. They need to light the fire with some great equipment. Palm didn't do it. Blackberry/RIM doesn't need it. Apple probably won't (but you know, I wouldn't rule that out just yet). HTC is playing the field. ....

[08GreenBrute]

i was with nextel for years and it seamed there service was getting worse and worse around our area so i had to dump them and get a different carrier

[sfogle]

Verizon and AT&T are the same price.

The other thing to consider ... Verizon & AT&T subsidize the price of similar phones much more than does Sprint. Sprint is like a higher down payment with a lower monthly cost, whereas Verizon & AT&T have the low down payment but a higher monthly cost. It all kind of (emphasis on kind of) evens out in the end, depending on your plan.

Examples (prices from websites):

Touch Pro 2: $199 on vzw, $349 on sprint
Touch Diamond: $99 on vzw, $199 on sprint
Hero/Eris: $99 on vzw, $179 on sprint
Only direct competitor: Tour is $149 on both

Sprint may be getting the message...they just released the new Curve 8530 for $49.99 after rebate- Verizon has the identical handset for $99.99. Verizon has it in both black and purple; however, Sprint's press release stated they would have the new Curve in black, red & purple...just don't know when.

I also agree with iredline5, I think Sprint got a bad early reputation- I've found their data speeds to be as good and better in many cases than Verizon's and the voice coverage is equivalent as well.

We recently switched to Sprint at our office and are on the $99.99 "Simply Everything" plan which just can't be beat!

[hispanola]

Sprint may be getting the message...they just released the new Curve 8530 for $49.99 after rebate- Verizon has the identical handset for $99.99. Verizon has it in both black and purple; however, Sprint's press release stated they would have the new Curve in black, red & purple...just don't know when.

I also agree with iredline5, I think Sprint got a bad early reputation- I've found their data speeds to be as good and better in many cases than Verizon's and the voice coverage is equivalent as well.

We recently switched to Sprint at our office and are on the $99.99 "Simply Everything" plan which just can't be beat!

Verizon had their version out a full month ahead of Sprint. They had it in stores with both colors available. All we know with Sprint is nothing as to when other colors will be available or when they will be in store to purchase (fail). This is a continuos problem with Sprint. Check out this article on (gizmodo.com/5432284/iphone-meet-razr-the-ten-most-popular-phones-in-the-country) which talks about 'The Ten Most Popular Phones in the Country' (7/10 of these phones are offered on Verizon of which 4 are exclusive to Verizon!) That's 3/4ths of the most popular phones in the nation are available on Verizon and almost half are exclusive to them. This is what Sprint faces. To further examplify this, today I had a friend who complained about her T-Mobile service. She stated she was interested in Verizon. I told her it would be expensive. She said she already was paying $100 for her BB and Verizon would only be $110 above that. I told her that she would be paying way less with Sprint (which surprised her). But, in the end she went with Verizon. When price is not the determining factor (which is about the only edge Sprint has), then Sprint is in major trouble!

I agree that Sprint has a bad rep (some of it deserved some not). I love Sprint and have not had any major issues with them. Their service is in fact great. But they need to do something major! They are no longer in a fight with AT&T or Verizon. They are in a fight with T-Mobile who is slowly but surely catching up in terms of subscribers (closing in on just a 10 million gap). T-Mobile is known for myFaves and Sidekicks, AT&T for the rollover and iPhone, Verizon for the network, Sprint... (my point exactly).

[JaEsyn]

i used to be a phone tech and phone sells person i must say tht verizon have awesome phone BUT if you dnt have certain things then thoes xtras tht the phone come with dnt work and their xtras cost alot to have @papped ur right ppl dont care about prices bc ive seen ppl say they broke n go buy a brand new pone over 300 bux the nxt day... its all about the phone even tho ppl say its a bad time ppl dont care about clothes and price they jus wanna look good i try to pull ppl to the sprint side bc our plans includes the BB plan idk anywhere tht has tht at this moment i feel tht when i was working there Sprint was more for the Business man and thts not whts goin on at this moment sprint was pose to get the Google phone not T mobile we were pose to get the storm not Verizon... how did this happen i have no idea but sprint phones its goin backwards now sprint used to be on the edge with new high tech phones n now its like u see phones tht came out 8yrs ago... Imma stay with sprint til i die jus because when u neen something ull have to stay on hold for an hour to get it fixd but all my issues are solved with tht one phone call... and where else can you go tht if they have phone techs tht they can fix ur phone instead of EVERY SINGLE time u go with an issue you have to send the damn phone off and wait for weeks

[rebekahj81]

My employer recently started offering pretty great discounts on Sprint plans. We partner with them now for all of our mobile and paging services (hospital) and even have a Sprint store in one of our buildings. Guaranteed coverage all over, etc., even where other phones have dead spots.

I have T-Mobile and I could switch to Sprint now and pay $15 less per month. I've had great service experience with T-Mo though, and Sprint has a bad reputation for poor customer service. That's why I've stayed away, even though their prices are comparable to T-Mobile's. (T-Mo DOES have some dead spots on the hospital campus though.)

I haven't had Sprint for YEARS, so maybe they've changed their ways. No one has tried to convince me though.

[eyecon82]

sprint is much better than t mobile...WITHOUT A DOUBT

i would give then another try rebekahj81...

[eyecon82]

also, the customer service is awesome IMO

[papped]

I have T-Mobile and I could switch to Sprint now and pay $15 less per month. I've had great service experience with T-Mo though, and Sprint has a bad reputation for poor customer service. That's why I've stayed away, even though their prices are comparable to T-Mobile's. (T-Mo DOES have some dead spots on the hospital campus though.)

I haven't had Sprint for YEARS, so maybe they've changed their ways. No one has tried to convince me though.

For $15 a month, it's not really worth the gamble imo. You already know you have good service and like the Tmobile CS, I would just stick with it.

If it was more like $30+ a month it might be worth it.

[rawvega]

For $15 a month, it's not really worth the gamble imo. You already know you have good service and like the Tmobile CS, I would just stick with it.

Why isn't it worth the gamble? $15 is $15. And if for whatever reason she isn't satisfied with Sprint, it's not like t-mobile won't welcome her back, so what's the gamble?

[Jo_795]

For $15 a month, it's not really worth the gamble imo. You already know you have good service and like the Tmobile CS, I would just stick with it.

If it was more like $30+ a month it might be worth it.

some of us would like to have those extra $15 a month....

[papped]

Wow, a Sprint forum saying to switch to Sprint and ask questions later, shocker...

Anyways, she's not gonna switch just because a bunch of random Sprint board members say she should on the basis of the monthly fee alone, which she is:

1) already aware of
2) stated wasn't convincing enough of a reason

Some people are actually happy with their current carrier. If you can't understand why it might not be worth the gamble to switch to an unknown to save $15, then you just can't understand it...

[Jo_795]

Wow, a Sprint forum saying to switch to Sprint and ask questions later, shocker...

chill mr negative

[ryoujyoku]

I have T-Mobile and I could switch to Sprint now and pay $15 less per month. I've had great service experience with T-Mo though, and Sprint has a bad reputation for poor customer service. That's why I've stayed away, even though their prices are comparable to T-Mobile's. (T-Mo DOES have some dead spots on the hospital campus though.)

Really? I haven't had a problem with customer service via Sprint. Everyone I talk to is really great to work with.

[bloodlinebb]

I'm down with sprint 99 everything plan!

Can't beat that!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[blackmagik84]

I'm down with sprint 99 everything plan!

Can't beat that!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Actually, T-Mobile's unlimited everything plan is $79.99

#imjustsayin

[faf224]

Sprint loses this Sprint loses that bla bla bla.

Sprint gets people who have horrible credit and make them pay $50 to $125 deposits for a phone, then that person true to form doesn't/can't pay their bill and cancels or get sent into collection.

If Sprint would charge $500 deposits per line like Verizon or At&t you wouldn't see this problem.

[Gawain]

i used to be a phone tech and phone sells person i must say tht verizon have awesome phone BUT if you dnt have certain things then thoes xtras tht the phone come with dnt work and their xtras cost alot to have @papped ur right ppl dont care about prices bc ive seen ppl say they broke n go buy a brand new pone over 300 bux the nxt day... its all about the phone even tho ppl say its a bad time ppl dont care about clothes and price they jus wanna look good i try to pull ppl to the sprint side bc our plans includes the BB plan idk anywhere tht has tht at this moment i feel tht when i was working there Sprint was more for the Business man and thts not whts goin on at this moment sprint was pose to get the Google phone not T mobile we were pose to get the storm not Verizon... how did this happen i have no idea but sprint phones its goin backwards now sprint used to be on the edge with new high tech phones n now its like u see phones tht came out 8yrs ago... Imma stay with sprint til i die jus because when u neen something ull have to stay on hold for an hour to get it fixd but all my issues are solved with tht one phone call... and where else can you go tht if they have phone techs tht they can fix ur phone instead of EVERY SINGLE time u go with an issue you have to send the damn phone off and wait for weeks

You sir win the award for run-on-sentence of "what-the-***k-did-you-just-say?" award.

[rawvega]

Sprint loses this Sprint loses that bla bla bla.

Sprint gets people who have horrible credit and make them pay $50 to $125 deposits for a phone, then that person true to form doesn't/can't pay their bill and cancels or get sent into collection.

If Sprint would charge $500 deposits per line like Verizon or At&t you wouldn't see this problem.

Perhaps that was true in the past. It isn't the case now.

[Amy wineBerry]

Yep...before you could just pay $30 extra for BIS on top of your voice plan...this way it saves you money because not everyone in the family uses data

now if you want an everything family plan with data, you can't just have 1 phone with data and all other voice..they want all on data..hence "everything"

My legacy plan is a sero-voice only with free BIS/BES/PAM

bill comes out to about $32 a month with taxes

Do you think it's possible for me to only get a BIS plan on Sprint for $30???

[jackmei2]

After discounts, I'm paying $60 a month for 450 daytime minutes and unlimited everything else, taxes included.

Nobody else can touch that.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

does sprint let you take a corp discount on the SEP's? I originally had the $99 SEP and they would not let me take a discount (23%) on it and told me that the plan is a huge discount already. I switched to VZW and they let me take a discount (22%). I am now on a 450 min plan and pay about $83 a month, but I noticed sprint has the same plan for $70, but with taxes would prob be about $80 as well w/o a discount.

[caseydietz]

does sprint let you take a corp discount on the SEP's? I originally had the $99 SEP and they would not let me take a discount (23%) on it and told me that the plan is a huge discount already. I switched to VZW and they let me take a discount (22%). I am now on a 450 min plan and pay about $83 a month, but I noticed sprint has the same plan for $70, but with taxes would prob be about $80 as well w/o a discount.

We use a corporate discount with our plan, we have the 1500 everything plan and we get 27% off through my employer's discount. I think the person that told you you're unable to use the discount was wrong.

[SevereDeceit]

My prediction.....U.S.Celluar buys Sprint.

[Sinternet Jr.]

My prediction.....U.S.Celluar buys Sprint.

I really hope that's sarcasm if you think U.S. Cellular could afford to buy Sprint, and not the other way around. Earlier this year, there were rumors of Sprint or Verizon purchasing US. Cellular. Google or Comcast would be the better choices.