We've got a couple of interesting stories today on two of the big carriers. First up is news via The Boy Genius Report that Sprint has launched an Unlimited Access Plan that is $119.99 a month for unlimited everything. Sprint's Unlimited Access is now available nationwide and can be tied to any Sprint device. As you can see from Sprint's ad photo, the cute Centro is one of those devices.
The BGR wonders if the Unlimited Access Plan is an action of desperation, as in "Desperations of a sinking ship". Dieter over at WMExperts had recently written an article on Sprint's string of bad news. Sprint is the first of the four major carriers to offer an Unlimited Plan like this. So who knows? Maybe this is an attempt for Sprint to bring new customers on board and to keep its current customers. The plan does sound mighty tempting. Below is what the plan offers:
- Unlimited voice calling
- Unlimited SMS
- Unlimited web
- Unlimited email
- Unlimited picture mail
According to the BGR, smartphones will still need a separate Power Vision pack or BlackBerry data plan. Over at the Sprint website, it states that the offer is only available at participating Sprint Retailers or by calling 1-800-569-1077.
The other bit of interesting news is also via The Boy Genius Report. It seems that AT&T has officially announced today news of a major 3G expansion in 2008.
AT&T's press release says that they plan to deploy their 3G wireless broadband service to more than 80 additional cities in the United States through the course of the year. Sweet! Please, oh please let my area of N.C. be included in those 80 cities!
The planned expansion is expected to deliver AT&T 3G services to nearly 350 leading U.S. markets by the end of 2008, including all of the top 100 U.S. cities. The 3G initiative will include the roll out of more than 1,500 additional cell sites nationwide.
Other plans for the new year include completion of the nation's first High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)-enabled network by the middle of the year. Currently, the AT&T 3G network delivers average downlink speeds ranging between 600 and 1,400 Kilobits per second (Kbps), as well as faster uplink speeds, ranging from 500 and 800 Kilobits per second (Kbps). With faster uplink speeds, AT&T's HSUPA-enabled laptop users are able to more quickly send large files and take full advantage of the latest interactive Internet and business applications.
"Fast wireless broadband is the foundation for a whole range of new and emerging applications that our customers are adopting, including everything from social networking to sending live video and large business files," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO for AT&T's wireless unit. "With these aggressive initiatives, we're expanding the scope and the speed of our 3G capabilities, connecting people with their world and enabling more customers to do more with their wireless devices, wherever they may be.
"We're also planning for the future by establishing a clear path to a 4G network that will meet the needs of our customers for years to come," said de la Vega.
Heck, bring it on AT&T! 4G sounds good to me! Of course I'd love to get a little taste of some of that 3G speed on my Treo at the moment. I hope a crap load of you Treo and Centro owners out there who don't already have 3G in your area, will get it soon.
