While it is true that nothing lasts forever, it still stings that Sprint’s wonderful Unlimited Kickstart plan will be no more starting this weekend. According to reports, the fourth biggest national carrier in the United States (read our 2018 review here) will be ending the new unlimited data offering it had unveiled only one week ago just before midnight Eastern Time on June 15th (that is this Friday).
This should be not that surprising -- after all, Sprint did state that its Unlimited Kickstart deal would only be made available as a limited time offer. But for those used to the mobile operator’s knack for extending promos, the life of this newest unlimited plan does seem unusually short. Still, the deal was originally meant to attract existing subscribers from rival networks, and it could really only work if prospective customers were encouraged to act fast in taking full advantage of the deal. According to Sprint, customer response to the introduction of its Unlimited Kickstart offer had been exciting and overwhelming. Having said that, the wireless service provider will almost certainly try a similar tactic in the near future.
For those who missed the news last week, know that the Unlimited Kickstart plan (here's a quick guide) allows people to bring their handsets to Sprint’s network or purchase a new phone. The plan does not require interested parties to sign a contract, but would be subscribers though will have to sign up with the Auto Pay feature. On top of that, the deal can only be availed of online. Some industry watchers saw the deal as a Father’s Day promotion, but in an ironic twist, the special offer will actually end a couple of days before Father’s Day.
Perhaps because Sprint’s Unlimited Kickstart offering was so sudden and short, its competitors never really got the chance to make a counter move. Interestingly, industry leader Verizon Wireless has just recently announced a new plan called Above Unlimited, which is pricier than its existing Go Unlimited and Beyond Unlimited plans.
Last year saw the so-called unlimited wars begin to brew, especially with T-Mobile’s relaunching of its unlimited data plan. The other members of the Big Four (Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and Sprint) have since unleashed their own respective unlimited offerings. Not surprisingly, the volume of mobile data network traffic has visibly increased as a result. With more and more people signing up for unlimited data plans (at the expense of Wi-Fi), more and more consumers will likely enjoy video streaming, whose level has significantly soared in the last few quarters.
