Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Sprint to unveil new text-centric cell plan
|
Edition:
U.S.
Article
Comments (0)
Save
Email
Print
Reprints
Most Popular
Most Shared
Euro mauled, stocks weaken as debt woes deepen
3:05am EDT
Americans "bombarded" with cancer causes: report
12:23am EDT
WRAPUP 1-US asks Pakistan for help in NY bomb probe-report
12:36am EDT
Luggage explosion causes scare at Houston airport
04 May 2010
Many possible triggers for wider euro debt crisis
05 May 2010
UPDATE 1- Sinatra week ends Aaron Kelly's run on "Idol"
1:20am EDT
Google sues indie label over copyright claims
12:56am EDT
No bomb found in truck on New York bridge: police
1:35am EDT
Europe leaders warn of contagion, 3 die in Greece
| Video
05 May 2010
Fears of Greek contagion sweep global markets
| Video
2:46am EDT
Americans "bombarded" with cancer causes: report
12:23am EDT
NY bomb attempt reignites security camera debate
05 May 2010
Many possible triggers for wider euro debt crisis
05 May 2010
Fears of Greek contagion sweep global markets
| Video
2:46am EDT
Thai protesters stay put, want more clarity from PM
12:24am EDT
African leaders launch push against malaria
05 May 2010
Oil cleanup chemicals worry environment watchdogs
04 May 2010
Police barred from penis enlargement
23 Apr 2010
Bad night's sleep can hamper body's insulin use
05 May 2010
Big Bang machine scientists look to exotic findings
05 May 2010
Analysis
Developers question Apple's advertising ambitions
Software developers expect a windfall in ad revenue from games and other applications they are designing for the iPad, but Apple push into mobile advertising is raising some industry hackles. Full Article
Chicago institute offers iPad app class
Sprint to unveil new text-centric cell plan
NEW YORK
Thu May 6, 2010 12:21am EDT
Related News
Corrected: Verizon kicks off sales of Microsoft's Kin
Wed, May 5 2010
RPT-Verizon kicks off sales of Microsoft's Kin
Wed, May 5 2010
Verizon kicks off sales of Microsoft's Kin
Wed, May 5 2010
Sprint loss widens but subscriber losses improve
Wed, Apr 28 2010
UPDATE 4-Sprint loss widens but subscriber losses improve
Wed, Apr 28 2010
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Starting next week Sprint Nextel Corp's Virgin unit will sell a new cellphone service plan to cater for the increasing number of young people who prefer to use their phone for text messaging rather than talking.
U.S. | Technology | Media
While most U.S. cellphone plans center around voice services and include data as an extra and often pricey frill, Sprint's Beyond Talk offer promises unlimited texting and Web surfing for $25 a month but limits phone calls to 300 minutes a month.
The plan, which kicks off May 12, is a part of a new Sprint strategy to hone in on narrow segments within the fiercely competitive prepaid cell market where customers pay for calls in advance without having to commit to long-term contracts.
Dan Schulman, the head of Sprint's prepaid business, said the new offer is the first to target 18-24 year-old budget conscious cellphone users who are texting more and more and making as few phone calls as possible.
"(For these people) voice is a technology of last resort. It's not the way they want to communicate," said Schulman who was Chief Executive of Sprint wholesale customer Virgin Mobile USA before Sprint bought the business late last year.
Sprint will also sell a $40 plan with 1,200 call minutes for people who still like to talk but want unlimited texts and mobile use of social Web services like Twitter and Facebook. A $60 plan includes unlimited calls and smartphones.
Roger Entner, a cellphone expert at market research group Nielsen, said the $25 plan would likely appeal to teenagers who "cannot or do not want to be" on a family plan which is typically controlled by a parent.
"The new Virgin plan is really a strong play for the texting youth segment," Entner said, estimating that the addressable market for U.S. texters who avoid making phone calls is about 50 million people.
Sprint's rivals in prepaid include Leap Wireless, MetroPCS Communications and Tracfone, a unit of America Movil.
Sprint's Boost unit shook up the prepaid market last year with a $50 per month unlimited voice and data plan that helped it steal customers from rivals and forced their prices down.
Entner said the new text-centric plan could put pressure on other prepaid operators to follow suit.
"Who you'll hurt is the guys who will not respond to it and want to sell to the teens and twenties segment," Entner said.
(Reporting by Sinead Carew; Editing by Dhara Ranasinghe)
U.S.
Technology
Media
Add a Comment
*We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters.
More from Reuters
Facebook privacy snafu exposed user chats
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Private chats between some Facebook users were briefly viewable by other users on Wednesday, an embarrassing technical glitch for a company facing growing criticism over "sloppy" privacy protection.
Sprint to unveil new text-centric cell plan
Nokia, Microsoft launch new mobile software
HP names Microsoft veteran to lead software
Intel revamps Atom platform for smartphone push
Regulators mull antitrust look at Apple: source
» More Top News
BP chief needs his PR skills
Tony Hayward, known for blunt speaking, will need to muster diplomatic skills if an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not to prompt a political backlash. Full Article
Video: Calm before the spill
"World's whitest beaches" under threat
Obama biggest recipient of BP cash
Poll: Is it still "drill baby drill"?
Green Business
Alienated, radicalized immigrants
Fears are bound to heighten over radicalized immigrants in the wake of the attempted New York bombing by a Pakistani-American. Are these worries justified? Full Article | Video
Bomber probe shifts to foreign links
Factbox: A married financial analyst
Bomb suspect was bound for Pakistan
Bomber from respectable background
What inspired the bomb attempt?
U.S.
© Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Analyst Research
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Labs
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts
Venture Capital Journal
International Financing Review
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
© Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Analyst Research
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Labs
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts
Venture Capital Journal
International Financing Review
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Thursday, 6 May 2010 Iraq's Shiite parties edge out Sunni-backed coalition
South American nations to boycott EU-LatAm summit
Resurgent Time Warner hints at MGM bid
Taliban launch suicide attack on Afghan city
Spain in eye of storm on Greek contagion fears
Google revamps search results page
Iran accepts Brazil mediation to revive atom deal
Dementia boosts risk in spouse too: study
U.S., Karzai seek common view on Taliban talks
|
Facebook glitch exposes chat messages
GM recalls 162,000 Hummers over hood fault
Lack of sleep linked to early death: study
Washington Post puts Newsweek up for sale
Somalis hijack Russian tanker, warship dispatched
|
Iran 'Twitter Revolution' comes to Paris
Finnish regulator says it is probing broadband fees
U.S. and other big powers back Mideast nuclear arms ban
|
Mobile broadband use to leap by 2015: Ericsson
Police arrest 58 in Darfur investment scam probe
|
Gray market iPads selling like hot cakes across Asia
China could force web users to disclose real names
Earthquake strikes off Indonesian coast
|
Netanyahu, Mitchell meet over fresh peace moves
US notches up security again after car bomb plot
China detains two men threatening new school attacks
Earthquake strikes off Indonesian coast
Taliban suicide squad targets Afghan govt compound
Pakistan court acquits four over Marriott attack: lawyer
Nukes, trade underpin NKorea leader's China visit
Several hurt in clash over Vietnam cemetery: witnesses
Japan PM under fire over US base U-turn
N.Korea leader in Beijing for talks with Hu: report
Thais cast politics aside, honor their ailing king
HP names Microsoft veteran to lead software
|
Cult Millennium crime trilogy to be shot in Stockholm: film commission
Renault-Bajaj car aims to challenge Nano
Taiwan bank sues North Korean lender over unpaid loan
China's Baosteel moves towards short-term prices for imports
Bangladesh's garment exports rebound in March
Cult Millennium crime trilogy to be shot in Stockholm: film commission
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Miley Cyrus releases sexy video for "Can't Be Tamed"
Spain's Almodovar reunites with Banderas for new film
Controversial Stalin monument dedicated in Ukraine
Nazi victims and perpetrators remembered, 65 years on
Cuba eyes tourism investments, including from US
Madrid Open finals to take on a new dimension
Indonesian shipwreck treasure auction flops
Top conductor slams Italy's proposed opera house reform
Miley Cyrus releases sexy video for Can't Be Tamed
|
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn set for 2011 release
|
Woodward book on Obama due out in U.S. in September
|
Indie films await sign of VOD, Web download success
|
Brazil denies Iran's talk of nuclear swap plan
Britons vote in closest election race for decades
U.S. envoy, Netanyahu hold inconclusive talks
Fears of Greek contagion sweep global markets
|
US-TECH Summary
Sprint to unveil new text-centric cell plan
Britons vote in photo finish election
|
Facebook glitch exposes chat messages
Greek unions call protests ahead of austerity vote
Russell Crowe, Jennifer Lopez To Appear On BBC America Talk Shows
Cybersecurity meet ends with calls for global cooperation
Greek crisis steals show at ECB meeting
Thai protesters demand more talks before quitting
|
Jonas Brothers Go Hollywood On Disney Channel's "JONAS L.A."
Freddie Mac asks for fresh 10.6 billion dollar bailout
Facebook privacy snafu exposed user chats
Freddie Mac Looking For More Than $10 Billion In Additional Federal Bailout
Nigerian president dies, acting leader to take over
|
HP names Microsoft veteran to lead software
Singer Taylor Swift Named New Covergirl Representative
Picasso Painting Fetches Record Price For Art Of $106.5 Million
AC/DC 'Iron Man 2' Soundtrack Tops Charts Ahead Of Hollywood Sequel
Iran holds war games in Gulf amid nuclear tension
|
US-TECH Summary
Senate Removes Bank Bailout Fund From Financial Reform Bill
U.S. Markets Fall Again As European Debt Crisis Looms
Senate Witnesses Advocate Crackdown on Terrorism Suspects Buying Guns
One pirate dead, 10 captured in Russia tanker rescue
|
B.o.B. Lands #1 Debut On The Billboard 200 Albums Chart
Hong Kong arrests footballers over match-fixing: report
Area of black boxes from 2009 Air France crash found
|
Myanmar police accuse exile group over Yangon blasts
US faces new terror threats, tactics out of Pakistan
Magnitude 6.4 quake rattles S. Peru, N. Chile
|
Malaysian sultan under watch after palace man shot
BP 'dome' carries hopes of averting oil catastrophe
Liberian to hang for drug trafficking in Malaysia
Philippines scrambles to fix glitch before vote
CIA drones hit wider range of targets in Pakistan
|
One baby with syphilis born every hour in China: study
Empty promises, vote-buying in Philippine slums
US lawmakers threaten Japan on child custody
Japan restarts controversial nuclear reactor
Thai PM eyes September dissolution of parliament
'Iron Man 2' eyes record as blockbuster season begins
China's new controls on property developers: report
Seoul shares lose 2 pct amid heavy foreign selling
Facebook privacy snafu exposed user chats
|
S.Korea sees more overseas investments this year
S.Korea won posts biggest daily pct fall in 10 mths
Sprint to unveil new text-centric cell plan
|
Peugeot, China's Changan sign joint venture deal
Gaza's new killers: generators leave over 100 dead
Toyota's domestic sales up 50 percent in April
U.K.'s Conservatives get a "yes" from Simon Cowell
China's Hua Xia Bank fundraising plan, shares drop
Comedy Central plans sex talk show, Jesus cartoon
S.Korea says BHP-Rio deal review may finish in H2
Sinatra week ends Aaron Kelly's run on "Idol"
Eurozone tremors rock Asian shares
Google sues indie label over copyright claims
Seoul shares lose 2 pct amid heavy foreign selling
Usher hits No. 1 on U.S. singles chart for 9th time
Sotheby's NY records solid auction
'Iron Man 2' eyes record as blockbuster season begins
"Idol" TV's biggest revenue generator: Forbes
Iron Man 2 packs a punch for Disney
|
Sinatra week ends Aaron Kelly's run on Idol
|
Usher hits No. 1 on U.S. singles chart for 9th time
|
U.K.'s Conservatives get a yes from Simon Cowell
|
Iron Man 2 primed for superheroic U.S. opening
|
Comedy Central plans sex talk show, Jesus cartoon
|
Google sues indie label over copyright claims
|
Avatar stays atop home video sales charts
|
Idol TV's biggest revenue generator: Forbes
|
B.o.B's Adventures arrives atop U.S. album chart
|
Nuclear watchdog urges united int'l pressure on Iran
Russian marines free tanker, capture Somali pirates
Cybersecurity experts share their 'nightmares'
German industrial orders surge 5%
European financial markets stage modest recovery
Pakistani sentenced to death for Mumbai attacks
|
Oil Spill: Obama Administration Offers Financial Help to Louisiana Small Businesses
Britain votes in tight general election
Nuclear watchdog urges united international pressure on Iran
|
Being Human Second Season Premiering On BBC America In July
Doomed Air France jet's black-boxes 'located'
UVA Murder Suspect Has Criminal Past
Greek PM presses austerity plan, vows to fight graft
|
Nigeria mourns death of president Umaru Yar'Adua
Kuwait says finds Gulf War mass grave of Iraq troops
|
Army Contractors Injured In Alabama Blast Succumb To Wounds
Glimpse Of Lost Script Apparently Leaked Online
Democrats Set Back With House Appropriations Chair David Obey's Retirement
Apartment Manager Drops Ottoman On Man's Head
MRIs Accurately Test For Breast Cancer Metastases
Drinking While Pregnant Ups Children's Risk Of Rare Cancer
Facing protests, Mubarak vows help for Egypt poor
|
RFK Bridge Reopens As NYPD Finds Abandoned U-Haul Not A Threat
Business aviation execs confident in steady recovery
|
NATO soldiers killed in southern Afghanistan
Russian forces free oil tanker, kill Somali pirate
|
Sri Lanka to probe alleged wartime rights abuses
Indian police tear gas supporters of rebel leader
Local Pakistan politicians shelter militants
29 dead after tornado, storm in southwestern China
Myanmar opposition party looks beyond its closure
Pakistani accused in Mumbai attacks gets death
Myanmar arrests a suspect in Yangon bombings
Mumbai gunman sentenced to death
South Korean driver earns license on 960th try
Facebook privacy snafu exposed user chats
|
Nokia board says supports management's strategy
|
Pakistan's forex reserves rise to $15.04 bln
Pakistani stocks, o/n rates end flat; rupee weakens
Poland's old steam trains still on track
GM China reports record April sales
Hermes sales surge in Asia, slump in Japan
Nintendo profit drops for first time in 6 years
Nintendo's annual profit down 18 percent
Japan's Sanyo aims to return to profit this year
Hollywood eyes another $4 billion summer movie season
|
Nintendo profits fall on declining Wii sales
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights