Sprint announced that its plans to shut down the iDEN Nextel National Network remain on schedule for the end of June, as originally announced in May of last year.
The last full day of iDEN service will be June 29; shutdown begins first thing Sunday, June 30, and will continue throughout the day. iDEN devices will then no longer receive voice service – including 911 calls – or data service. Sprint will shut down switch locations in rapid succession on June 30, followed by powering down equipment and eliminating backhaul at each cell site.
Sprint announced plans on May 29, 2012 to cease service on the iDEN Nextel National Network as early as June 30, 2013, as part of its Network Vision plan – a series of network updates designed to offer next-generation network capabilities to customers.
Since then, Sprint has been aggressively notifying customers to migrate from the iDEN Nextel National Network to avoid service disruptions. The notifications have included customer letters, legal notifications, and email reminders. Sprint added iDEN shutdown reminder text messages and will use other communications tactics during the network’s final days of operation.
The big phone is not suffering from low inventory due to high demand. Rather, inventory is low because of supply disruptions from Samsung.
“Samsung Electronics Co. cited overwhelming demand from around the world and said it expected ‘to fulfill inventory to meet demands in the coming weeks.’ Sprint’s launch was scheduled for Saturday. Sprint Nextel Corp. said it still expects to sell the device over the Internet and by phone, but retail stores and other distribution channels won’t get them until later. The company didn’t say when.”
So there you have it. In case you an’t get your hands on one, this is the reason why. There is no word on which markets have been affected – if you’re in in one however, let us know!
Sprint today announced that Sprint Data Link™ and Static IP networking services now operate over the Sprint 4G LTE network. Both products are compatible with 3G as well as 4G, and include upgrades that make it easier for businesses and government agencies to deploy, manage and extend an enterprise network to modems, tablets and handsets.
Sprint Data Link enables business networks to reach beyond the limits of a corporate enterprise WAN. Sprint Data Link provides mobile employees and connected devices with access to their mission-critical business information over a private wireless network, separate from the public Internet.
Sprint Data Link comes with a 99.9% availability service level agreement (SLA) and is supported on a vast array of 3G- and 4G-capable devices including handsets, tablets, laptops, mobile broadband cards, hotspots and M2M embedded modems. Uses range from setting up retail kiosks, seasonal storefronts, temporary offices, lottery terminals and wireline backup to remote monitoring and home healthcare.
Sprint will offer Samsung Galaxy S® 4 (16GB version) beginning on Saturday, April 27, for $249.99 (excluding taxes) with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement. For a limited time only, new customers who switch their phone number to Sprint from another carrier will receive an additional $100 instant credit, reducing the price of Galaxy S 4 to $149.99 (excluding taxes).
Pre-order for Galaxy S 4 will open on Thursday, April 18, at www.sprint.com/galaxys4, while supplies last.
Galaxy S 4 will be available at Sprint Stores, Sprint Business Sales, Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and Web Sales (www.sprint.com), and comes in two color options – White Frost and Black Mist.
Sprint offers Truly UnlimitedSM 4G LTE data, text and calling to any mobile device with no metering, no throttling, and no overages, all while on the Sprint network, making it the ideal carrier for customers who want to use every single feature of their Galaxy S 4 every single day of the month without worry. Sprint 4G LTE is available in select markets.
“Galaxy S 4 is packed with incredible new features that will benefit from unlimited data plans on the Sprint 4G LTE network,” said Fared Adib, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “Sprint encourages our customers to really use their smartphone to its full potential – from surfing the Web to listening to streaming music or watching YouTube videos – without worry about data caps, throttling or silly overage charges on their monthly bill. I know our customers will enjoy this device as much as I do.”
Manufactured by Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), Galaxy S 4 is powered by Android™ 4.2.2, Jelly Bean, boasts a brilliant 5-inch full HD Super AMOLED™ touchscreen, 1.9GHz quad-core processor and access to the Sprint 4G LTE network. It also offers Multi Window, which allows the use of two apps side-by-side.
Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) today confirmed it has received an unsolicited proposal from DISH Network to acquire the Company. The Company said that its Board of Directors will evaluate this proposal carefully and consistent with its fiduciary and legal duties. The company does not plan to comment further until the appropriate time.”
Dish Network reportedly bid 25.5 Billion dollars for Sprint in an attempt to bridge the gap between tv, internet and cell phone service. Dish Network has stated that this would provide a faster and more affordable platform for users.
Do you think this move would hurt or help you as a customer?
Sprint (NYSE: S) announced that Friday, April 19, as the availability date for the highly anticipated new HTC One®, the latest international smartphone with Truly Unlimited™ data while on the Sprint Network. HTC One reinvents the mobile experience by providing users a live stream that feeds personally relevant updates, a breakthrough camera that brings the photo gallery to life and the first dual front-facing stereo speakers on a phone with amplified audio.
HTC One will be available with 32GB of internal memory in Silver or Black in Sprint sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Sprint Business Sales, Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and Web Sales, for $199.99 with a new two-year service agreement (excludes taxes and surcharges). New and existing customers can pre-order HTC One beginning Friday, April 5, at www.sprint.com/htcone.
HTC One is equipped with eco-friendly attributes, including Underwriters Laboratory Environment (ULE) Platinum Certification, the highest level of environmental performance recognized by sustainable requirements established by ULE and Sprint, and packaging that is 98 percent recyclable.
HTC One brings users an unprecedented smartphone experience with unique features including:
HTC BlinkFeed™ – a bold new experience that transforms the home screen into a single live stream of personally relevant information, such as social updates, entertainment and lifestyle updates, and news and photos with immersive images so the user no longer needs separate applications to find out what’s happening. HTC BlinkFeed aggregates the newest content from relevant and interesting sources, giving it to users at a glance, all in one place, without the need to jump between multiple applications and websites.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. introduced Galaxy S® 4, successor to the award-winning Samsung Galaxy S III. Sprint (NYSE: S) will offer the U.S. variant of Galaxy S 4 in the second quarter of this year.
Fared Adib, senior vice president-Product Development at Sprint, issued the following statement:
“Sprint is excited to bring the benefit of Truly UnlimitedSM 4G LTE data to the U.S. variant of Galaxy S 4 in the second quarter of this year. Our customers will appreciate the ability to use Galaxy S 4 to surf the Web, share pictures and videos, and use this smartphone as much as they want without worrying about throttling or overage charges on their monthly bill due to data caps. NPD Group data indicated in 4Q 2012 that Sprint was the top U.S. seller of Samsung Galaxy S III, so we believe our customers will also enjoy its successor’s features and unlimited data.”
Sprint will offer up to $150 in savings for small businesses who buy any Sprint smartphone plus an LTE mobile broadband device. As a bonus, now through the end of May, the company will add a credit of up to $100 on eligible customers’ invoices for every wireless line that a small business switches to Sprint.
Small businesses will earn up to $100 off any smartphone, including all top-of-the-line iPhones and Samsung devices in Sprint’s product portfolio, and up to $50 off Sprint’s LTE Tri Mode USB or Sierra 4G LTE Tri-fi hotspot. The tri-mode and tri-fi hotspot enable quick connections to Sprint’s 4G LTE, 4G (WiMax) and 3G networks.
The special offer, valid through May 9, enables small businesses to chat, access email, check websites or Web conference at faster speeds than ever before – at a lower price. No matter if it’s on a train or in a coffee shop, the mobile broadband + a new smartphone offer is designed to keep small businesses connected, just like their big-business brethren.
The big discounts on all smartphones and select LTE mobile broadband devices are part of a Sprint initiative to attract and keep a larger share of the small-business market with better offers and customized service. Sprint recently opened Sprint Consult Centers in its retail stores to simplify the wireless buying process for small businesses. Each consult center offers a complete package of products, services, and certified expert advice customized to small business owners’ needs.
Many of Sprint’s customers enjoy the ease and freedom of its Truly UnlimitedSM data plans, but for customers who have chosen a different option Sprint wants ensure they can easily monitor and manage their wireless usage.
Today, Sprint is announcing the expansion of its current usage alert program to include wireless voice and text messaging services – demonstrating Sprint’s commitment to ending “bill shock” well in advance of the CTIA-The Wireless Association® deadline of April 17, 2013.
“Our customers deserve an enjoyable, seamless and stress-free network experience,” said Bob Johnson, chief service and information technology officer for Sprint. “Giving them the tools and alerts to manage and monitor their voice, data, messaging and international service use should translate into a first-rate customer experience.”
Customers can elect to receive these free alerts via text message or email through Sprint’s Ready Now program or by accessing their account via Sprint.com. If a customer doesn’t choose a preferred method of communication, Sprint will provide alerts via text message as a default.
Usage alerts for Sprint customers will operate as follows:
Voice: Sprint will provide usage alerts when customers reach approximately 85 and 100 percent of their plan limits for voice minutes. The primary account holder will receive a notice via text message or email that they have reached the applicable threshold. For example, if a customer is on a 450 minute Everything Data Plan, then the customer would receive an alert when approximately 383 anytime voice minutes have been used and again at 450 minutes.
Text Messaging: Sprint will provide usage alerts when customers reach approximately 85 and 100 percent of their plan limits for messaging. Usage alerts are sent to the primary account holder based on the aggregated total of messages allowed for plan and add-ons. For example, if a customer has 500 texts in their plan and a 500 message add-on they would receive an alert when approximately 850 messages have been used and again at 1000 messages.
