Sprint has just published one of the most hyperbolic press releases to ever cross the IntoMobile news desk. They’re declaring that they will soon offer businesses complete freedom from the the 2 year contracts that they shackle most consumers with. The new plans will let business pool together minutes, like a family plan, and they’ll also let businesses upgrade their devices whenever they see fit. Considering most companies give you a phone and expect you to use it until it either A) it breaks or B) you resign, we’re not sure whether these new plans will make Chief Technology Officers all across America want to purchase new smartphones every time a new Android superphone comes out.
“Up to now, many businesses subscribed to consumer prepaid services as a way to avoid long-term contracts, but to achieve prepaid’s contract terms, a business had to sacrifice a broader device selection and business-grade customer care. Business Freedom gives today’s businesses the best combination of the things they want most from a wireless provider: the right plan with the right terms – with the availability of business-grade devices and service included.” — Paget Alves, President of Sprint Business
We’d like to mention that Verizon already lets people sign up for month to month contracts, and with T-Mobile’s new “Value Plans”, companies can sign up to get SIM cards and bring whatever device they want to the network. We’re sure Sprint has good intentions with their “Business Freedom” plans, but it’s not as radical as they make it out to be. And about the prepaid argument, you can get a BlackBerry or Motorola Triumph on Virgin Mobile, Sprint’s prepaid brand, so what’s this about “sacrificing a broader device selection”, isn’t such a statement akin to punching yourself in the face?
Anyway, to those that stand to benefit from this, congratulations. For the rest of us, move on.