Boost launches unlimited at $50 using iDEN network

When all else fails.....

 

I might switch..Sounds like a great plan!

 

I've been hearing that this $50 plan actually includes taxes as well so it ends up being a better deal than Metro or Leap when you factor that in. Also Boost will offer better nationwide coverage than either Leap or Metro, it's not even close.

 

It's quite a good deal, I would actually consider it if it were not for the slow data on iden.

 

Here is the Press Release from Boost which really reads more like an advertisement :

 

$50 a month for unlimited everything is an incredible deal... especially since the price includes taxes. I'm sure the iDEN network could handle some increased traffic since the exodus

 

This plan is a better deal than what i'm being offered through our Srpint/Nextel corporate discount on each of our lines at work.

 

This is what will make it hard to retain customers with sprint, but u can fight it with things like insurance and the ability to bill things to your account and deticated support, but wit insurance, look how much boost phones cost. Cheap, why did sprint allow boostn to even do this, there just doing this because metro pcs has a unlimited roaming plan where u can chat text and data for a small rate

 

You do realize that Sprint owns Boost Mobile so it's Sprint's own idea. Boost is not competing against Sprint because it's the same company.

 

Leap and Metor PCS stock dropped on this announcement.... I wonder if this could make Metro or Leap look closer at expanding footprints via and Alltel divested market or two?

 

Yep. The iDEN network for voice is actually in great shape these days. Nextel built their network with cell site spacing similar to 1900 Mhz even though they use 800 Mhz. So as long as there aren't too many users on it it can cover a large area and can penetrate well due to the tight cell site spacing.

 

and while their data may be slow......it also means that it consumes less bandwidth so spread of customers across tghter cell towers also means that traffic wont be overwhelming......

also with Sprint sort of consolidating a lot of their network could this be the reason that Nextels voice has been improving? i remember only a year or two ago that my Nextel friends were complaining endlessly about the crap that they had to deal with with Nextel.....my dad's work uses Nextel as do all their clients.......there was no end to the dropped calls and Direct Connects that wouldnt go through but now it hasnt been so bad

 

Where did you get this info? If you check the maps showing the actual cell site locations for Nextel, most of the sites are about 10 miles apart. The 1900 Mhz carriers generally space cell sites more like 6-7 miles apart. These are suburban and rural area spacings. Obviously cell sites in urban settings are closer running at lower power in order to increase capacity.

 

I get the info right from my Sprint/Nextel tower map program. I should have specified that I was referring to heavily populated major cities such as Los Angeles or NYC where there are just as many iDEN sites as there are CDMA sites. Nextel required tight cell site spacing similar to 1900 MHZ due to the technology and it's capacity limitations.

Which maps are you talking about? To my knowledge there are no maps that show Nextel tower locations unless you work for the company and can get access to the internal ones. I could see Nextel towers being 10 miles apart only in very rural areas, along some of the less busy highways or areas where they don't have many subscribers. They spaced them about every 3/4 mile here and in the big cities.

 

Before Sprint bought Nextel, you could clearly distinguish the individual cell sites on the maps except in large cities. Even now you can figure out a lot of them by the coverage patterns.

On the positive side, cell sites have been added in many areas I am familiar with--filling gaps so now the maximums are 10 miles instead of the average being 10 miles. Coverage looks a lot less like Swiss cheese than it did. I expect the $50 Boost unlimited to be a solid product because of the recent upgrades.

 

My review of Boost Unlimited after 1 day.....Very good coverage on main roads and secondary roads in West Knoxville.No dropped or garbeled calls.Text messages go right thru! All in all it has been great!

 

that was another thing i've been noticing lately.......the Nextel texting has really improved a lot!!!

 

yeah so i looked at the Boost mobile website and the CDMA phones have completely disappeared from the lineup looks like unlimited is strictly iDEN

 

Some things have changed and/or have been clarified since launch, so in short...


BOOST MOBILE'S $50 UNLIMITED PLAN (IDEN)
UNLIMITED Nationwide Calling (NO more local calling areas)
UNLIMITED Text & Picture Messaging
UNLIMITED Mobile Web (non-EVDO, ~25kbps, NO tethering implied in Boost Mobile's Terms & Conditions)
UNLIMITED Push-To-Talk
NO Conference Calls (as per Boost Mobile's Terms & Conditions)
Call Waiting NOW INCLUDED (as of 2/17/09)
Voicemail IS INCLUDED
Runs off Sprint-Nextel's IDEN Network (NOT CDMA, cannot roam on CDMA or GSM networks!)
Must use Boost Mobile's IDEN Phone (NOT CDMA... maybe Nextel's IDEN phones if you are able to configure messaging, data, and PTT settings)
NO Phone Subsidies/Discounts
NO Contracts for Prepaid
$50/mo (inclusive of all fees EXCEPT state sales tax)

(Updated 2/20/09)