Sprint to charge $10/month Premium Data fee for all smartphones, not just HTC EVO and 4G friends
Remember how you felt when you first found out that becoming an HTC EVO 4G owner meant you'd be paying an extra $10 every month for what Sprint referred to as Premium Data, even if you didn't live in an area with 4G service?
Prospective Samsung Epic 4G and HTC EVO Shift 4G users shared your frustrations since the "add-on" was being applied to them too, but let's be honest. No one else really cared. Whoever you vented to may not have actually said the word "Sucks to be you" or "Better you than me" to your face, but it probably crossed their minds at least once.
If you didn't get any sympathy from your non-4G smartphone-wielding pals in the past, try talking to them about it again after January 30th. Why? Because beginning on that day, Sprint will start charging its monthly $10 Premium Data fee to all the smartphones it activates.
Key quotes from the press release:
"The charge will assist Sprint in offering simple and affordable unlimited plans for its customers while maintaining a wireless network able to meet the growing appetite for a richer mobile experience."
"Sprint’s decision to apply the Premium Data add-on charge to activations of smartphones going forward recognizes the enhanced user experience that today’s smartphones deliver, which, in turn, drives substantially higher data usage and cost."
"Building, maintaining and expanding wireless data networks isn’t free – there are real costs involved. In effect, Sprint has chosen to increase the price of its unlimited Everything Data plans, which is still below that of its major competitors, for the segment of customers – smartphone users – who are using wireless data the most and are driving up cost."
Smartphones, as defined by Sprint, are handsets with "robust operating systems that deliver a rich wireless experience by bringing the full function of mobile applications and programs to life." This includes all Android, Palm/webOS, Windows Mobile/Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry phones.
Soon there will be no financial reason for any Sprint customer not to have an EVO!
The fee was never specifically for 4G anyway but since so many people thought it was, this decision won't be well received by new and existing customers who plan to buy a new phone.
[Sprint] Thanks, Eric!
