Sprint’s unlimited plan puts heat on Helio

So instead of coming in at a lower price than their competitors for unlimited plans, Sprint decided to just offer a ton more services for the same price. They’re offering unlimited voice, text, Web, email, GPS navigation, and their own brand of mobile music and TV. Well now, doesn’t that sound a bit like the $99 all you can eat plan from Helio, an MVNO of that very Sprint network? Yes it does. Matt Hickey at CrunchGear picks up the issue to decide if Sprint is doing irreparable damage to its own MVNO.

The conclusion, really, is that this shouldn’t have much effect. Helio has offerings in its unlimited plan like YouTube, a more comprehensive data plan, and instant Flickr/YouTube uploads. The unlimited IM and MMS also helps Helio’s case.

But the demographics are where the separation really takes place. Sprint is seeking a general audience, as are all of the major carriers. Helio, though, is looking for a youth market that gets excited about quality handsets and who devour mobile content.

Helio’s Justin Ried perhaps puts it best when he says: “We’ve always been about pioneering plans that make it easy, from the concept of All-In to $99 Unlimited. It’s nice to see the major carriers following Helio’s lead – but not all $99 plans are created equal.”

And honestly, looking at what you can get for $99 per month, I think Helio’s plan is the best. Hopefully other people see the same thing I do. Otherwise, whether there is a difference or not, this could be Helio’s swan song.