Boost cutting price on CDMA UNLTD plans

Boost Unlimited, it actually wasn’t the first unlimited calling service the company offered. About two years ago, Boost was running strong with UNLTD, an unlimited calling (plus other features) service which, at the time, was only available in parts of California and Texas. Instead of using the Nextel iDEN network, UNLTD used the Sprint CDMA network. The service expanded to new markets, but was eventually lost in the fray as Boost revamped its image. Focussing more on the general consumer than the youth market they’d targeted for years, Boost put out new plans, like the $1/Day Chat plan and the 10 cents all the time pay as you go, which held wider appeal. Still, those UNLTD customers remained. Once Boost announced its iDEN unlimited plan in January, UNLTD customers were in a tough spot. The new unlimited plan was a bit cheaper than the CDMA plans, but the CDMA network is considered superior to iDEN. Plus, switching would mean getting a new handset, and people tend to like the one they have, if for no other reason than the price of buying a new one. Yesterday, Boost came through with a solution. CDMA customers will continue to enjoy their superior network and current handset, but can now bump their monthly plan down to $50. This applies to those on the $50, $60, and $70 plans. They will receive all of the features of the new unlimited plan — voice, messaging, and Web browsing — for $20 less than the UNLTD rate for the same package. It is currently unclear whether UNLTD customers below $50 will have the option of upgrading and staying on the CDMA network. For CDMA customers, this is the best of both worlds. Same price, better service. The question, though, is whether iDEN customers will be knocking on Boost’s door to get on that side of the network. After all, CDMA is much better equipped to handle SMS, which was a problem for Boost Unlimited early on.]]>