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Sprint improves its unlimited data plan to play with the big boys

Published Feb 16th, 2017 4:52PM EST

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Earlier this week, Verizon announced an all-new unlimited data plan that included HD video streaming and mobile tethering. Not to be outdone, T-Mobile followed suite and added those features to its flagship unlimited plan. Today, Sprint announced that it’s adding HD video streaming and mobile hotspot to its unlimited data plan, which I am sure is a total coincidence and in no way an attempt to keep up with the competition.

The press release doesn’t make clear if this is a long-term change to Sprint’s plan, or a temporary promotion. The release says that customers will “automatically get a free upgrade to HD-quality video plus 10GB mobile hotspot per line,” which doesn’t really imply that the changes are sticking around long-term.

Offering HD video streaming and mobile hotspot brings Sprint’s plan exactly in line with Verizon and T-Mobile’s offering. All the “unlimited” plans now guarantee you over 20GB of mobile data, after which you may be “deprioritized” at peak times. That data can be used to stream HD video or do virtually anything, apart from mobile tethering. When it comes to hotspotting, all three carriers offer 10GB of 4G hotspot data, after which those speeds will slow down dramatically.

Sprint is also pushing its impressive promotion that offers up to four lines for $90, well under anything any of the other carriers are offering. Sprint is also offering the lease of an iPhone 7 for 18 months to new customers who switch to Sprint.

Chris Mills
Chris Mills News Editor

Chris Mills has been a news editor and writer for over 15 years, starting at Future Publishing, Gawker Media, and then BGR. He studied at McGill University in Quebec, Canada.