Sprints prepaid arm, Virgin Mobile has launched a contract-less family data sharing plan on 4G LTE. Available exclusively at Walmart, the plans are available on four specific 4G LTE smartphone models- HTC Desire 510, LG Tribute, LG Volt, and Samsung Galaxy Core Prime - pre-loaded with the Virgin Mobile data-sharing application. However, a $20 starter kit is required to activate each new line of service and includes two months of unlimited music streaming without counting against the customer’s data allotment. Customers can share a bucket of data between the devices, and add more data directly from the sharing app with just a tap, starting at $10 per month for 1GB. Subscribers also can go month-to-month for $65 with two lines sharing 4GB or up to $115 with four lines and 12GB total of LTE data.
Phil Goldstein from Fircewireless wrote that "Sprint is abandoning its Virgin Mobile Custom prepaid brand but is sticking with the ItsOn cloud technology behind that brand and its retail partnership with Walmart. Sprint launched Virgin Mobile Custom in August exclusively through Walmart but found that consumers were confused about their rate plan"
Mehrdad Akbar, vice president of Wireless, Connected Home, Wearables and Tablets, Walmart
At Walmart, we know our no-contract wireless customers are looking for some of the same experiences as contract wireless users – including high performing smart phones available on great plans at great prices. We are always seeking ways to innovate for our customers, which is why we’ve worked closely with Virgin Mobile to offer exclusive new plans such as data sharing.
Angela Rittgers, vice president-Sprint Prepaid
At Virgin Mobile we are committed to offering prepaid customers innovative new wireless options. We were the first prepaid carrier to offer texting keyboards and texting-only plans, first to help customers pay less for talk they weren’t using, the first to feature a totally customized plan, and now the first data sharing plans. The new data sharing plans bring some of the most aggressive shared-line plans ever launched to Walmart.
