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September 20, 2013

Sprint's One Up Program Goes Official

Many expected the One Up program at Sprint—which allowed users to upgrade a device ahead of a contract's schedule—to go official, and indeed, starting today it has. But the One Up program won't just come with an easier way to get access to all the newest and latest devices; it will also offer some impressive pricing structures besides, making for a good overall value.

The idea of an early-update plan isn't exactly new. All three of Sprint's major competitors—Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile—have brought out versions of an early update plan, but Sprint's plan will offer up a little extra value in the form of the price paid for service. Sprint's plan will offer up unlimited talk, text, and data service for $65 a month, which is, at last report, the lowest such rate to be had among the four major carriers.

The new service allows users to buy a phone, for no money down, and pay off said device in 24 equal installments along with the $65 a month for service. Those who want to end service early can do so if said users pay the remainder of the 24 payments—however much that is—in a lump sum. But for those who want to simply upgrade the phone—go from an iPhone 5 to an iPhone 5s, for example—can simply trade in the used device for the difference on the new one. Signing up for the One Up program earns a $15 discount on the talk, text and data service—which is how that $65 a month figure comes into play at last report—and given that T-Mobile offers a plan like that at $70, the value is much improved. Verizon and AT&T, meanwhile, offer no better in the way of pricing.

It's been suggested that T-Mobile led the charge on this one, with its Jump program starting back in July opening the field up for other users to get in on the action. The remaining major carriers followed suit, which really wasn't surprising by itself, but some began to wonder if something else was going on thanks to the release of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. Since both devices are now available on shelves, just today, it's enough to make one wonder if maybe T-Mobile saw this coming. A new Apple device comes out most every year, so maybe T-Mobile anticipated the next release and offered up the program for early trade-ins. Maybe everyone else wasn't so much following T-Mobile so much as getting a similar program ready for the iPhones' release.

Regardless of the motive, one thing is now quite clear: all four companies will be competing on level ground as the new Apple smartphones emerge, offering a whole new user experience for all concerned. Sprint may well have a crucial advantage over its competitors, but price alone is a poor advantage as it's so easily removed. Will it be enough? Will the value Sprint brings in a lack of data cap put it over the top? Only time will tell just what good this all does, but the ace up Sprint's sleeve may just turn the tide.




Edited by Rachel Ramsey


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