According to a memo Sprint has sent to third-party sellers, the $10 "Premium Data Fee" will be applied on all lines that upgrade to or activate a new smartphone after January 30th. The $10 tariff will apply to all individual lines and all family plan lines. So if a family has 3 lines on their family plan they will be socked for an additional $30 per month. The memo states that the move will allow Sprint to “offer simple and affordable unlimited data plans” while “maintaining a wireless network able to meet the growing appetite for mobile data.” The only customers exempt from the new fee will be those customers tied to select corporate accounts.
The full memo is below.
Premium Data Add-on Charge for All Smartphones
Effective 1/30/11, all current and future 3G and 3G/4G smartphone activations will require the $10/month Premium Data Add-on charge. This allows Sprint to continue to offer simple and affordable unlimited data plans for our smartphone customers, while maintaining a wireless network able to meet the growing appetite for mobile data.
Complete details are included in the Premium Data Add-on Charge Launch Guide found on ISC > Quick Links > Premium Data Add-on Charge.
Details:
The Premium Data Add-on charge applies to:
All smartphones operating on the CDMA, iDEN and 4G networks.
A smartphone is defined as a device that supports a robust operating system including: Android, BlackBerry, Instinct, Palm and Windows Mobile.
All customers activating a new line or upgrading/swapping existing lines (consumer, IL, and most CL customers).
The Premium Data Add-on charge does NOT apply to:
S&R exchanges (warranty or insurance events)
30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee devices exchanges for handsets activated 1/1/11 to 1/29/11
Existing smartphone customers will remain on their current rate plan, until they upgrade, perform an ESN swap or activate a new smartphone
Existing Seasonal Standby customers prior to 1/30/11
Special priced CL customers tied to a Corp ID
