At $79.99 per month for customers without a Sprint or Verizon cell phone, EVDO service has been out of reach for a lot of users. Both carriers have offered a cheaper $59.99 rate to customers that have a cell phone with their company and agree to a 2-year contract for the EVDO service, but if you didn't have a Sprint or Verizon cell you were forced to pay the $79.99 rate regardless of the contract length.In a move that will save a lot of people a good chunk of change, Sprint announced last week that the $59.99 monthly rate is now available to ALL customers that sign a 2-year contract for their EVDO service, whether or not they have a Sprint/Nextel cell phone! The rate for 1-year contracts is still $79.99 per month, but mathematically it doesn't seem to make much sense for anyone to choose a 1-year contract, as you will save $125 on the card itself and $240 per year by going with a 2-year contract ($20/month x 12 months) - - even if you cancel after 1 year ($200 cancelation fee), you still come out ahead $165!
We've already seen an increase in the number of people signing up for Sprint's service and taking advantage of the cheaper pricing. Verizon's pricing remains the same as it always has been ($79.99 per month for both 1- and 2-year contracts, and $59.99 per month for customers that have a Verizon cell phone AND sign up for a 2-year contract), but we wonder how long it will take until they are pressured into lowering their rates as well. We're crossing our fingers for lower rates across the board!
To discuss this, see the following thread on EVDOForums.com:
Sprint Mobile Broadband, $59.99/mo. No Cell Phone Needed
