Sprint

The Sprint Corporation was the fourth largest wireless operator in the United States and offered nationwide 4G LTE wireless service through their Sprint Network under a variety of brands including Sprint and Boost Mobile. Originally founded in Kansas in 1889 as the Brown Telephone Company, the company is was headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas and prior to it's merger with T-Mobile in 2020, employed approximately 28,500 nationwide.

In November 2019, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) gave conditional approval for a Sprint merger with T-Mobile US. The combined company stopped using the Sprint brand in August of 2020. Customer on the former Sprint network have full access to the combined T-Mobile US network. The combined company is one of the largest wireless carriers in the U.S. Part of the merger approval included the requirement that the merged company upgrade their LTE networks to 5G and make the service available to 97% of American households. This could significantly improve internet access for those living in rural areas and areas without reliable wired home internet. The building of their 5G network is ongoing and the Sprint Corporation already offers 5G service in select cities in the United States including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Forth Worth, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and Washington D.C. Sprint is reporting speeds of up to 213 Mbps on their 5G connected areas, though theoretical 5G speeds are much faster and these networks are expected to improve over time.

Sprint Corporation had not offered wired home internet in the United States for several years, but instead operated nationwide enterprise level and wholesale wired networks throughout the nation. Their home internet service was spun off in 2006 to what is now CenturyLink while Sprint chose to focus on building their LTE wireless network and offering mobile services. In 2013, Sprint Corporation purchased the former Clearwire and made use of their CLEAR Internet branded 4G Wimax network to offer wireless home service for a short time. In 2016, they shut down the 4G Wimax network choosing instead to focus on conventional 4G LTE services. The company also operated Virgin Mobile USA and Assurance Wireless, both of are which were folded into the Boost Mobile brand. Assurance Wireless offered subsidized smart phones to users via the FCC Universal Service Fund, while Virgin Mobile operated as a no-contract wireless provider. So while Sprint had not been focused on delivering home internet for several years the FCC mandated 5G upgrade and network deployment by the new T-Mobile-Sprint may bring the company full circle as 5G home internet service becomes a practical option for residential users.

Sprint network wireless internet services included peak 3G speeds of 3.1 Mbps, more than 10 Mbps for 4G LTE and more than 200 Mbps for 5G (Network congestion can reduce speeds). Plans were available with and without data caps. For users in areas with only 3G speeds, it it unlikely that data caps would be reached given the slower download speeds. Even in 4G coverage areas, users should only expect to reach caps with excessive use streaming video or consistently large file downloads.

Unlimited plans have their own set of limitations. These typically include usage and device restrictions. Typical usage restrictions for unlimited data plans include a data limit on the use of specific streaming services (Hulu, Netflix) and the inability to use the subscriber's smartphone device as a mobile hotspot.

Though unlimited data plans are typically don't allow the device to be used as a wifi hotspot, plans offering from 10 GB to 100 GB of 3G/4G LTE mobile data were available for users who wished to connect multiple devices like laptops, tablets, or even a router. These types of plans may be more suitable as a home internet service in areas where other wired broadband service options are not practical or possible, but wired service may still be preferable depending on the data requirements of home internet customers. Separate tablet-only plans are also available for users without hotspot-enabled plans. Sprint does not charge overage fees when data caps are met but instead, throttles back devices to 2G speeds (100-300 kbps). This is enough data to send an internet text message (eg. iMessage) but not much else and certainly not enough for a wifi networked device. Voice calls and SMS are not effected if a data cap is reached. That said, service plans with mobile data limits may allow for the purchase of additional mobile data and a throttled account is slightly better than nothing.

Sprint competitors included other national wireless providers like Verizon and AT&T. Although included among former Sprint subsidiaries, companies like Boost Mobile and the (currently winding down) Virgin Mobile USA are also competitors. Following the T-Mobile merger, Boost Mobile was purchased by DISH. Boost continues to offer users access to the former Sprint Network. Users from Boost and other former Sprint Corporation subsidiaries should still qualify for "bring your own device" plans when moving to T-Mobile, at least in the short term. Users with their own devices are advised to contact customer service or a former Sprint (now T-Mobile) store to confirm the usability of their device and if any surcharges may apply.

Lastly, it's worth noting that most providers require credit approval in order to be approved for a post-pay wireless account or to lease or purchase a smartphone on installments. Users with their own device or those wishing to purchase a device at full price are eligible for "No Credit Check" account.