Last week Sprint announced its new “Framily” (friends and family) group plans at CES 2014, but it turns out the carrier also had some bad news for any subscribers hoping to take advantage of its early upgrade program. Starting on Jan. 9, the company silently shuttered its “One Up” plan just four months after it was first announced.
Sprint’s “One Up” was the carrier’s official response to T-Mobile’s JUMP! program and similar offerings from AT&T and Verizon. Following the initial announcement from T-Mobile CEO John Legere, the remaining major U.S. carriers rushed to offer competing services. Clearly the new strategy wasn’t working for Sprint.
While T-Mobile has aimed its most vicious barbs directly at AT&T, Legere hasn’t shied away from calling out Sprint as well, though he genuinely appears to pity the struggling carrier—speaking at a CES 2014 press conference, the eccentric CEO called Sprint a “pile of spectrum waiting to be turned into a capability.” T-Mobile also took the opportunity to declare war on family plans and offer up to $650 when you switch over from you old carrier, including Sprint.
Sprint did not publicly say why it shut down its One Up plans, or what will happen to subscribers who are already part of them. TechnoBuffalo reached out for comment but a spokesperson was not immediately available.
Update: Sprint provided the following statement to TechnoBuffalo: “Sprint One Up customers have the choice to remain on their existing plan or migrate to the Sprint Framily plan. Existing Sprint One Up customers will maintain the $15 per month discount as long as they stay on Unlimited My Way or My All in Plan and have an outstanding installment balance. Once a Sprint One Up customer upgrades (taking an Easy Pay Installment Agreement) or device is paid in full, the $15 per month discount will be removed.”
