Sprint Says the iPhone Will Help It Keep Unlimited Data Plans

Sprint says the iPhone will help it keep its unlimited plans around for longer, according to Chief Executive Dan Hesse would was interviewed by Forbes following Sprint's third-quarter earnings.

"One of the beauties of carrying the iPhone is it extends the period of time and increases the likelihood of us maintaining unlimited data longer because it uses our network so efficiently," said Hesse.

According to Hesse, the iPhone rides lightly on networks since it is good at hunting for Wi-Fi connections and notifying users when Wi-Fi is available. Apple's control over applications also lets it access the network more efficiently.


There are two main reasons why the iPhone rides lightly on networks, according to Hesse. The first is that the device is good at hunting for Wi-Fi connections and notifying users when Wi-Fi is available. That helps carriers like Sprint offload data traffic from their networks.

Since Apple makes iPhone apps meet network efficiency thresholds, iPhone apps tend to "ping" networks less often than other mobile operating systems do. Cutting down on app "noise" lets carriers operate their networks in a more productive and ultimately more profitable manner. "It's almost like a Prius," said Hesse, comparing the iPhone to Toyota's fuel-efficient car.

Sprint ended its unlimited data access for mobile broadband and hotspot services earlier this month but the company says it is would like to keep its unlimited smartphone plans as long as possible.

"Data cards are much heavier users of our network than smartphones," Hesse said. "It's still quite profitable for us to keep unlimited [data] on smartphones."


Read More [via MacRumors]