Verizon CEO doesn't think much of Boost Unlimited

Boost Unlimited, the $50 per month unlimited prepaid calling, texting, and data plan from Boost Mobile. Not only does it fit all of those services together, but it also includes taxes and fees in the $50 charge. There has been some degree of customer complaining, but that seems to be par for the course in the wireless space, and it might be above water for prepaid. In any case, not everyone is a fan. Specifically, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg thinks that Sprint is a bit batty for creating such a product. From InformationWeek’s Eric Zeman:

Seidenberg had some unkind things to say about its chief CDMA competitor, Sprint. Sprint’s pre-paid arm, Boost Mobile, recently announced an all-you-can-eat plan for $50 per month. Seidenberg doesn’t think Sprint’s network can handle it. He said, “I don’t know what Sprint thinks it is,” and he believes the increased network demand will cause Sprint to “eventually self-destruct.”
Perhaps Sprint doesn’t really know what it is at this point. What they aren’t is Verizon, and they should be making every effort to say that. In that regard, the Boost Unlimited plan is ingenious. It’s tough to judge without the entire quote at hand, but it sounds like Seidenberg is pooh-poohing the plan because it could induce a price war (Virgin has already acquiesced). Also, does Seidenberg realize that the Boost plan is on the iDEN network, and not Sprint’s CDMA network? Yes, they could just as easily overload the iDEN network — perhaps more easily than the CDMA network. However, even if the Boost Unlimited plan does blow up the iDEN network, it won’t affect the CDMA network. Given this, though it’s tough to judge without the full quote in context, it sounds like Seidenberg is pooh-poohing his competitors for creating a competitive advantage based on price.]]>

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6 Comments

  1. Dave on May 23, 2009 at 7:00 am

    I hope Boost mobile puts Verizon as well as everyone else out of business. These money hungry cell phone companies need to be snuffed out.



  2. maya on September 10, 2009 at 11:19 pm

    I want to ask you again pls if the boost is still better than verizon or not. Because I want to buy a phone pay as you go and I am wondering if this one is the best for me. thanks



  3. BoostMobileBlackBerry on April 13, 2010 at 12:34 am

    I love my BlackBerry from Boost Mobile.
    The CDMA is great, I am coming from a Boost iDEN phone.Verizon is overpriced & my Blackberry is just as fast as any Verizon Blackberry, $60 dollars a month unlimited nation wide talk, web, text e-mail. Thats less then any Verizon Blackberry. Watch out Verizon upstart little Boost is coming up fast. Verizon prepaid / no contract phones are big $ to use. Need a no contract phone? Go with Boost, if possable, go for the CDMA phones.
    Sent from my BlackBerry® by Boost Mobile



  4. Marvin McIntyre on June 26, 2010 at 9:28 pm

    I use my phone for work as well as pleasue and my last bill with Verizon was $176. I heard about Boost Mobile and decided to give it a try. It has been great, and all at $50 a month. My only regret is that I had a Verizon Blackberry, but because of tough times, I couldn’t afford the Boost Blackberry. So I settled for the Incognito. It’s a great phone but once you go Black(berry) you never go back. So I’m working on getting the Boost Blackberry!



  5. Sheldon Green on January 5, 2011 at 11:24 pm

    Can I move my verizon telephone number when switching to boost?



  6. Kim H on January 21, 2011 at 8:04 pm

    Do not switch to Boost Unlimited! I thought it would be a great bargain but you get what you pay for. I purchased the Blackberry Curve and chose the month to month $60 Blackberry Unlimited Everyrhing Plan. I was with T-Mobile previously but felt the data plans were too high so I decided to make the switch To Boost. THIS IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I HAVE EVER MADE IN RELATION TO CELL PHONE SERVICE!! Since day 1, I have had NON STOP ACROSS THE BOARD ISSUES, but by far the worse is phone service issues. Most of the time, I can not receive or make calls in my home. When I can make calls or recieve them in my home, they ususally drop within 5 to 10 minutes. People call me all the time and my phone NEVER rings or registers missed calls. I only know they call if they leave a voice mail. I have had people send text messages that I have never received, or receive hours after they are sent. Picture or video messages almost NEVER make it. And to add insult to injury, dealing with Boost customer is a nightmare. The shortest amount of wait time to get a live customer service rep on the phone is 20 minutes…that’s if you are clever enough to figure out how to get a live customer service rep. Then, when you get someone, good luck getting anyone who cares about your issue. I was told that “I would just have to deal with not being able to get service in my home and there was nothing they could do about it because the towers were down” When I explained to the Boost Representatives that my daughter had a heart condition and it was imperative that I have reliable phone service in the event that she go into cardiac arrest and I had to call 911, I was again told that I would just have to deal with it. I said “No, that is B.S., Boost needs to refund me the service amounts and the cost of the phone” It has been 3 months now and I am still fighting with them to refund the money…still can not receive or make calls in my house and their unlimited plan is a joke especially 1411…that is a joke! You can not even get a number from that service bc it is all automated and there is no option not even to pay extra (which I gladly would)…just to get a phone #!! Trust me…don’t be tempted like I was. You will regret it. Worse customer service, horrible phones, service and coverage area, overall nightmare!!! DON”T DO IT! It should be renamed “Satan’s Cell Service”