Sprint might become the second Uncarrier, ditch phone subsidies in 2015

By Williams Pelegrin November 4, 2014

sprint ceo responds to t mobile john legere marcelo claure — Image: Flickr Image used with permission by copyright holder

Back in March 2013, T-Mobile grabbed headlines by becoming the first major U.S. mobile carrier to get rid of the traditional two-year contract and, instead, rely on no-interest financing for phones, kicking off Magenta’s Uncarrier movement. If things pan out, it looks like Sprint could join T-Mobile in the Uncarrier movement sometime next year, according to CNet.

During an investor conference call on Monday, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure mulled over eliminating phone subsidies in 2015. However, according to Sprint chief financial officer Joe Euteneuer, Sprint’s decision to do so could come down to how well its leasing program performs. “As we get to mid year, then we’ll have more visibility if Marcelo wants to go all in,” said Euteneuer.

Back when Claure first took the Sprint CEO mantle, he promised to jump-start Sprint by introducing new options for customers. So far, Claure has done just that by introducing a leasing program for recent iPhones, as well as one for the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy S5 Sport. In addition, Sprint is also getting rid of plans that simply weren’t performing well, such as the company’s Framily plan.

Going the Uncarrier route might be something Sprint thinks about long and hard. During T-Mobile’s most recent earnings call, the company reported adding 2.3 million subscribers during the third quarter of 2014, though it also reported a loss of 12 cents a share. Expectations were set at a profit of 5 cents a share, so going the Uncarrier route will cost Sprint some dough in the short-term.

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Williams Pelegrin

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

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