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Why Boost?
Boost Mobile has recently made a media splash and heads turn with its $50 unlimited plan, but is it really everything it's cracked up to be? Before you pay $100 - $150 in startup costs for the phone and first month's service, there are some points to consider:
Unlimited Voice Service:
Yes, it really is unlimited, with nationwide calling included. Unlike MetroPCS or Cricket's unlimited offering, you can make calls anywhere in the US, and Nextel Nationwide Direct Connect is included. Remember that the Boost networks is the IDEN network, and not only does it NOT roam on other networks, it's not a network that is being built out any longer by Sprint. In fact, Sprint has suggested shutting down this network in 2011.
Unlimited Text:
Likewise unlimited, including text, IM, and picture messaging. However, it's freakishly slow when going from provider to provider, i.e. Boost to Verizon, with delays lasting up to a day. The Nextel network wasn't designed with two way messaging in mind, only one way SMS. They had to bolt on services that actually sends their text over the web, and that can cause havok translating it back to SMS for other networks.
Unlimited Web:
Yes, web is unlimited, too. Don't expect a browsing experience that allows you to surf youtube, myspace, or facebook, or much beyond text links. Just like the texting experience, it's slow, boasting speeds of 19.2k (about 1/3 the speed of dialup).
At the end of the day....
Not a great deal, unless you need a ton of minutes and are really buying it for short term use. With the fate of the IDEN network up in the air, one can only guess that Sprint is using Boost customers to use some capacity that they've freed up offloading former Nextel users to the Sprint CDMA network. Our advice is to look elsewhere for a long term solution.
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