Hoping to Simplify Wi-Fi Connectivity Costs: Sprint

Saying they want to simplify Wi-Fi connectivity costs, Sprint has unwrapped a new alternative to pay-as-you-go access plans for business travelers and traveling consumers alike, a monthly unlimited access plan for $49.95.

Sprint said announcing the new plan that it is a complement to its current daily Wi-Fi connection offer of $6.95, and that both plans will be offered for the now 2,200 Wi-Fi hot spots where Sprint PCS Wi-Fi is now available in the United States and Canada.

"We are simplifying life for the mobile professional by accommodating different connectivity needs," said Sprint general manager for Wi-Fi Wes Dittmer, announcing the new unlimited access plan. "The Wi-Fi 'power user' with high data connectivity demands will benefit most from the unlimited access plan regardless of how many sessions are initiated at different locations, while the 'occasional use' customer retains the cost-effectiveness of high-speed data connectivity on a per-connection basis."

The company said they want to focus on offering Wi-Fi in high traffic areas like airports, hotels, convention centers, and other public venues "where customers tend to need it most and can derive the greatest benefit."

The standard pay-as-you-go plan is $6.95 per connection per location for 24 hours unlimited access.

"Wi-Fi is progressing from an amenity to an expectation and a necessity for the road warrior intent on preserving productivity while mobile," Dittmer said. "Our pricing plans address the business customer's connectivity needs at any given time."

Sprint Wi-Fi users have two ways to connect, either by Web-based logins using an Internet browser or using the Sprint PCS Connection Manager software that enables Wi-Fi customers to manage their service in hundreds of Sprint-compatible public zones.