A Look At The New Boost Mobile CDMA Service
March 4, 2010
by: Christopher Boyle
(Long Island,N.Y.)-So, are you tired of splashing out gobs of cash each month supporting your expensive cell phone habit, but loathe the idea of trying out a cheaper alternative like Boost Mobile due to their supposed poor coverage/service reputation? It may be time to re-think that decision. As of January, 2010, Boost has released several new handsets (including the Sanyo Incognito, Sanyo Mirro, and a Blackberry Curve) that will run on Sprint’s CDMA (a 3G mobile technology standard) network- until now, Boost had solely made use of an older standard known as iDEN. Personally, I think it’s important to get word about this out, as (despite some advertising) this change isn’t common knowledge as of yet.
Boost Mobile, a division of Sprint/Nextel, has been around since 2001 and advertising was originally aimed at the youth market. The pre-paid cell phone carrier came into more widespread prominence in January of 2009 when they announced their $50 Unlimited Talk, Text, and Web plan, which included all taxes and fees bundled into the price. Naturally, such a plan was attractive to the budget conscious (especially when similar plans on larger national carriers such as Verizon or AT&T often cost 2-3 times as much), but soon the drawbacks were laid bare: Boost’s service was built on Nextel’s aging iDEN network, which has seen barely any upgrades or work of note since the ol’ Sprint/Nextel merger of 2005. The $50 Unlimited plan drew in many subscribers, but as a result Boost’s service was temporarily overloaded, at times causing delays of up to several days for text messages to reach their intended recipients (woah). Since that fiasco Boost has improved their texting greatly, but there’s no getting around the fact messaging via iDEN will never be 100% reliable since Boost’s iDEN-based texts are routed through the network’s data connection and not a normal SMS/MMS system, unlike other national carriers. iDEN was never originally designed with text messaging in mind, but shoehorned in later.
New Boost Mobile customers also noticed that call quality varied and coverage, depending on the area, paled compared to larger carriers. The same issues held true for web access- iDEN’s top wireless web speed is roughly equivalent to dial-up, whereas most other carriers provided 3G broadband connections. The phrase “You get what you pay for” was soon being brandied about in some circles in regards to Boost’s Unlimited plan, but as of now, that stigma just might be a thing of the past.
As stated in the first paragraph, Boost now has phones in their line-up that allow the lucky user to access Sprint’s CDMA network, as opposed to iDEN. What does that mean for you and me? Well, first of all, much greater coverage and call quality. Texting is also reported to be excellent as well, with a dedicated SMS/MMS system delivering them as opposed to data via iDEN. EDVO Rev. A/3G web access speed is now also available, depending on the phone; yet another big improvement.
Sadly, current Boost subscribers are unable to switch to CDMA service with their current phones- you must own one of the new aforementioned handsets, so plunking down the cash to acquire one is required. Also, while the CDMA phones are eligible for the $50 Unlimited plan ($60 for Blackberry), there is a catch: tax is no longer included in the price, a fact that I feel should be made a bit more clear in Boost’s advertising. Still, we’re talking about a few extra bucks, so what’s the big deal? You’d still be saving plenty of cash over the same plan with bigger carriers.
Of course, nothing’s perfect…while CDMA boosts (ahem) their reputation, Boost Mobile’s coverage is still below that of big-time carriers. It also remains to be seen how well supported Boost’s CDMA network is, both technically and in terms of customer service. Also, you won’t have access to the latest cutting-edge phones that are only available to the likes of AT&T and Verizon; Boost has some decent models to choose from, but nothing that even approaches the glory of an iPhone or Droid.
But despite those issues, Boost Mobile is certainly a viable alternative for budget-minded folks looking to ride out this rough economy, especially in light of their new service upgrade. But don’t take my word for it- go online, look up reviews of the service and the phones, and decide for yourself if Boost is right for you. I’m currently using Verizon myself, and I’m paying around $100 a month for unlimited text and web (while I have unlimited nights and weekends on voice, I DO have harsh limits on my weekday anytime minutes…it’s crazy how expensive mainstream cell service is these days, huh?). I’ve considered switching to Boost in the past, but the iDEN limitations have always stopped me. Now that CDMA is an option, I’m starting to wonder again…
Follow Chris on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cboyle1
Posted by News LI Editor · Filed Under Tech
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4 Responses to “A Look At The New Boost Mobile CDMA Service”
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Good for Boost! I might try them again soon, the last time I did it was not a very pleasant experience, but I’m always on the look-out.
Although I must admit I’m actually VERY happy with my current provider, Straight Talk, running on the Verizon network and costing $45 for unlimited everything.
Wonder how they would measure up?
- Posted by: SimonC
[QUOTE] Also, while the CDMA phones are eligible for the $50 Unlimited plan ($60 for Blackberry), there is a catch: tax is no longer included in the price, a fact that I feel should be made a bit more clear in Boost’s advertising. Still, we’re talking about a few extra bucks, so what’s the big deal? You’d still be saving plenty of cash over the same plan.[/QUOTE]
Actually, taxes ARE included with Boost CDMA, so there is no difference in price between Boost iDEN and Boost CDMA. Obviously Boost advertising is correct in that they claim that their deals include taxes and fees, since it applies to both the iDEN and CDMA side.
SimonC- Boost is better than Straight Talk in many ways. The price is nominally $50, but it includes all taxes, unlike Straight Talk. Also, Boost CDMA has unlimited 3G data and you can bring a ton of Sprint phones into Boost CDMA, like several Blackberries (8330, 8530, 9630,) Palms, HTC Smartphones, Samsung Instincts and Intrepids, etc. Thus, you can take full advantage of the unlimited 3G data with streaming video and streaming radio. With Straight Talk the phone selection is so limited that the data portion is not as usable for multimedia like Youtube or live TV, and the one phone Straight Talk has that can handle the faster 3G data, the Samsung Finesse, has been crippled by ST to disallow any kind of video or music streaming.
- Posted by: george p
PER GEORGE P.: Actually, taxes ARE included with Boost CDMA, so there is no difference in price between Boost iDEN and Boost CDMA. Obviously Boost advertising is correct in that they claim that their deals include taxes and fees, since it applies to both the iDEN and CDMA side.
Sorry George P., you are incorrect. I just paid my Boost $50 unlimited (per their advertising) monthly plan fee, which DID NOT include the $3.88 I paid in taxes.
- Posted by: LisaH
It also depends on WHERE you pay the $50. I pays my bill every month at a gas station. which is walking distance from my house. IT IS $50.00 EVEN EVERYTIME!!
- Posted by: AP