Sprint to maintain unlimited data plans, even with future iPhone 5

Though the next iPhone is yet to be announced, it’s still expected around October this year. It will likely sport a new design and carry the iPhone 5 moniker.

Last year, Sprint joined AT&T and Verizon in offering the iPhone 4S to customers. One advantage for new iPhone users on Sprint is that the company offers unlimited data plans. While some older customers on AT&T and Verizon may already enjoy such benefits if they’ve been with Ma Bell or Big Red for a few years, new contracts are no longer available with unlimited data.

Today, Sprint confirmed that these unlimited data plans will continue when the new iPhone is released, even if the device carries faster, data-hungry 4G LTE connectivity. Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, talked to Roger Cheng at CNET. “I’m not anticipating the unlimited plan would change by that point,” he said. “That’s our distinctive differentiator.”

Though Sprint reported a loss for the first quarter of 2012, the company has attracted a small gain in revenue. It activated 1.5 million iPhones during the first three months of 2012, with 44 percent coming from customers new to the carrier.

Hesse doesn’t know exactly when the new iPhone will be launched. Still, it’s encouraging that the one thing that sets Sprint apart from its rivals will be maintained. That means it could continue to attract new customers once the iPhone 5 is launched later this year.

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