Sprint went on the offensive to blunt the impact of new AT&T-DirecTV service bundles, offering a free year of service to DirecTV subscribers who switch cellular service to Sprint.
“DirecTV customers love their TV service – but they shouldn’t have to settle for AT&T wireless,” said Kevin Crull, Sprint’s chief marketing officer, citing Sprint’s improved network service.
Beginning today, Aug. 28, through Sept. 30, DirecTV customers who switch to Sprint, and existing Sprint customers adding new lines of service, get 12 months of unlimited talk, text and a full 2GB of data per line for up to five lines in a household. Customers must get a phone through the Sprint Lease, iPhone Forever, or Sprint Easy Pay phone-payment plans or pay the full retail price up front.
The offer is available at participating Sprint-brand stores, Sprint stores at RadioShack, and Sprint.com and by calling 1-800-Sprint-1.
In addition, Sprint will pay off a user’s existing contract with another carrier or pay off the remaining installment payments due on the user’s phone. For consumers who aren’t under contract or don’t make installment payments, Sprint will buy back their smartphone for up to $300 per line.
Earlier this month, AT&T announced it would become the first U.S. cellular carrier to offer nationwide bundles of TV and cellphone service following its July 24 acquisition of satellite-TV provider DirecTV. A week later, the carrier also announced a limited-time promo offering up to $500 to DirecTV and U-verse TV customers who switch to AT&T cell service.
