Boost Mobile is a division of Sprint Nextel. It was originally launched in Australia (Over Optus) in 2000 and in New Zealand (Over Telecom New Zealand) in 2001.
History
Boost Mobile was founded in Australia and New Zealand in 2000 by Peter Adderton. Adderton and Craig Cooper brought the brand to the United States in 2001 as a lifestyle (action sports based) brand and entered into a joint venture with Nextel Communications to launch and market the brand in the US. In 2003, Nextel purchased the American division of Boost Mobile. Until late 2004, Boost Mobile was only available in selected markets, primarily in California and Nevada. Prior to Boost Mobile, Nextel primarily focused on the business market. Boost Mobile had four million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2009.
At the end of 2006, Boost launched its Unlimited by Boost Mobile Service. The service offered unlimited talk, text, and wireless web.
To compete with Unlimited offerings from competitors in the wireless industry, Boost Mobile announced on January 15, 2009 that it would launch its Monthly Unlimited Plan at $50, inclusive of talk, text, Internet, walkie-talkie, taxes and fees. The new unlimited plan resulted in a net gain of more than 674,000 customers in less than three months(Unlimited plan available two months of quarter) . Despite the prepaid lift, Boost Mobile's parent company of Sprint Nextel suffered a subscriber loss, so Boost helped to mitigate but did not completely offset Sprint Nextel's (gross) loss of 1.25 million contract subscriptions. The resulting spike in growth of Boost's popular unlimited service caused delays of up to several days for the text messages of many customers in April. The new service runs on the Sprint Nextel iDEN network, which previously was best known for its walkie-talkie feature. A Boost spokesman said that they did not anticipate the level of popularity for the new service, and that efforts to improve the network have been implemented to largely mitigate the problem .During the Sprint Nextel Corporation Earnings Conference Call for Q1 2009 on May 4, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said that "as of today, the messaging network on the iDEN network and for our Boost customers is back to normal."
Current plans
iDEN
Monthly Unlimited : $50 a month includes nationwide unlimited talk, text (including multi-media messaging), wireless Web, Walkie-Talkie. Also includes voicemail, long distance and nationwide network. This is a flat-rate offer with no taxes, roaming charges or other fees.
International Connect add-on : An additional $10 a month add-on to the Monthly Unlimited plan, International Connect includes unlimited text messaging and walkie-talkie services between the U.S., Canada, Baja California, and selected areas of South America. Customers in the U.S. or Baja California can send and receive unlimited texts globally.Daily Chat and Text Plan : $1 daily subscription, unlimited text, nights and weekends and mobile-to-mobile. Daytime rates are 10¢ per minute. Unlimited nationwide Boost® Walkie-Talkie is available for an additional $1 a day.
Paygo Basic : 10¢ per minute, anytime - day or night, customers can also send and receive standard text messages for 10¢ per message. Unlimited Nationwide Boost® Walkie-Talkie is available for an additional $1 a day.
CDMA
Unlimited By Boost (UNLTD) – a trial service that is regionally available in 13 states operating on Sprint’s CDMA network. This plan includes nationwide talk, text and Web for $50 per month. Unlike Monthly Unlimited, UNLTD customers pay telecom taxes in addition to their Monthly Recurring Plan Amount and a convenience fee is charged to customers when replenishing in person.
Current technical problems
Text and multimedia messaging
Despite Boost's efforts to address network problems, messages are still regularly delayed or lost for many customers.
- Messages sent to a customer while the customer is unavailable are often not queued and lost.
- If a handset loses connectivity in the middle of a message download, the user is prompted to download the message again, and the download consistently fails.
- Many sent /received messages are simply delayed.
Voicemail errors
New Boost customers and their callers are often directed to mailboxes of strangers when checking or leaving messages. Upon contacting customer service this issue can be addressed with the addition of custom forwarding numbers being entered into the handset.
Current devices
UNLTD (CDMA) handsets
- Motorola C290
- Motorola KRZR
- Motorola W385
A search of forums dedicated to various smartphones, pda's and pocket pc's will reveal accounts of persons claiming to have successfully activating these devices on Boost Mobile, as well as instructions how. However, such activations go against Boost Mobile policy so such a device would not receive customer support.
PAYGO & Monthly Unlimited handsets
- Motorola i295
- Motorola i335
- Motorola Clutch i465
- Motorola i570
- Motorola i776
- Motorola i776w
- Motorola Debut i856
- Motorola Debut i856w
- Motorola Stature i9
Most Nextel-branded iDEN phones can be used with the Boost service with the addition of a Boost SIM card. However, Boost Mobile will not guarantee all service features if a Nextel-branded handset is chosen and you will not receive any support for the device.
Some Boost Mobile users have successfully used Nextel Blackberrys (called a Boostberry) on the iDEN network. However, without the availability of BIS (Blackberry Internet Service) many features won't work or require complex workarounds and setup is difficult since Blackberrys normally depend on BIS to set up the device. Also, as with other non-Boost phones, Boost Mobile will not guarantee service and no support is provided. Newer dual network blackberries (ones that use the Nextel network for voice and the faster Sprint CDMA network for data) won't work since a Boost Mobile account must be on one network or the other.
Past devices
- Motorola i215
- Motorola i285
- Motorola i415
- Motorola i425t
- Motorola i425e
- Motorola i450
- Motorola i455
- Motorola i730
- Motorola i830
- Motorola i833
- Motorola i835
- Motorola i835w
- Motorola i835g
- Motorola i855
- Motorola i855e
- Motorola i860
- Motorola i875
- Motorola i885
Coverage and availability
Boost Mobile uses the Nextel National Network. It is one of the largest, all-digital wireless networks in the United States, reaching over 274 million people in more than 17,500 cities. It’s based on Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN) technology.
Boost phones are carried nationwide at nearly 20,000 major retail and independent wireless dealer locations.
Marketing
The Boost brand was originally marketed to the teen and young adult demographics. Boost Mobile's past American advertising campaigns featured Fat Joe, Master Shake, Eve, Travis Barker, Kanye West, Ludacris, Richard "Rip" Hamilton, Nick Cannon, and The Game and used the slogan "Where you at?" In late 2007, a Boost Mobile commercial with Young Jeezy, Jermaine Dupri, and Mickey Avalon was released. The “Where you at?” slogan referenced the walkie-talkie feature on all Boost Mobile phones and later evolved to highlight a social GPS application that was available on selected Boost Mobile phones.
In early 2009 Boost Mobile launched their Unwronged campaign. The ads feature situations that could be considered “wrong” such as a coroner that drops food into a cadaver and then proceeds to eat it, two pigs dining on ham, a woman with unusually long armpit hair, and a “man baby”. Each commercial focuses on the fact that while what they are, or are doing, may be wrong, what is really wrong is the fact that cell phone providers have hidden fees and that is why they have chosen to use Boost Mobile.
Most recently Boost Mobile began sponsoring IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick and her Lucky #7 Boost Mobile/Motorola/Andretti Green Racing car. A series of commercials from Boost's Unwronged campaign has featured Danica, one of which had her pit crew dressed up as women, and the other with her signing the chests of men.
Boost Mobile has also produced some regional campaigns, including providing live paper shredders at bus stops in Chicago and Boston, where several times an hour sample contracts from competing wireless service providers would be shredded into confetti.
Sponsorships
The Boost brand was primarily marketed to teen and young-adult demographics, but has been widened to much broader demographics with the launch of their nationwide monthly unlimited plan in Jan 2009.
Boost Mobile sponsored a big-time professional surfing event, the Boost Mobile Pro of Surf. (See ASP World Tour.) They sponsored a professional skateboard event, the Boost Mobile Pro of Skateboarding, and logo-labeled skateboards and accessories. Current team riders in the action sports world i
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