Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile may get 4G through WiMAX
updated 12:00 pm EDT, Sun April 22, 2012
Boost, Virgin would adopt WiMAX as Sprint goes LTE
Just as Sprint is getting its first LTE phones, its sub-brands Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile may be getting their first forms of 4G, according to a rumor. The two contract-free carriers were purported by TechnoBuffalo's contact to be inheriting the WiMAX network as Sprint moves its main customer base to the newer LTE standard. Accordingly, the just phased-out Evo 3D and other phones would go to Virgin, possibly under different names.
Rate plans would stay the same. On Virgin, this would equate to unlimited data, but slowdowns if a phone passed the 2.5GB mark in a given month. Boost is likely to follow a similar strategy if this view is accurate.
Sprint hasn't confirmed any of the changes, but the goal would be to add WiMAX in June, a strong sign of when Sprint's LTE should be active. It's likely that Boost and Virgin will themselves eventually be the only places where any WiMAX devices will exist on Sprint's network, although it may transition to LTE once the phones are inexpensive enough that they can be bought prepaid.
