• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

Sprint’s Virgin Mobile Is Going After Apple iPhone Fans With a $1 Plan

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 21, 2017, 11:56 AM ET

Apple iPhone fans are getting a juicy new option for wireless service starting this summer. Sprint’s Virgin Mobile brand said it would give one year of unlimited talk, text, and data for $1 to customers who sign up by July 31 and buy a new iPhone at full price.

The Sprint unit also said it was planning eventually to drop all phones other than Apple’s device, seeking to differentiate itself from Sprint’s other prepaid brand, Boost Mobile, as well as the rest of the increasingly competitive wireless field. The unlimited data plan downgrades streaming video to DVD-quality automatically and is subject to similar limitations as Sprint’s own unlimited plan, which can slow the download rate in congested areas for customers who use more than 23 GB in a month.

The new offering comes as competition continues to heat up in the wireless market, with consumers come out as the big winners. Sprint (S) itself briefly offered a year of free unlimited data service to customers who defected from the other big carriers. AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) introduced low-priced unlimited data plans earlier this year, and T-Mobile (TMUS) eliminated extra add-on fees and charges on the unlimited plan it started last summer.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“It’s not often that a brand has an opportunity to reposition itself and even to change its business model,” Dow Draper, who heads the Virgin Mobile unit at Sprint, tells Fortune. “And we;re doing them in a way that we think really disrupts the industry.

Sprint, which has the right to offer mobile service under Richard Branson’s Virgin brand in the United States, is also moving to align more closely with other Virgin companies around the world. New mobile customers will also receive a free round-trip air ticket to the United Kingdom on Virgin Air, a free one-night stay at Virgin Hotels, and other discounts.

“Virgin has always looked to shake things up and challenge the status quo in any sector we get into,” Branson said in a statement.

Preorders for the new offer starts on Thursday at Virgin Mobile’s web site and in Apple’s (AAPL) retail stores, with iPhones being delivered started June 27. At the start, customers will have to purchase a new iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, or SE to qualify. Later, Virgin will also have used iPhones available to qualify for the offer.

After the one-year promotion ends, new customers will still get six months of service for $1 followed by a regular price of $50 per month. Customers can re-qualify for the $1 for six months offer if they buy another full-price iPhone at the end of their promotional period.

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Google CEO Sundar Pichai
AIGoogle
Employee revolt once forced Google to back off on military contracts. But, in the wake of a new Pentagon AI contract, their leverage appears limited
By Beatrice NolanMay 4, 2026
20 minutes ago
A decade after the ‘Godfather of AI’ said radiologists were obsolete, their salaries are up to $571K and demand is growing fast
AIthe future of work
A decade after the ‘Godfather of AI’ said radiologists were obsolete, their salaries are up to $571K and demand is growing fast
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 4, 2026
1 hour ago
Meme stock GameStop pitches $56 Billion takeover of eBay
RetailRetail
Meme stock GameStop pitches $56 Billion takeover of eBay
By Cecilia D'Anastasio, Se Young Lee and BloombergMay 3, 2026
7 hours ago
Hong Kong is the hub for China’s AI IPOs. It can be so much more than that
CommentaryHong Kong
Hong Kong is the hub for China’s AI IPOs. It can be so much more than that
By Brian Wong and Tony ChanMay 3, 2026
10 hours ago
Chinese court rules firms can’t lay off workers on AI grounds
AIChina
Chinese court rules firms can’t lay off workers on AI grounds
By Victor Swezey and BloombergMay 3, 2026
16 hours ago
jason corso
Commentarydisruption
AI models are choking on junk data
By Jason CorsoMay 3, 2026
18 hours ago

Most Popular

America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn't healed
Economy
America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn't healed
By Nick LichtenbergMay 3, 2026
20 hours ago
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
Personal Finance
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
3 days ago
Sam Altman says the quiet part out loud, confirming some companies are ‘AI washing’ by blaming unrelated layoffs on the technology
AI
Sam Altman says the quiet part out loud, confirming some companies are ‘AI washing’ by blaming unrelated layoffs on the technology
By Sasha RogelbergMay 3, 2026
19 hours ago
Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with 'zero' work experience because she 'thanked the security guard by name' before the interview
Success
Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with 'zero' work experience because she 'thanked the security guard by name' before the interview
By Emma BurleighMay 3, 2026
19 hours ago
I spent a decade selling homes to the ultra-wealthy. What I saw explains the housing market's nepo problem
Commentary
I spent a decade selling homes to the ultra-wealthy. What I saw explains the housing market's nepo problem
By Blake O'ShaughnessyMay 3, 2026
20 hours ago
Gen Z is rebelling against the economy with ‘disillusionomics,’ tackling near 6-figure debt by turning life into a giant list of income streams
Economy
Gen Z is rebelling against the economy with ‘disillusionomics,’ tackling near 6-figure debt by turning life into a giant list of income streams
By Jacqueline MunisMay 2, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.