Sprint introduces international WiFi calling, 30-day service trials and stronger cell towers
Rounding out Sprint’s long list of announcements today (earlier we learned about the Samsung Galaxy S5 Sport and new markets for 4G LTE and Sprint Spark) are three changes that are sure to catch your eye. First up is international WiFi calling: you’ll be able to use WiFi networks to make calls in over 100 countries abroad, so if cellular service isn’t quite “right” where you’re staying simply hop onto a WiFi network and do your bidding. Sprint hasn’t given an exact date as to when this feature will be available or if this will be a staggered rollout, though we’re told to be on the lookout for it in the “weeks to come.”
Next up, Sprint is offering 30-day risk free trials to anyone who wants to give the network a run and see if it’s strong enough for their needs. It can be seen as a direct response to T-Mobile’s latest Uncarrier moves which allows you to borrow an iPhone for a bit and take the ol’ network for a spin. Sprint has to be super confident in their network as they offer a 100% money back guarantee, no questions asked (we’re sure they’re at least going to ask you what you thought of your time on the network, though).
Finally, the carrier revealed new 8T8R cellular radios for their towers. These radios promise to push a stronger and more reliable signal over the company’s 2.5GHz spectrum (the one that did a good bit of the heavy lifting before Sprint Spark came along). This should result in even faster speeds across the board, though it will take time to get the deployments going. Commercial availability of the new performance is expected to be made available later this summer.
These announcements aren’t quite bringing the same level of “ZOMG” as T-Mobile’s Uncarrier movement tends to, but if this is the result of T-Mobile pushing other carriers to compete then we hope there’s a lot more where it came from.