Sprint vows data deal for life

Sprint yesterday offered its customers unlimited data services for as long as they keep their account with the No. 3 US operator, as it looks to steal away customers from bigger rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T.

The Sprint announcement came just a day after SoftBank closed its $21.6 billion purchase of 78 percent of Sprint, and two days after Sprint closed its full buyout of Clearwire, which has a treasure trove of wireless airwaves licenses.

The guarantee of unlimited talk, texting and data services adds a new wrinkle from Sprint, which already offers unlimited data services for a flat monthly fee, while its rivals charge consumers depending on the amount of data they use.

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said the new guarantee would help reassure customers who were worried about leaving AT&T or Verizon Wireless and then having Sprint eventually pull the offer of unlimited services.

Hesse, who has been battling customer losses at Sprint since he took on the top job in December 2007, said he needed to complete the Clearwire deal to know that Sprint would have “the capacity to be able to offer an unlimited guarantee for life.”

Sprint shares yesterday closed up 1.7 percent to $7.18.