4:20 PM We'll forgive the new Sprint reseller for its dumb name, because its data-sharing strategy is really quite smart

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

February 3, 2012

1 Min Read
Ting: Bad Name, Great Idea

4:20 PM -- Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S)'s new MVNO Ting may share its name with an antifungal creme, but its pricing strategy may help scratch what's been itching the wireless industry.

Global Internet services company Tucows launched the brand, named after a Jamaican beverage, on Thursday. Ting's contract-free plans let customers share their voice, text and data minutes across the devices they own. This is an idea the U.S. wireless operators have tossed around quite a bit and one that policy vendors like Tekelec are rooting for, but so far no big player has taken the plunge. (See New Data Plans Keep It in the Family .)

Ting, not to be confused with the orange drink Tang, lets you pick from plans ranging from XS to XXL based on how much voice, text and data you think you'll use across all your, or your family's, devices. Each device added to the plan is an extra $6 per month. If you go over, Ting charges you the difference. If you stay under, you get a credit. Oh, and they'll throw in a free mobile hot spot too. It's a win-win. (See New Twists in Mobile Data Pricing .)

Ting will have some challenges (besides its suspiciously similar name to the English musical duo the Ting Tings): its device selection is fairly limited and its phones are unsubsidized. But, it's a smart approach that I hope the larger operators in the U.S. will soon follow.

Let's just hope these shirts aren't part of Ting's marketing strategy…

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile

About the Author(s)

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

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