According to a newly released prepaid report from the firm Wave7 Research, DISH planned to launch Boost Infinite in 15 Las Vegas area Boost Mobile stores by the end of September. The launch appears to have now gone live. An online store locator check by BestMVNO of Boost Mobile stores in Las Vegas now shows 15 stores that say "Boost Infinite Sold Here."
The Wave7 Research report states that the stores will be setup similarly to what's found in Aurora, Colorado.
In May, Fierce Wireless reported that Boost Infinite was being sold in a single store in Aurora, as part of a trial. Sources told Wave7 Research at the time that a broader launched was being planned. DISH intended to sell Boost Infinite in 200 Boost Mobile stores in 4Q23. However, Wave7 Research noted in its most recent prepaid report that those plans have been scrapped.
It's not clear why DISH scrapped its plans to more broadly sell Boost Infinite in Boost Mobile stores. A BestMVNO article noted in early September that DISH is still in talks to spin off its Boost Mobile retail business to CONX with a deadline for a transaction set for November 2023. So that could be one reason for the change of plans.
One may also think DISH would want to pivot away from the idea as it's likely confusing for consumers to see Boost Infinite and Boost Mobile sold in the same locations. One is a postpaid brand, and the other is prepaid. They target different demographics, yet there's little differentiation in price points and plan structure between the two brands which can create further confusion. However, DISH doesn't appear to see it that way with Boost Mobile social media accounts (as seen on X/Twitter), and even separate stores (see screenshots below) having recently posting about Boost Infinite's free iPhone every year offer.
Wave7 Research notes that Boost Mobile stores are being paid a commission to sell Boost Infinite's new Infinite Access for iPhone Plan which explains all the social media posts from independent stores. Stores outside of Las Vegas and Aurora will sell the Boost Infinite plan with an iPhone 15 via drop shipping. Las Vegas and Aurora will have Boost Infinite signage and displays setup in Boost Mobile stores presumably with Boost Infinite devices on hand.
DISH is making a much bigger effort to market Boost Infinite now that there's an iPhone certified for use on its native 5G network. The newly launched iPhone 15 is the first iPhone with the certification. Since its launch, DISH has released a new $60/month phone plan promising customers a free iPhone every year starting with an iPhone 15. The offer is being pushed through two new TV commercials, including the one shown below as well as a new radio ad campaign. And now the offer is available in select Boost Mobile stores.
Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research, remains skeptical of DISH's efforts with Boost Infinite, primarily for a lack of separation between the Boost Mobile and Boost Infinite brands. He commented to BestMVNO; “I’m negative on Boost Infinite efforts. As a postpaid carrier, the brand should be separate from the Boost Mobile brand and the postpaid push should involve separate stores in higher income areas. Putting Boost Infinite displays in a few Boost Mobile stores in Las Vegas will not move the needle.”
Unless you just need the 0% financing, the “iPhone for Life” plan @ $60 really isn’t a good deal when you step back and run the numbers.
The base plan is $25/month so you’re paying an extra $45/month for the iPhone benefit (granted you also get some additional plan features since it’s on the Unlimited+ plan if any of those features matter to you). That means you’re paying $540/year for the $1,000 iPhone 15 Pro.
If you don’t care about the financing or Unlimited+ benefits, then you’re better off just buying the iPhone 15 Pro outright ($1,000) & trading it in directly with Apple for the next model when it releases. Current trade in values for the iPhone 14 Pro are $570 (and it’s been right around that value for the previous year model since for the last 4 releases) so if you take that path you’re only paying $330/year for the iPhone (or $27.50/month vs $45/month through Boost Infinite).
At the same time, if you actually kept the iPhone 15 Pro for 3 years vs. trading in on the Unlimited+ deal (which would make zero sense), you’d end up paying $1,620 for the iPhone 15 Pro, so going the direct route also gives you more flexibility and saves you money if you do decide to keep the phone for more than 1 year.
The additional features of the $60 plan are valued at $20/month over the $25 plan. That means a new iPhone will cost you $180 every year over the cost of the base unlimited plan with the additional features added in. The additional features are Canada and Mexico roaming and international calling and texting. If you don’t need those additional features, the iPhone access plan is costing you an additional $420/yr over the base plan.
Fully agree (and mentioned “granted you also get some additional plan features since it’s on the Unlimited+ plan if any of those features matter to you” which was my attempt to indicate some may assign value to those features, though I probably wasn’t as clear as I could have been on that).
My math on this was more geared to my use case (which I assume is relatively common) where Mexico & Canada roaming + international calling & text aren’t anything I value in a plan (particularly on an iPhone, since I’m always on iMessage or FaceTime when I chat with my family members that live overseas).
The value proposition is definitely a lot better if you’re already paying / planning to pay for the $50/month plan (though that plan also offers a free iPhone 15 w/trade-in but loses the annual upgrade features) so the value is a little hard to compare even on that plan if looking apples-to-apples.
Your math is off, so you may want to recalculate values.
Subscribers are paying an extra $35/month for an iPhone 15 Pro over the base plan, not the $45/month you wrote. Your other iPhone numbers are also off. The price of an iPhone 15 Pro is $999.99. If you trade in an iPhone 14 Pro for $570, you’re paying $430 for the new iPhone 15, not the $330 you wrote. And that’s $35.83/month not $27.50. So it looks like Boost Infinite iPhone plan would be cheaper by a whole 83 cents a month or so vs buying from Apple and trading phone in after a year.