EchoStar resets Boost Mobile brand

EchoStar combined its prepaid and post-paid Boost brands under the single umbrella of Boost Mobile, as it attempts to woo subscribers away from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile US.

Prior to its merger with EchoStar, Dish Network bought Boost Mobile from Sprint in 2020 as part of a deal that allowed T-Mobile to acquire Sprint. Dish Network launched a nationwide beta of its Boost Infinite in late 2022.

Both the prepaid Boost Mobile and post-paid Boost Infinite services have struggled to resonate with subscribers which led to layoffs last year.

EchoStar president and CEO Hamid Akhavan acknowledged on the company’s Q1 2024 earnings call in May its “initial approach to the market was rushed”, due to the operator focusing on launching a 5G service by building a greenfield open RAN network.

Akhavan stated the company planned to improve its Boost Infinite offerings and execution in the post-paid space in H2 of 2024.

The decision to combine prepaid and post-paid under the single brand of Boost Mobile did not sit well with Wave7 Research principal Jeff Moore, who told Mobile World Live putting both under one banner introduces more confusion for consumers.

“Boost Mobile is a wonderful brand in and of itself, and its highly appealing in urban America,” he explained. “Customers understand that they get a lot of value from Boost Mobile, but it’s not a post-paid brand. To use to the Boost Mobile brand for post-paid sales is a mistake.”

Boost Mobile positioned the new branding as a way “to deliver better value to customers through a holistic approach and strategic vision in a singular experience”.

New tariffs
Boost Mobile is also touting new 5G tariffs that start at $25 per month for unlimited data. It is also offering unlimited data plans with monthly costs of $50, $60 and $65 per line that come with various perks. The new tariffs include a “forever” price lock when customers sign up with autopay.

The tariffs are only available online. Moore stated not offering them through the 3,500 Boost retail stores is a blow to the dealers.

“Retail stores are where a lot of urban America does its business,” he noted.

The rebranding effort includes a new logo and a programme that allows customers to try the service risk-free for 30 days. If they aren’t satisfied with coverage during that period they can get their money back from Boost Mobile.

The company had 7.3 million wireless subscribers at end-Q1. In addition to its own network, it has MVNO agreements in place with AT&T and T-Mobile, which it stated enables coverage to 99 per cent of the US population.