As newly reported by MarketWatch, Sprint’s Virgin Mobile will become the second U.S. wireless provider to sell the iPhone without a service contract. The carrier will allegedly announce the addition of the handset to its lineup later this week, with the official debut slated for July 1st.
The rumored contract could go toward the $15.5 million Sprint has committed to spend on iPhones over a four-year term. Last year, the company sealed a deal with Apple that brought the device to the third-largest network in the country.
Last week, Cricket Wireless was announced as the first prepaid carrier to offer a contract-free iPhone in North America. The handset was said to be available for Cricket subscribers starting June 22nd. The company will reportedly sell the 16GB iPhone 4S model for $500 along with “unlimited” data for a monthly fee of $55.
However, while the company will only offer the handset in smaller markets where the Cricket brand is available, Virgin would reach more prepaid customers. The carrier’s service, which is based on Sprint’s network, covers 278 million subscribers.
Although it wasn’t announced how much a prepaid iPhone would cost on Virgin, the company’s prepaid plans start at $35 per month for “unlimited capped” data. The publication wasn’t sure whether the device would be compatible with those plans.
The iPhone maker started expanding its handset to regional carriers in October by bringing the product to C Spire wireless, with more carriers added in April and May.
