Boost Mobile Overwhelmed By TextersBoost Mobile Overwhelmed By Texters

Boost Mobile wanted to attract more subscribers when it introduced a $50 monthly plan that offered unlimited voice, text, push to talk, and mobile data. The company may have gotten more than it bargained for, as the influx of customers has taxed the network and led to long delays in text messages.

The operator, which is a fully owned subsidiary of Sprint Nextel, rolled out the unlimited offering in January to woo subscribers away from prepaid subscribers like MetroPCS and Cricket. Hundreds of thousands of new users signed up, but customers are complaining about widespread delays in receiving SMS messages.

Boost offered the unlimited plan after switching from Sprint's nationwide CDMA network to the iDEN network that was associated with Nextel. Representatives said the issues are caused by the surge in new customers, not inherent problems with the iDEN network.

"The popularity of Boost Mobile caught us off guard. It overwhelmed our system," a Boost spokesman said in an interview with the The Associated Press.

The success of Boost's plan is a clear signal that wireless users are looking to cut costs in the midst of a global economic slowdown. This environment is advantageous for no-contract providers like Cricket, MetroPCS, and Virgin Mobile, and each recorded hundreds of thousands of new customers over the last few quarters.

While the prepaid carriers are nowhere near the size of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon Wireless, the big four carriers are feeling the pricing pressure. T-Mobile recently introduced a plan aimed at rewarding long-term customers with unlimited voice calls for $50 a month.

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