Sprint is dropping the Virgin Mobile brand and moving the customers to its other prepaid offer, Boost Mobile. The plans were announced on the Virgin Mobile website, and customers informed this month. The customer migration is planned to start in February.
Sprint did not give a reason for dropping the brand, nor is it clear how many customers it has at Virgin Mobile. The company said customers would receive a "comparable or better" plan from Boost Mobile. As taxes and fees are included in the headline prices for Boost Mobile, Virgin customers may even see their costs decline after the switch.
The decision comes as Sprint awaits the final approval for its planned merger with T-Mobile US. A ruling is expected in February in the case brought by state attorneys general against the merger. If the deal goes ahead, the companies have agreed to sell Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile to Dish Network as part of competition concessions, and focus on T-Mobile's Metro for the prepaid market.
