Embarq, Sprint's newly spun-off wireline business, has launched wireless service through a MVNO relationship with Sprint. The company can now provide bundle service packages of wireline, wireless and internet service.
Depending on the plan, Embarq customers will have free calling between their wireless and wireline phones. There's also a feature where any 5 numbers can be called for free, even if they are on other carriers.
Embarq is launching with a limited number of wireless phones, currently entry-level devices from UT Starcom and LG plus the PPC 6700 smartphone.
Now that the French have taken over Sprint landline, Embarq is French is it not, my monthly bill has a 47% increase. How's that for a kick in the rear? Their comment was, Well you were not paying enough. Gee, maybe the 10 or 12 calls we make on the landline are too much for them to handle.
This is certainly one way to create the illusion of a competitive market place--much the like CD Clubs in the 90's (CDHQ anyone?) Perhaps one day Embarq will became much bigger than anticipated (or is it purposely and carefully orchestrated?) and buy out Sprint--achieving the goal of changing their name from Sprint/Nextel to Embarq, which is, IMHO, just awful. Too much thinking on my part, but then again, AT&T spun off AT&T Wireless, which became Cingular thru mergers, which got bought back by SBC (or rather, again thru mergers, the new at&t), and will in 2007 change it all back to AT&T, where it all began, which might as well be in quotation marks since it makes a wonderfully suitable catchphrase/slogan: "AT&T: Where it all began." Too much time on my hand? You bet.