Sprint Ad Uses iPhone to Push 4G Wi-Fi and Knock AT&T

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The iPhone 3GS. Creative Commons-licensed photo by Fr3d: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fr3d/2660915827/
The iPhone 3GS. Creative Commons-licensed photo by Fr3d: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fr3d/2660915827/

Sprint unveiled this weekend a new ad using the iPhone to promote the wireless carrier’s 4G service while at the same time knocking competitor AT&T. The ad, entitled “Make Your Phone 4G,” was posted to YouTube. The spot promote’s Sprint’s Overdrive device, permitting any iPhone, or other Wi-Fi-enabled handset, to access the carrier’s 4G network.

In the ad, two men (one intriguingly named “Steve”) sit on a park bench and hold a conversation. Steve tells his friend Matt that his iPhone is “limited to AT&T’s 3G speeds.” A voice-over then claims Sprint’s Overdrive 4G hotspot will deliver data speeds “up to 10 times faster” than AT&T.


The commercial wraps up with the tagline: “Whatever you do, do it up to ten times faster with 4G from Sprint.”

The ad promoting Sprint’s 4G wireless hotspot is similar to a message Verizon gave employees to push that wireless carrier’s MiFi hotspot device as an alternative to AT&T for iPad owners. However, the difference between data plans for the iPhone and the iPad is Apple signed AT&T to a contract-free deal, allowing tablet owners to pick which wireless carrier to use.

[via AppleInsider and 9to5Mac]

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