14 DAY TRIAL // Mobile phone carrier Sprint is reportedly preparing to discontinue the QChat-based Direct Connect phones that it currently offers to its users. It seems that the wireless operator already stopped replenishing the stock of such devices, and models are starting to be sold out. Moreover, some handsets got discontinued, including the LG LX400 and Samsung Z400, and they can not be found available for purchase via any Sprint sales channel.
According to a recent post on PhoneNews, the details regarding the near phase out of QChat phones come from an online chatter amongst Sprint employees. Moreover, various sales locations are said to have already discontinued sales of such handsets, and it seems that Sprint is indeed trying at the moment to clear the stock on models like the Sanyo PRO-200/PRO-700 and the Motorola Renegade V950.
“The move away from QChat is not surprising and was confirmed by PhoneNews.com in a roadmap leak last March which detailed a halt to new QChat device development as well as other initiatives. A recently discovered email from Integrated Solutions Group president Danny Bowman in response to a customer inquiry about QChat last June further confirms QChat’s demise, stating that the carrier has no further plans to launch new QChat markets beyond launching the initial 54 markets in 2008, all but confirming the end of QChat development,” the news site also notes.
At the same time, Sprint is working on enhancing its iDEN network, something that many of you might be familiar with. The carrier started to invest on boosting the capacity of iDEN last year, a move meant to enable it eliminate capacity and access issues, due to the fact that it tried to sell the network and found no buyer. Many of you might know that the carrier has already launched Boost Unlimited on iDEN, a subsidiary that offers services with no monthly plans required.