Following up on their previous developments of beginning Nexus 5 sales at a money-losing $95 markup, Ting has now announced that beginning next Tuesday, March 11th, Ting will begin to activate Sprint iPhone 5 models onto its service under the same rules for activating other Sprint-branded devices. This means no lost/stolen devices or devices with unpaid bills/ETFs will be allowed to be activated, and more specific details on activation will be provided next week.
The news that Ting will be allowed to activate the Sprint iPhone 5 should be taken as a sign that Sprint is finally rethinking its restrictions on the activation of flagship devices on its MVNOs. Such restrictions became a key point of contention for us here at PhoneNews last year when the Nexus 5 was initially banned for activation outside of Sprint itself, only for the ban to be relaxed after customer outcry against Sprint, owing to the carrier not subsidizing the device directly and buyers demanding the option to activate the device on MVNOs like Ting.
Following the news of the iPhone 5 activation allowance, Ting has also announced the future launch of the Galaxy S5 for its service in mid-April for ~$600, along with the yet to be officially unveiled “All New HTC One” expected sometime in May, which is being met with Ting’s trademark wit, as the provider called it the worst kept secret.
