OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sprint is teaming up with Movistar Mexico & El Salvador, a large telecommunications brand owned by Telefónica, to become the first U.S. provider allowing customers to pay for a loved one’s wireless plan in Mexico and El Salvador. With the exclusive Plan Conectados through the Sprint World Top-Up app, Sprint customers in the United States can easily give wireless access to their loved ones in Mexico or El Salvador for just $25 a month. The cost is billed directly to the user’s Sprint bill and then applied to their family’s or friend’s Movistar prepaid account.
The Top-Up App also allows U.S. customers to add money to prepaid accounts in 23 Latin American and Caribbean countries hassle-free, irrespective of their in-country plan and available for most carriers.
Making it Easy to Stay Connected
In 2015, U.S. immigrants sent an estimated $133.5 billion to relatives in their native country across the globe.1 Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean grew nearly 8% from 2015 to 2016, amounting to approximately US $70 billion. Mexico received over 26 billion and El Salvador took in close to 5 billion,2 highlighting the need for affordable plans and services.
“Sprint and Movistar are both deeply rooted in the Hispanic community and we know that family ties are the center of everything,” said Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO and president. “We recognize that many families assume responsibility for supporting their loved ones abroad, and Sprint wants to make it easier for them to do so. By offering a way for our customers to provide their relatives with the best wireless plan available in their country we have created a unique and practical way to empower our customers.”
“Movistar is excited to improve our customer’s quality of life by providing this barrier breaking initiative with Sprint. This new plan will help our communities to connect more easily than ever before”, said Carlos Morales, Telefonica Mexico’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Limited resources and funds play key roles in hindering wireless access to many families, and with Plan Conectados we expect to provide them with constant connectivity. Telefonica Mexico is the first-ever Mexican carrier to deliver such a solution.”
“For us, as Movistar El Salvador, it is very important to connect and keep Salvadoran families connected, so we are very proud to achieve this agreement with Sprint. Plan Conectados allows us to give greater access to communication and technology to the thousands of Salvadorans who depend on their families in the USA,” said Sergio Chueca, Telefónica’s El Salvador Chief Executive Officer.
Here’s How it Works:
Download Sprint World Top-Up App for FREE using the App Store on any iOS or Android device.3 Then customers have two options:
- For those with family and friends in Mexico and El Salvador, they can add Plan Conectados4 to their Sprint account for just $25 per month. The plan is then managed within the Sprint World Top-Up app.
- For those with family in Latin American and Caribbean countries, Top-Up – or add airtime funds – to a loved one’s prepaid wireless account directly from a Sprint device5 within the Sprint World Top-Up app.
| PLAN CONNECTADOS | MEXICO | EL SALVADOR | ||||
| Price per month | $25 | $25 | ||||
| National Calls and Texts | Unlimited |
Unlimited On Network/
300 Min off-Network |
||||
| Calls to US | Unlimited | 400 min. | ||||
| Texts to US | Unlimited | Not Available | ||||
| Data Total (Including social networks) | 7GB | 4GB | ||||
To learn more visit your local Sprint store or go to sprint.com/topup for more information.
About Sprint:
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 59.5 million connections as of Dec. 31, 2016 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past five years. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
About Telefonica:
Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world by market capitalization and number of customers with a comprehensive offering and quality of connectivity that is delivered over world class fixed, mobile and broadband networks. As a growing company it prides itself on providing a differential experience based both on its corporate values and a public position that defends customer interests. The company has a significant presence in 21 countries and 350 million accesses around the world. Telefónica has a strong presence in Spain, Europe and Latin America, where the company focuses an important part of its growth strategy. Telefónica is a 100% listed company, with more than 1.5 million direct shareholders. Its share capital currently comprises 5,037,804,990 ordinary shares traded on the Spanish Stock Market and on those in London, New York, Lima, and Buenos Aires.
3 In order to send funds to family and friends abroad, customers must have a qualifying consumer postpaid Sprint billing account.
4 Customers in Mexico receive unlimited calls and texts (including U.S. and Canada), 5GB browsing data, and 2GB Social/What’s App data (excluding What’s App Calling). For customers in El Salvador, customers receive unlimited calls and texts within Movistar network, up to 400 minutes to call to U.S. and 300 national minutes for calls on Salvadoran carriers other than Movistar along with 4GB of browsing/social data. All data, minutes and texting expires after 30 days.
5 Sending data, voice and text minutes through Sprint World’s Top-Up application to other locations varies by country.
