Sprint’s Newest Strategy to Poach AT&T's Customers: Literally Just Free Service

In the US, wireless carrier Sprint is at the bottom of the pecking order behind Verizon, AT&T, and just recently, T-Mobile. In what AT&T calls a "desperate Hail Mary pass," Sprint is now offering AT&T's DirecTV subscribers an aggressive incentive: a whole year's worth of free wireless service if they switch to Sprint.

The company detailed the offer in a statement that's pretty much dripping with shade:

"DIRECTV customers love their TV service – but they shouldn't have to settle for AT&T wireless." said Kevin Crull, chief marketing officer for Sprint.

So the company is offering a year of free calls, text, and 2 GB of data per month, which is a pretty standard $50-60 dollar package for one line. Sprint will pay off your old plan, but the plan won't cover the cost of a smartphone, which might be necessary if you're coming from AT&T's differently-wired network.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the company's been losing subscribers for years, and hasn't posted an annual profit since 2006. Much of the criticism launched against the company centered on poor reception, but apparently competition helps: the company's been improving its networks recently in response.