Sprint to bump ETF charge from $200 to $350 in September (Yahoo! News)

Could a boosted early termination fee be a sign that the iPhone is on the way?

Leaving a wireless carrier before your contract has expired is a costly decision, and for?Sprint customers it's about to get even pricier. According to the reliable tipsters at?Sprintfeed, the company is poised to bump the early termination fee for certain?customers from $200 up to a staggering $350.

The new fee is allegedly scheduled to take effect on September 9, and will apply to all new contracts for "advanced devices" smartphones, tablets, and notebooks. But before you cry foul, you should know that the larger wireless carriers have had similar fees for a while now.?Verizon's ETF penalty matches Sprint's new rate at $350, while?AT&T's charge starts at $325 and decrease based on how long you have left in your agreement.

The early termination fee is designed to prevent customers from abusing the new customer discount on?subsidized smartphones and other expensive devices. If the rumor turns out to be legitimate (and it almost certainly is), it could be a sign that a new, pricey, highly sought-after device ? like the?rumored Sprint iPhone 5 ? is poised to appear on the wireless carrier's shelves.

[Image credit:?Thedarkthing]

(Source)

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110901/tc_yblog_technews/sprint-to-bump-etf-charge-from-200-to-350-in-september

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