By Mike Robuck
Dish Network’s Boost Mobile prepaid brand expanded into a further 8,000 retail locations through a deal with US-based Walgreens on April 4, a move an analyst noted may not be enough to stem a run of subscriber losses.
The Walgreens agreement adds to Boost Mobile deals with Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kroger and 7-Eleven.
A Boost Mobile representative told Mobile World Live (MWL) it now has a presence in 22,000 retail locations across the US.
Wave7 Research principal Jeff Moore told MWL Boost Mobile’s presence in Walgreen stores was “pretty close to being a nothing burger” because the chain typically does not have employees who can sell or activate mobile services.
He noted Boost Mobile has more than 4,000 of its own stores where employees are trained to help customers.
“As far as Walmart is concerned, that is not a location where they just throw out a SIM card and hope someone buys it and then figures out how to activate it,” he stated.
“In Walmart, they have a full display of Boost phones and they have a person there from a third-party dealer firm to help people activate their phones.”
Boost Mobile operates on T-Mobile US’ network. It lost 24,000 customers in Q4 2022, compared with 245,000 in Q4 2021.
The MVNO was impacted by a ransomware attack on Dish Network in February which resulted in its customers being unable to access their accounts or pay their mobile fees online.
Last month, Dish Wireless hired Jonathan Sipling as SVP and CMO of its retail wireless brands, a role which includes overseeing its Boost Infinite brand.
