Dish’s $25-a-month Boost Infinite plan is now out in beta

Dish’s $25-a-month Boost Infinite plan is now out in beta

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Dish has launched the beta for its Boost Infinite postpaid cell plan, which promises “Unlimited data, talk, and text” for $25 a month. When Boost Infinite was announced in May, Boost Mobile CEO Stephen Stokols pitched the plan as a way to embrace “web 3.0 trends” that would pay its users back and let them convert unused data into “a real digital currency.” Its website currently doesn’t mention any of that, instead mainly focusing on the appealing price.

For the $25 a month, a price point that isn’t dependent on having multiple lines, you’ll get 30GB a month of unthrottled data, as well as mobile hotspotting, calling and texting to 80 and 200 countries, respectively, and 1GB of data while traveling in Canada or Mexico. To sign up, you will have to go through a soft credit check, but if you do, Dish is promising you’ll get to keep the $25-a-month plan for as long as you keep your line active.

In terms of what devices you can use with Boost Infinite, the carrier is currently offering a variety of iPhones, Samsungs, and Motorola devices, and you can bring your own handset as well, provided it’s unlocked and compatible.

That’s significantly more choice than you’ll get with Project Genesis, Dish’s other beta network, though there are some big differences between that and Infinite. For one, Genesis is meant to test out Dish’s homegrown network, which it’s legally required to build out for reasons I explain here. According to CNET, which spoke to Stokols, the Boost Infinite plan doesn’t use that network yet, even in cities where it’s available, instead providing service via AT&T and T-Mobile’s networks.

Using two networks doesn’t exactly jive with some of the language on the Boost Infinite website — there are multiple references to “one of America’s top networks” (emphasis mine), but it’s very possible that’s just an oversight. I asked Dish spokesperson Meredith Diers about the discrepancy between what Stokols told CNET and the Boost site, and she said that the company “won’t get into network specifics.”

Dish’s own network, which it’s legally required to build out, will be important to Boost Infinite’s future, according to the company. It’s promised that the main appeal of the network will be not just price but that it’ll seamlessly switch between three 5G networks, making sure you always have the best service.

Infinite’s full launch is scheduled for the first part of 2023, according to CNET, a bit later than the initial promise of fall 2022.