do you consider these sprint owned companies MVNO's?

Mvno rents network from a "parent" company but other then the network resources and phones possibly has often little or nothing to do with the parent carrier . All other functions, marketing, business transactions, customer/tech support are unrelated and separate from the parent carrier .

Sprint's case is unique as they have more mvnos then any other big 4 carrier. Here's the breakdown.

Sprint is actually Sprint Nextel. They can be considered a TWO network carrier. One cdma, one iden.

Combined, they can be considered just plain Sprint as Sprint bought out Nextel about five years ago and now wholly owns them, network and all.

Boost iden was the prepaid arm of Nextel. By buying Nextel, Sprint in turn bought Boost iden.

Boost cdma was created after the Nextel/Boost buyout by Sprint. It was a test brand.

It is NOT a mvno as much as it is the prepaid division of Sprint cdma. They are fully owned by Sprint. That makes it a subsidiary of Sprint.

Virgin Mobile had Sprint help to start up but otherwise was basically independent of Sprint except for a small 13% controlling stake in VM until they totally bought them out in July 2009. They USED to be an mvno of Sprint but after the buyout became a prepaid division just like Boost cdma and Boost iden. Helio , which used to be a Sprint mvno was bought out by Virgin Mobile BEFORE Sprint bought them out. Similar to how Sprint bought Boost iden by buying their parent, Nextel, Sprint bought Helio by buying out their parent Virgin Mobile.

Simple enough isn't it? lol

So basically Nextel is not an mvno but a part of Sprint/Nextel. Virgin Mobile, Boost iden, Boost cdma are all now part of Sprint's prepaid division and are not mvnos. Helio, now known as Virgin Mobile contract is also not an mvno but a contract division of Virgin Mobile.

A true Sprint mvno would be a company that is either completely or largely not owned by Sprint but still uses their network and phones. Like Liberty Wireless, Platinum Tel, Ready Mobile, STI, Total Call mobile. All run on the Sprint network but none of them are owned outright by Sprint. They buy airtime from Sprint and sell it at their own rates and own packages. Sprint lays down the general rules on what they have to be to become and remain an mvno but other wise they are all independent. If an mvno goes out of business, Sprint does not. If Virgin mobile or another prepaid division of Sprint starts taking losses, Sprint would take action. Sprint only acts on the mvnos if they are messing up like being behind in payments or does things that they think can affect Sprint (like taking away Liberty Wireless's ability to use other phones on their system recently . )

Most Sprint mvnos generally do not allow other phones on their network except a couple like Platinum Tel that allows phones from other Sprint mvnos only, no original Sprint phones (which is the good stuff. Mvno phones are often older models). Verizon mvnos allow both phones from other Verizon mvnos and original Verizon phones on their system generally.

The fact that many mvnos are prepaid but not all prepaids are mvnos can add to the confusion.

So technically, Boost iden/cdma, Helio and Virgin Mobile are not mvnos but just different divisions of Sprint.

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