Boost Mobile will let you lower your phone bill by playing games and watching ads
Boost Mobile will now allow you to pay part of your phone bill with “blockchain-backed” Boostcoins earned by watching ads and playing games (via CBS). In a press release, the carrier says you can earn BoostCoins by downloading the new BoostOne app and then interacting with games, ads, and Boost Mobile partners from within the app.
But don’t get too excited just yet – one Boostcoin equals one penny. In other words, you’ll probably have to spend a lot of time on the app if you want to see big savings. As pointed out CBS, watching an advertisement for several seconds will earn you two Boostcoins. There is also a Wheel of Fortune-style Spin and win game that rewards players from five cents to $5 in a single spin. It’s unclear if there are limits to the number of games you can play per day, as well as the number of ads you can watch.
“This represents an exciting new business model and a stepping stone into the future for wireless consumers,” Boost Mobile CEO Stephen Stokols said in the press release. “Most telcos rely on subscription models, but it’s time to move beyond the old ways and embrace proven digital models that are popular in other industries.”
Boost Mobile says it plans to allow users to share Boostcoins with each other in the future, and will eventually include other ways to redeem the coins, such as redeeming them for a free phone. Exactly how Boostcoins are backed by the blockchain is still unclear, and Dish (Boost’s parent company) did not immediately respond to The edgerequest for comment.
This isn’t Dish’s first attempt at the Web 3 space, and (unfortunately) it appears to be just the beginning. Earlier this month, Dish finally launched its 5G network in Las Vegas, called Project Genesis. It has rolled out a companion app that offers fun ways to help the company fine-tune the network, which offers rewards for participation, including NFTs.
Last week, Boost CEO Stokols unveiled the company’s new Boost Infinite postpaid wireless plan coming this fall. Stokols hinted that it would allow users to pay for their new phones with cryptocurrency, as well as allowing users to exchange their unused data for digital currency. Dish is currently trying to navigate its way between T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T to become the fourth major carrier option in the United States, and its deadline to cover 20% of the population with its service is approaching at big steps.
