Sprint taps Pogoplug for cloud storage and backup

US telco Sprint announced a partnership this week with cloud storage service provider Pogoplug that will see Sprint offer its customers free cloud storage as part of their mobile services package.

Sprint said that beginning January 27th iPhone and Android users will be able to download the Pogoplug app and receive 5GB of free storage for backing up media and documents, with the option to upgrade to unlimited storage for $4.99 per month.

“Whether our subscribers have one device or several devices, everyone craves the flexibility to access all of their content from virtually anywhere at any time,” said Mike McRoberts, director of product development at Sprint.

“Our new relationship with Pogoplug creates a seamless experience for our customers. With unlimited cloud storage, our customers can easily back up, access and share all their photos and videos from almost anywhere, eliminating the headaches around running out of space or losing an important memory,” he said.

Sprint’s move to offer free cloud storage comes at a time when most American mobile telcos already have similar offerings in place. AT&T announced its Locker cloud backup service in November 2012, and Verizon launched its Verizon Cloud offering in April last year.

Cloud storage is seen by some telcos to be a very strategic area, not just as a “value add” for consumer markets but enterprises as well. Telstra and Teleconfica are among the leading investors in enterprise storage and collaboration company Box, which largely caters to business customers and has agreements in place with operators like EE and Deutsche Telekom to offer the services to enterprises.

This article originally appeared on Business Cloud News.