Sprint May Sell iPhone Via Virgin Mobile

The Sprint companies have a total of ~55 customers.
Sprint signed a contract with Apple that will require them to purchase a minimum of 33 million iPhones, and that's based on the high end price units.

So, they have to effective turn 33 million existing customers into iPhone users or attract enough new customers to fill that void.

Of their companies, only Sprint itself is a contracted service. They include: Includes Sprint Network, Nextel Network, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile, and Virgin Mobile USA

A large portion of their newer additional customers are government subsidized low income users.

Sprint itself does not have 33 million contracted customers to fufill it's contract to Apple, so, they have to turn some of their pre-paid customers to iPhone use.

None of the govt subsidized portion of their customer base are going to head to an iPhone, so that leaves new additions and Boost and Virgin Mobile

This will let them get a portion of the $600/unit back but really, it isn't going to solve their problems in all of this.