Despite much speculation, Sprint Nextel remained on the sidelines during last week’s race for flat-rate freedom. At press time, the third largest carrier had yet to match the unlimited offerings of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. Still, most analysts are predicting it’s only a matter of time before Sprint is forced to get on board.

Matthew Kunkle, wireless services pricing analyst for Current Analysis, believes that if Sprint introduces a rate as low as $60, as many anticipate, no national carrier will match it this early in the game. AT&T, Verizon and even T-Mobile don’t view Sprint as an equal at the moment and would wait it out to see if Sprint starts to get a major take of net additions with an extremely low-cost unlimited plan, he said. Instead, Kunkle recommends Sprint takes its Unlimited Access Packs nationwide and reduces the all-inclusive $120 plans to $100 to one up its competitors.

“This would give Sprint a short-term solution to the unlimited battle that has been waging,” he said. “However, in the long haul, Sprint will need to rethink its strategy with a complete overhaul of its calling plan portfolio, especially under the $99.99 price point, to get back in the game.”