Virgin Mobile extends $1 year of unlimited iPhone data to bring-your-own switchers

The deal will be available to people with an iPhone 5s or better for a "short period of time," Virgin Mobile said, without specifying an end date. After Sept. 29 however the company will no longer be shipping out free SIM kits, which could theoretically signal when the promotion will end and/or when Virgin expects the "iPhone 8" and "iPhone 7s" to become available.

The carrier rebooted itself in June, becoming iPhone-only and offering just a single "Inner Circle" plan, costing $50 per month after the initial year expires. The plan also includes unlimited talk and text coverage, but restricts video to about 480p, music to 500 kilobits per second, and "cloud gaming" to 2 megabits per second.

One perk that people upgrading to a new iPhone through Virgin automatically get six more months of service for $1.

Apple is expected to host its annual iPhone event next month, possibly on Sept. 12. Products should ship shortly thereafter, though the "iPhone 8" may be available in extremely limited numbers.