By Josh Long

Sprint Nextel, the nations third-largest wireless provider, plans to offer unlimited data plans on the new iPhone 5 in a move aimed to distinguish it from its larger competitors AT&T and Verizon Wireless, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The carrier reportedly plans to begin selling the device next month.

Sprint, which has far fewer customers than its larger wireless competitors, has been losing contract customers and buckets of money. In the second quarter, the company reported a net loss of $847 million on revenues of $8.3 billion.

With the iPhone in its possession, Sprint could be in a better position to compete with its larger rivals, Verizon Wireless and AT&T, whose merger with T-Mobile USA is in jeopardy thanks to a Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit.  

The iPhone is one of the most popular gadgets on the planet, and consumers show no signs of fatigue with Apple. A J.D. Power and Associates study released Thursday found that for the sixth consecutive time Apple ranked highest among manufacturers of smartphones in customer satisfaction. Apple performed well on all factors, the study found, particularly based on features and ease of operation.

In its most recent fiscal quarter ending June 25, 2011, Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple sold 20.34 million iPhones.