PlatinumTel Includes 100MB of Data with $50 Unlimited Plan
August 21, 2009 · 1 Comment
The unlimited fire just doesn’t stop apparently. A few days ago, Sprint-powered PlatinumTel revised its rate structure to make its $50 unlimited wireless plan the most data-heavy unlimited-voice prepaid plan yet, with 100MB of usage included per month. This is in addition to unlimited voice minutes and text messages on Sprint’s nationwide PCS network. There’s even no-charge picture messaging; just pay for the data.
If you need more data, a 0.05¢ per KB (51.2¢ per MB) charge applies, or you can grab a $5 card for 40 MB or a $10 card for $100 MB of data. To our knowledge, those are the cheapest per-megabyte prices for cell-phone data anywhere on prepaid. AT&T, Page Plus Cellular and Virgin Mobile don’t even come close.
One other advantage of PlatinumTel’s non-contract unlimited plan is that there are no extra small monthly fees for service and/or web access like other PlatinumTel plans have, though the company’s per-minute rates are quite good across the board. The Chicago-based provider’s other plans (one with unlimited nights and weekends, one wihtout) are unchanged, at least for now. We hear there will be a mobile broadband card plan soon though.
Page Plus Upgrades $20 Monthly Text Option to Unlimited
August 21, 2009 · Leave a Comment
For those who don’t text as much, Page Plus still has a 2000-message-per-month plan for $10.95 per month, or pay-as-you-go texting for 8¢ apiece. Or, for heavy talkers, $19.95 above Page Plus’s unlimited-text package will net you unlimited voice minutes as well, plus 20 MB of data access. In short, there’s something for everyone at Page Plus, whether you talk, text or surf on your prepaid phone.
For those already on Page Plus, all these features might chew through your balance a little quicker. Fortunately, you can get airtime online right here (without sales tax in most places).
Wireless Competition is Red-Hot in South Texas
August 10, 2009 · 3 Comments
The weather isn’t the only thing that’s smoking hot in San Antonio, Texas (though at 100 degrees, it definitely qualifies for the classification). San Diego-based Leap Wireless, via their CricKet brand, is duking it out with San Antonio-based Pocket Communications in the unlimited wireless market, and consumers are winning.
Pocket, launched a few short years ago in the San Antonio area, recently expanded to Corpus Christi and the surrounding towns, after securing footholds in Laredo and Rio Grande markets. Their pitch: we’re better than CricKet. Pocket’s ad campaign pulls no punches when it comes to comparing their service to that of the nation’s second largest unlimited-only carrier; Pocket calls CricKet out as a leader in dropped calls, long customer service hold times, and high pricing. Pocket on the other hand says that their network has twice the number of towers as CricKet does, their customer service agents will answer calls in twenty seconds or less, and their cheapest phone is absolutely free after a mail-in rebate, including a free month of service.
Page Plus Launches Unlimited Talk and Text for $39.95
August 10, 2009 · 2 Comments
MetroPCS drops plan pricing, adds features
July 30, 2009 · Leave a Comment
MetroPCS will shortly be updating their website to reflect a $5 per month drop in rates for their $45 and $50 plans. The now-$45 plan gets social networking, navigation and e-mail, whereas the $40 plan now includes unlimited local, long distance, text messaging and web access. Our information page on MetroPCS will be updated as soon as the company’s website is.
Read more at CNet
Showdown of pay-as-you-go providers Boost and Cricket
July 28, 2009 · Leave a Comment
With a slate of new stores, aggressive marketing campaigns and even a celebrity endorsement, fast-growing pay-as-you-go mobile phone providers Boost and Cricket are going head-to-head to snap up customers in the Baltimore area.
Boost Mobile opened its first exclusive retail store on East Monument Street last week, joining competitor Cricket, which started offering cellular service in the Baltimore-Washington region through its stores at the end of June. Both companies also have networks of independent dealers that sell phones and minutes.
“The Baltimore market has always been one of our key markets,” said Traci Jovanoic, Boost Mobile director of indirect sales. “It has been in our top 10 for locations.”
One of the bright spots in the telecom industry has been the no contract phone service providers like Boost, a subsidiary of Sprint Nextel Corp., and Cricket, owned by publicly traded Leap Wireless Inc. The companies’ marketing strategy is to charge one monthly fee for unlimited calling and texting, or a la carte options to build customized plans.
Read more at The Daily Record
MetroPCS Launches $5 Unlimited International Calling
July 5, 2009 · 2 Comments
MetroPCS recently added flat-rate international calling to their stable of additional features available with their unlimited service plans. The cost: $5 per month.
Though their site doesn’t show a direct table as to which destinations are included in the unlimited plan, MetroPCS does include a tool to check whether a given phone unmber would be included in the plan. They also state that the destinations covered number over one thousand, in more than one hundred countries.
The unlimited direct-dial international calling feature (no 800 numbers or PINs to remember) is even available when using coverage provided by MetroPCS partner carriers, which include, among other providers, CricKet.
With features like this one and phones like the Samsung Finesse coming to MetroPCS, they’re more and more becoming a solid alternative to contract-based carriers on a feature, as well as a price, basis.
Virgin Mobile Intros Samsung Mantra, Data Card
June 19, 2009 · 1 Comment
Virgin Mobile has officially entered the wireless data card business, though their product of that sort won’t arrive until the end of this month. In more immediate news, $59.99 will now buy you a Bluetooth-equipped camera phone, the Samsung Mantra.
The Mantra has a mere VGA camera, but Bluetooth and the Samsung name are two pluses on the new flip phone on Virgin Mobile’s Sprint-powered service. However the UTStarCom Arc offers the same features for $10 less, if you can live with not having a name brand phone with a normal form factor.
The broadband card is more interesting. It’s not the best deal out there; the card weighs in at a hefty $149.99 from Best Buy, and data plans are skimpy, offering only 1GB of data for a $60 monthly fee. In contrast, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T offer 5GB of data access for that amount.
Verizon Launches Campaign around 99¢
June 10, 2009 · 2 Comments
Today, select taxis in New York City are offering rides for a mere 99 cents. In a few weeks Mr. Softee Ice Cream will be offering 99-cent treats. The company behind both promotions: Verizon Wireless, who wants to bring home the value of their 99¢-per-day prepaid wireless plan.
In trying economic times like these, everyone wants to get the most value for their money. As such, people are gravitating toward prepaid phones, since their pay-per-minute model allows users to be in control of their cell phone bills. Verizon, long a carrier focused on contract-bound buyers to the near-complete exclusion of prepaid, thus has to make an about-face in order to keep gaining customers in a country-wide recession like this one. Granted, Verizon’s network has been home to other comapnies’ prepaid subscribers, such as Page Plus, Tracfone and Straight Talk, but Verizon has downplayed the market themselves…until now.
What does 99¢ buy on Verizon’s own prepaid program? Unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling and ten-cent minutes to other providers and texts. This isn’t much compared with other providers, who require no daily fee to get even cheaper rates, however Verizon’s mobile to mobile community numbers over 85 million at this point, so chances are that if you’re a heavy talker you’ll get your 99 cents worth.
For more info on Verizon’s antics, check out BrandWatch’s article.
Tracfone Intros Straight Talk: 1000 minutes, texts and more for $30
June 9, 2009 · 6 Comments
Tracfone is known for its airtime balance displays, contract-class coverage and nononsense phones and features. Now they’re tryng something different, and that “something different” looks very, very good for the prepaid market.
The plan: 1000 minutes, 1000 messages, 30 MB of web and no-extra-charge directory assistance. The network: Verizon Wireless, for the same coverage as Page Plus Cellular and Verizon’s own (rather lackluster, compared to this anyway) prepaid service. The phones: the Motorola Razr v3a, the Motorola w385 or the LG 200c. The price: a mere $30 per month.
Tracfone’s choice of Verizon as the only network for this new service is a departure from their other plans, which heavily favor AT&T and include free roaming just like a modern contract plan. Then again, this allows Tracfone to pass cheap per-minute rates on to Straight Talk customers and, with Verizon’s purchase of Alltel, their network is huge anyway.
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