Page Plus Launches Unlimited Talk and Text for $39.95

Ostensibly in response to Tracfone’s $45-a-month Straight Talk product, Page Plus Cellular on Friday introduced a low-priced unlimited plan of their own, including calling, texting and 20 megabytes of data for $39.95, with no additional taxes and fees. The plan sacrifices 10 MB of data and unlimited directory assistance for the lower price point, however Page Plus’s take on Verizon-based unlimited service allows off-network roaming (59¢ per minute), additional data access without having to buy another full refill (at 0.06¢ per kilobyte, or 60¢ per MB) and the ability to use any Verizon-compatible phone rather than being stuck with Straight Talk’s three-model line. Page Plus is not even offering a discount on 411 service (something that Tracfone has offered at no additional charge anyway due to their custom phone-based minute tracking system), however free alternatives (like Free411 and Google’s GOOG-411 service) are available.

Page Plus Cellular has offered both unlimited in $39.95 plans in the past. However before Friday’s announcement the unlimited plan was voice-only and cost nearly twice as much ($2.49 per day). Page Plus’s $39.95 plan was also less liberal at that point, offering 1500 voice minutes and text messages. In addition, data access rates were $1.20 per megabyte, and MMS costs were 40 cents per message in addition to data transport charges. MMSes now cost just 10¢ apiece on the unlimited plan. In comparison, Verizon Wireless proper charges around $100, plus taxes, for their postpaid unlimited service, with messaging running customers another $20 per month. Piecemeal, MMS costs 25¢ per message across all four major wireless carriers.

Page Plus Cellular’s unlimited plan is now the least expensive nationwide unlimited-voice plan in the US, dipping below Sprint-based Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile as well as Verizon-based Straight Talk. Page Plus also hast the distinction of being the only nationwide unlimited plan to offer a variety of 3G phones on its service; any Verizon phone is compatible, though Page Plus fits the bill directly with such high-end phones as the Motorola Razr v3c and the Motorola e815.

Will unlimited-voice pricing get any lower on nationwide networks? It’s hard to tell. CricKet and MetroPCS offer $30 unlimited plans in every market. CricKet even offers a $25-per-month option in South Texas, to compete with Pocket Communications, a regional operator that has gained over 300,000 customers in just a few years. One thing is for sure though: unlimited cellular plans aren’t a passing fad, and $50 per month isn’t the lower bound for monthly unlimited cellular service.