Simple Mobile now has over 1.5 million subscribers, not bad for an operator that only offers SIM cards

America’s 4 largest operators (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon) have a tight grip on the market because they offer subsidized devices, meaning instead of paying $650 for your new iPhone, you sign a 2 year contract and get it for just $200. Enter Simple Mobile, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO for short) that piggybacks on T-Mobile’s network and offers customers nothing more than a SIM card. If you want to use their service, it’s assumed you already have an unlocked device. Launched in November 2009, many people aren’t aware they even exist, which is a shame since they offer one of the best deals in town. For $50 per month you get unlimited talk, text, and data, but you’re limited to just 2G (read: EDGE) speeds. This isn’t a problem for most people since chances are the device they’ll be using Simple Mobile with doesn’t support T-Mobile’s funky 4G bands. If you do want high speed internet access, then it’s an additional $10 per month, which isn’t really a lot in the grander scheme of things.

So how well is Simple Mobile doing less than 2 years after launching? As of last month they now have over 1.5 million users. “What we heard from our customers is that they’d rather have unlimited Web at slower speeds instead of being capped at 100 MB of data. We’re happy to give it to them. Before we made any long-term decision about the $50 unlimited plan, we wanted to see the full reaction in the marketplace, and so far it has been very positive, so we see it as part of the mix for awhile. The industry thought we were crazy not to sell phones, but I think we’ve proven that it works.” — Tim Garrett, Simple Mobile Senior Vice President of Marketing.

Note: There’s even a $40 unlimited talk and text plan if you’re the type who doesn’t want internet access!

Article: RSS via IntoMobile

Tags: Mobile Networks, MVNO, SIM Card, SIM Only, Simple Mobile, T-Mobile USA, Unlimited Data, Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text

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Vonage offers unlimited VoIP calling to mobile phones in 42 countries

It’s been a while since we’ve heard much from the ever-embattled VoIP provider, but it looks like Vonage might still have a couple tricks up its sleeve. The company’s latest service plan, known as World Premium Unlimited, offers unlimited calling to mobile phones in 42 countries — and landlines in 80 — for $55 a month. This plan also provides for unlimited local and long distance service in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico, and requires callers to use a touch tone phone, hooked up to the internet by way of a Vonage adapter, to make calls to places like the UK, Mexico, and Brazil. It may not be an ideal primary calling solution for most, but it could be enough to put Vonage back in our sights.

Article: RSS via Engadget

Tags: Unlimited Plans, Unlimited Talk, VoIP, Vonage

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T-Mobile cancels Even More Plus unlimited plan on eve of launch?

Just when we thought T-Mobile was about to rock the world by offering bring-your-own-phone customers an insanely cheap unlimited plan, we’re hearing that the company has strangled the $60 unlimited version of Even More Plus in the crib – TmoNews snagged a supposed internal communique that claims the plan was canceled at the last minute. We just reached out to T-Mobile ourselves, however, and were told the reality is nothing of the sort:

T-Mobile did not officially announce any rate plans yesterday, and the company doesn’t comment on rumors or speculation. Today, T-Mobile officially announced a new, single-line unlimited plan that is available starting today for just $79.99 per month, with an Even More plan and a two-year contract.

In other words, T-Mobile says it never sent out the previous press release (also originally obtained byTmoNews) at all. We’re not sure who’s telling the truth here, but either way, one thing’s for certain — there still won’t be an $60 unlimited Even More Plus plan starting tomorrow morning. You’re more than welcome to dry your tears with the $80 on-contract plan right now, though. PR after the break.

Article: RSS via Engadget

T-Mobile Introduces New Unlimited Data, Calling and Texting Plan for Only $79.99 Per Month

New lower-priced unlimited plan with no overage charges makes wireless more affordable to more people on America’s Largest 4G Network

BELLEVUE, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced that a new, single-line unlimited plan is available for just $79.99 per month, with an Even More™ plan and a two-year contract. The new plan offers great value for new and existing customers with unlimited nationwide calling, texting and data – with no overage charges – on America’s Largest 4G Network™.

“Consumers today are looking for even more value and flexibility from their wireless plans”

“Consumers today are looking for even more value and flexibility from their wireless plans,” said John Clelland, senior vice president, marketing, T-Mobile USA. “While data plans for many of our competitors continue to be very expensive, T-Mobile is lowering the price of our unlimited plan and offering more options, making it easier than ever for customers to step up to a richer mobile data experience on our 4G network.”

Combined with an extensive lineup of affordable smartphones, T-Mobile’s new Even More unlimited plan allows customers to save more than $350 per year on an unlimited smartphone plan, compared to similar plans from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint1. Additionally, T-Mobile customers continue to receive high-quality 4G experiences where they live, work, and play – America’s Largest 4G Network™ now reaches 167 markets and more than 200 million people nationwide.

In contrast to some competing offerings, T-Mobile’s new Even More unlimited plan enables customers to use mobile data on their smartphones without incurring any overage charges. Consumers exceeding 2GB of usage in a billing month will still have access to unlimited data at reduced speeds until their new billing cycle starts. On average, T-Mobile 4G smartphone customers consume about 1GB of data per billing month.

In addition to its unlimited plans, T-Mobile continues to offer one of the industry’s most affordable entry-level data plans, starting at just $10 for 200 MB per billing month. The company also strives to help customers on these data plans avoid surprise bills with SMS alerts when they are reaching their data limit.

The new $79.99 Even More unlimited plan is available now for qualifying customers. To find the T-Mobile plan that best fits their needs, customers can visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network not available everywhere. See coverage details at T-Mobile.com.

1 Based on comparison against comparable post-paid plans for smartphones from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint; does not include taxes and fees or cost of phone. Plan features and limitations may vary. Data as of March 2011.

Tags: Even More, Even More Plus, T-Mobile, T-Mobile USA, Unlimited Data, Unlimited Plans, Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text

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T-Mobile’s new plans get official: starting at $60 for unlimited everything, throttling included

T-Mobile’s just gone official with the new unlimited plans we caught wind of a few days ago, and while they are truly unlimited by numbers, they’re not completely unlimited in functionality. The plans cost $79.99 for Even More customers (buy a subsidized device on contract) and $59.99 for Even More Plus subscribers (bring your own phone commitment-free). Either way this gets you unlimited data, domestic calling, and domestic messaging, with a $5 surcharge for BlackBerry users. Unlike Sprint’s similar offering, once you pass the 2GB bandwidth mark, “data speeds will be reduced for the remainder of that bill cycle,” essentially informing users that throttling will most certainly take place. In all, we’re pleased to see the compromise T-Mo’s put in place for data (whereas most other carriers are simply axing the unlimited option altogether), and we hope some of the competition takes heed. It does sound like a pretty sweet deal for those of you not grandfathered in on unlimited data plans.

Article: RSS via Engadget

Tags: Even More, Even More Plus, T-Mobile, T-Mobile USA, Unlimited Data, Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text

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Giffgaff says some subscribers yakked for 9 days a month

Financial reality hits Web 2 network

It was harsh economics, not popularity, that put the kibosh on the unlimited tariff from giffgaff, as some customers were costing the company £500 a month.

Not that giffgaff was keen to admit the obvious motivation behind the shelving of its £30 “goody bag” which allowed unlimited calls and text messages as well as the unlimited data common to all the bundles. When the removal was announced The Gaffer said it was because the bundle had proved unpopular, with less than 5 per cent of giffgaff customers taking advantage of it.

Customers were quick to point out that limited appeal is no reason to pull a profitable tariff, and The Gaffer’s arguments that it still cost the company in terms of promotional activity and web space fell on deaf ears. It was pretty obvious that the unlimited goody bag should remain on offer if it was making money for giffgaff.

Which, of course, it wasn’t. In an updated blog The Gaffer admits that some customers were using more than 13,000 minutes a month (that’s more than nine continuous days of conversation), and that the average was over 5,000 minutes (three and a half days). Assuming a termination rate* of four pence a minute (to mobile numbers) then 13,000 minutes costs giffgaff £520, obviously unsustainable for a £30 bundle.

This is why most operators have a fair use policy, so they can cut off customers taking the piss. But giffgaff is ideologically opposed to fair use, so pulled the tariff instead.

The problem, for a network that wants to be open, is that those figures are worth a lot to the competition; any operator considering a similar offering now knows the average use and can price appropriately, which is why giffgaff didn’t mention them earlier.

The Gaffer has now opened a discussion on whether the company should start offering a bundle with capped minutes, but being forced to reveal your hand to your competitors is going to make life even harder for the network run by its customers.

* The amount the caller’s operator has to pay the callee’s network for routing the call.

Article: RSS via The Register

Tags: Community, Giffgaff, MNVO, Telefonica, Unlimited Talk

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Boost Mobile adds $2-a-day unlimited everything option

For voice and data alike, “unlimited” is a major buzzword among value carriers like Cricket, Virgin Mobile, and Boost Mobile lately — and when they can offer it for $10 or $20 less than the big guys, why shouldn’t it be? Boost is slicing the unlimited option in a new way this week with the announcement that it’s now offering unlimited nationwide voice, messaging, web, IM, email, and information for $2 a day, which if our rough math is correct, works out to $60 a month. That’s $10 a more than you pay if you just bite the bullet and prepay on a monthly basis, but obviously it’s a heck of a lot more flexible, too — and with these prepaid guys, flexibility is king.

Article: RSS via: Engadget Mobile

Tags: Boost Mobile, Unlimited Data, Unlimited Plans, Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text

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Verizon testing unlimited text/talk/data plans for $100 in select markets

Look out, Sprint: your $100 Unlimited Everything plan might not be a unique selling point for too much longer.

People in San Diego and Los Angeles, California recently started receiving offers to nab Verizon’s National Talk and Text plan — usually a $90 per-month affair — for just $70 bucks as part of a regional test. Paired with Verizon’s $30 unlimited data plan, that brings the cost for unlimited text, talk, and data down to $100 bucks a month, matching it feature-for-feature and dollar-for-dollar with Sprint’s offering.

Of course, it’s quite possible that Verizon has no intentions of rolling out this plan beyond San Diego and Los Angeles any time soon. And why would they? They’ve still got a reasonably large lead over AT&T as the largest carrier in the US (92.1 million vs 90.1 million) — and with a Verizon iPhone looking more likely than ever, they probably won’t have too hard of a time maintaining it. Verizon’s presumably not about to give up $20 bucks per month per customer out of the niceness of their heart, you know?

Article: RSS via: MobileCrunch

Tags: Unlimited Data, Unlimited Plans, Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text, Verizon

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