Entries tagged with “prepaid” from WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

T-Mobile has started offering T-Mobile Complete, a pre-packaged no-annual contract solution that offers the value of a monthly plan and the first pay-in-advance BlackBerry smartphone from a national U.S. carrier. Prepaid BlackBerry smartphones include the BlackBerry Curve 8520 for $299.99 and BlackBerry Pearl flip for $149.99.

With T-Mobile Complete, customers can choose from four handsets starting at $59.99, which includes first month free. Customers can also choose from a range of unlimited plans starting at $50 per month. T-Mobile Complete is currently available nationwide at Best Buy and at select  Walmart locations.

Boosted by it the competition of prepaid unlimited offerings AT&T  will start offering a unlimited voice and text prepaid deal on feature phones starting October 12.

AT&T's Unlimited Talk and Tex is $60 a month. The new GoPhone prepaid feature package offers unlimited nationwide calling and unlimited texting to anyone in the U.S., plus it includes texting to Mexico, Canada and more than 100 other countries worldwide. With this new package option, customers can also send unlimited IM, picture and video messages.

"We recognize GoPhone customers have a need for unlimited calling or texting without the commitment of an annual contract," said Judy Cavalieri, vice president of Prepaid Products for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "The new Unlimited Talk and Text package enhances our prepaid options to give customers the flexibility of a national network with no contract requirement."

GoPhone also offers a selection of devices including full keyboard devices like the popular LG Neon, available in all AT&T  stores, as well as other retail locations. 

Compass Intelligence just released a new report on the US prepaid wireless market. Prepaid is the hot growth area right now, even in businesses. Small Businesses are even hotter for wireless. They employ more workers and are more mobile. Now is the time for new offers for these customers -not just bundles, but real options.

One of the key findings from Compass Intelligence's  latest survey is that prepaid options apparently have appeal in non-traditional customer segments (e.g., higher income groups and businesses), which suggests prepaid wireless has become a viable alternative for businesses and professionals, and that this may be the beginning of a broader trend in the industry: more flexible contract options.

Company‐liable accounts have been the rage in business wireless for last few years. Businesses have migrated their workers to these shared, company‐wide contracts. And, in smaller companies, employers have purchased new devices for their workforce. In 2009, it seems that business owners and decision‐makers are starting to turn to prepaid for their companies' wireless needs as shown below.

As much as 22% of respondents planning to get new prepaid devices in 2H will give one or more of those devices to employees in the company they work for. Small business owners are most likely to say so...

Cricket Communications followed MetroPCS' lead and enhanced service plans with more web and unlimited features.

Cricket'sr $40 monthly plan, which already includes unlimited voice, long distance, domestic and international text and picture messaging, and nationwide coverage, will include unlimited web, unlimited 411 and unlimited service to more than 4,600 cities and towns across the US.

Cricket's $45 monthly plan in  will now include the additional features of unlimited email, unlimited data backup and 30 roaming minutes per month. The $55 plan mirrors the $45 plan but also contains 200 roaming minutes per month.

According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 U.S. Wireless Prepaid Customer Satisfaction Index Study, Prepaid carrier NET10 ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction among non-contract wireless user. The study also showed an increase in monthly plan services, pay-as-you-go has a higher satisfaction rate and demographic differences with older users.

NET10, included in the study for the first time this year, achieves a score of 774 on a 1,000-point scale and performs particularly well in three of the six factors that drive overall satisfaction: performance and reliability; cost of service; and account management. Also ranking at or above the industry average in rank order are TracFone, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Alltel and T-Mobile.

"NET10 differentiates itself from other companies by simplifying the wireless experience with straightforward pricing, virtually no roaming charges and robust nationwide network coverage," said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. "Users find they don't have to worry about restrictive calling areas and can maintain their account without hassle."

The study finds that product offerings in the prepaid segment have changed dramatically during the past year, with many wireless carriers increasing their offerings of monthly plans-some of which mimic traditional contract plans, while others offer unlimited calling and texting. More than 40 percent of non-contract plans are monthly plans, compared with less than 30 percent in 2008.

In addition, overall satisfaction among users of pay-as-you-go plans (756, on average) is considerably higher compared with users of monthly plans (742, on average), driven by satisfaction with the performance and reliability and account management factors.

AT&T obtained final judgments and permanent injunctions against defendants in four federal lawsuits stopping the unauthorized bulk buying and resale of prepaid mobile

AT&T has filed 14 lawsuits against companies and individuals in Texas, Florida, California, and New York in an effort to stop the illegal activity. The lawsuits have resulted in a total of 15 permanent injunctions and final judgments totaling $51 million in damages.

AT&T says it will file additional lawsuits to aggressively investigate and combat the issue.

Prepaid wireless handset diversion is an industry-wide issue. Middlemen typically buy prepaid mobile phones in bulk, remove them from their original packaging, discard warranties and manuals, hack into the phones' software and then resell the phones and accessories to unsuspecting customers at a substantial profit.

Among judgments AT&T has recently obtained:

• On May 27, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered a consent judgment and permanent injunction against IA Communications, Inc. of Westbury, N.Y.; and DK Wireless Inc., d/b/a Wireless Touch and Talk 2 Me, of Baldwin, N.Y.
• On June 15, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered a stipulated final judgment and permanent injunction against Mohamad Farhat of Coachella, Calif. and his company, Delta Games, Inc. of Montebello, Calif.
• Also on June 15, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami entered a stipulated final judgment and permanent injunction against defendants Ibrahim El-Zaatari and Tropical Export, Inc., both of Miami.
• On June 25, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered a stipulated final judgment and permanent injunction against California Products International, Inc. of Downey, Calif.

In all of the above final judgments, the Court found the defendants' conduct violated numerous state and federal laws, and awarded a judgment in the amounts of $3 or $5 million in damages.

The injunctions permanently prohibit the defendants in each case from engaging in any activities in any way related to the bulk purchase and resale of AT&T prepaid phones, and from using the AT&T or GoPhone trademarks in connection with such activities without AT&T's authorization.

ComScore,  released a quarterly review of the U. S. prepaid wireless industry based on online visitation and search referral activity. It showed strong gains in online activity as consumers increasingly turn to cost-effective wireless service alternatives during the economic downturn.

The combined visitation to these sites grew 37 percent versus year ago to nearly 8 million visitors, representing more than 4 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience.

Growth in the category was driven primarily by MyCricket.com (up 107 percent) and Boostmobile.com (up 105 percent), both of which more than doubled in visitation versus year ago. MetroPCS.com and Net10.com also experienced strong gains, growing 63 percent and 37 percent, respectively.

Prepaid Wireless Site Visitation March 2009 vs. March 2008 Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore Media Metrix
Site	Unique Visitors (000)
	Mar-08	Mar-09	Percent Change
Total Prepaid Wireless Audience*	5,806	7,968	37%
VirginMobileUSA.com	1,554	1,512	-3%
TracFone.com	1,390	1,290	-7%
MetroPCS.com	1,154	1,879	63%
MyCricket.com	925	1,915	107%
BoostMobile.com	871	1,784	105%
Net10.com	346	474	37%

*Unduplicated audience of six selected prepaid wireless sites

As people look for alternatives to postpaid wireless, Cricket is aggressively marketing their service. Usually you have pay more for a featured phone, however with a new price drop, Cricket just got more affordable. 

Cricket has used some interesting promotions in the past. When they came to the Chicago market they made the world's largest working cell phone which was fifteen feet long. 

Their latest sale however, is on a regular-sized camera phone.

Cricket dropped the price on the Samsung MyShot down to only $79.99 after 40% instant online savings and mail-in rebate. This is a limited time offer and ends May 31 and includes one month of free service.

This is a great sale e for the MyShot flip phone by Samsung, loaded with these features:

• 1.3 MP camera.
• Bluetooth.
• Text and Picture messaging.
• Mobile Web.
• Cricket Games & Apps.
• Preloaded with "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader,"

This is the best deal we've seen from Cricket so far and equals a 40% discount which includes free shipping. In addition, Cricket is also offering Cricket Broadband service with no contracts or credit checks  that start as low as $1.33 a day.

Millions of Americans may hang-up on their expensive cell phone plans and or cut back on extras such as web, texting and email a news survey for New Millennium Research Council (NMRC) reports .

Two out of five Americans with contract-based cell phones (39 percent or 60.3 million consumers) are likely to cut back on their cell phones to save money if, as is widely expected, the economy gets worse over the next six months to the survey.

The first annual Opinion Research Corporation survey for NMRC on cell phones and economic trends also found that there is potential major shift in consumer habits at the expense of contract-based cell phone service.

More consumers seek to save money in the face of the recession. No fewer than 40 million Americans -- 26 percent of consumers with contract-based cell phone service -- are "more inclined today than ... six months ago to look at a way to save money on your cell phone bill such as switching to a prepaid cell phone service." This group includes 38 percent of those in households making $35,000 a year or less, 32 percent of African Americans and 30 percent of those aged 18-34.

Cricket Communications announced that Cricket coverage is now available in the greater Chicago area. Cricket will introduce its Cricket unlimited wireless services through the rollout of retail outlets on a geographic basis, completing the initial distribution footprint over the next 30 days. It looks like their plans may be the cheapest, best deals in the area, depending upon cell phone usage.

Cricket service will be available in the area through 10 Cricket retail stores, 100 exclusive dealers and 50 standard dealers, as well as online. They have just released the Cricket A100 and Kyocrea S1300.

Customers in Chicago, which is reportedly the largest Cricket market to date, will now have access to unlimited, feature-packed 3G wireless voice and broadband services. Also, there is now contiguous Cricket coverage stretching from over 60 miles south of Chicago in Kankakee to as far north as central Wisconsin.

Cricket has these special offers:

• $30 Online Special plan - includes unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited nights & weekends and caller ID.
  
• $35 Online Special plan - unlimited anytime minutes, US long distance and Caller ID for only $35 a month.
  
• $40 Plan with Unlimited local & long distance minutes + Unlimited text & picture messaging.
  
• $45 Unlimited Plan with unlimited Local and U.S Long Distance Calls, Unlimited Text, Picture and Instant Messaging.
  
• $50 Unlimited Everything Plan - Unlimited Local and U.S Long Distance Calls, Unlimited Mobile Web, Unlimited U.S. & Mexico Text, Picture and Instant Messaging, Unlimited Coverage in Cricket Markets, Voice Mail, Caller ID, Call Waiting and 3-Way Calling. Offer ends.
  

The best deal however, appears to be this one through our Wireless and Mobile News coupon-link which is the first month free with free shipping when you purchase a phone and plan online through this coupon-link.

Informa Telecoms & Media reports that during 2007 and into 2008, the market for prepaid mobile services has continued to grow more than twice as fast as the contract market. At the end of 2007, there were 2.33 billion prepaid subscriptions in the world, of which nearly 2% were accounted for by prepaid WCDMA accesses. Prepaid services generated US$241.9 billion in revenues for mobile network operators in 2007. By far the largest prepaid market was Asia Pacific, with 43% of global subscriptions and almost 30% of revenues.

The number of people owning multiple SIMs continues to rise, and at the end of 2008 about 28.9% of reported subscriptions worldwide will be accounted for by secondary or tertiary SIM card ownership. Operators may be forced to consider whether issuing SIM cards is a sustainable way of increasing the lifetime value and profitability of individual customers, suggests Informa Telecoms.

Ultimately, understanding prepaid customers' individual value expectations rather than how many SIM cards are in circulation may be a more reliable route to long-term improvements in ARPU and profitability, notes Informa Telecoms.

Cricket Communications introduced  Cricket PAYGo, a 24/7 unlimited prepaid wireless service. Cricket PAYGo is a daily pay-as-you-go service.

Cricket PAYGo customers choose one of three rate plans ($1, $2 or $3 per day). At each level, customers will receive unlimited service 24/7 for the features offered at that level. For all three levels of service, customers are charged only for the days they use and customers can easily transition between plans at any time throughout the week or month.

Cricket PAYGo		$1/day Plan		$2/day Plan		$3/day Plan
Unlimited Local Calling		√		√		√
Unlimited Text and Picture Messaging				√		√
Unlimited U.S. Long Distance, International Text to 100+ Countries, Mobile Web and Directory Assistance						√
Voicemail, Caller ID and Three-Way Calling		√		√		√

T-Mobile USA has obtained two final judgments and permanent injunctions as part of the company's ongoing efforts to combat the unauthorized bulk purchase and resale of T-Mobile prepaid mobile phones.  One judgment was entered against defendant Rafiq Wazir Ali, individually and doing business as Fone Xchange, in a federal lawsuit filed in Houston. The other judgment was entered against ASPAC Inc., its principals and affiliates, by a federal court in Dallas, and awards T-Mobile $6.5 million in damages in addition to a permanent injunction against the defendants.

T-Mobile subsidizes its prepaid wireless phones making them more accessible to consumers who want to become T-Mobile customers. Traffickers such as Ali, Fone Xchange and ASPAC profit by pocketing those subsidies, preventing consumers from receiving the benefit of the subsidies and depriving T-Mobile and other wireless providers of new customers. Traffickers typically buy, or solicit others to buy, prepaid mobile phones in bulk from retail stores, remove the phones from their original packaging, discard warranties and manuals, hack into the phones' software, and resell the phones and accessories to unsuspecting customers at a substantial profit.

Alcatel-Lucent announced at Mobile World Congress. plans to develop and distribute a prepaid option to operators in the wireless market for use with the BlackBerry platform.

Customized for BlackBerry smartphones, the real-time, volume-based charging solution will be hosted by Alcatel-Lucent and will seamlessly integrate with operators’ existing networks. This option will enable BlackBerry smartphone users to track the minutes and data they have used against the prepaid amount remaining in their account so they can easily refill their account as needed.

The partnership between Alcatel-Lucent and RIM has already led to distribution of the BlackBerry solution in several countries across Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including China, the world’s largest wireless market.

Tweens can now play popular Gameloft games on their simple flyPhones.  Gameloft, publisher and developer of video games for mobile phones, and Firefly Mobile, the first pay as you go service provider and designer of phones for kids and tweens, announced a partnership to distribute Gameloft's mobile games for the new flyPhone.

The flyPhone is the first phone created exclusively for tweens, and will launch in October 2007. The games that will be available at launch are: Shrek the Third, Dogz, Bubble Bash, Pirates Adventure, Rayman Kart, Meteos, Horse Riding Academy and Naval Battle.

The flyPhone has a MSRP of $124.99 and comes with flyKicks software, USB cable, instruction manual and stereo hands-free headset. Additionally, the flyPhone phone book holds up to 500 parent approved numbers (inbound and outbound). The price for minutes can be 25 cents down to 10 cents a minute depending on the plan.

MetroPCS Communications, Inc., provider of unlimited wireless communications service, today announced the launch of its flat rate unlimited wireless service in Los Angeles. MetroPCS will provide the people of Los Angeles with unlimited local and long-distance service.

With plans starting as low as $30 a month, MetroPCS offers the lowest unlimited wireless calling choices now available in the market. Already available in Northern California, including the San Francisco and Sacramento markets, the Los Angeles service launch means expanded wireless coverage and an added value for customers throughout California.