The Prepaid Press - March 2009 - (Page 13)

PREPAID TELECOM March 15 · 2009 - 13 Prepaid Wireless Roundup by Joe Pawlikowski MetroPCS launches networks in New York and Boston Boost Mobile’s new unlimited plan should bring some new competition to the prepaid unlimited space, but don’t expect rival MetroPCS to take this lying down. As part of their recent spectrum winnings, they’ve planned networks in both the New York City and Boston areas. In early February they rolled out these networks. They were forecasted for launch by the end of the second quarter, but Metro got ahead of the game. This move increases Metro’s covered POPs by tens of millions. Not only do they cover the cities of Boston and New York proper, but also with it rolled out two new handsets. While the covered POPs in Chicago don’t match those in New York and Boston, it does allow Cricket to keep pace with Metro for the time being. Cricket also expects to continue their expansion throughout 2009, including a network in Seattle. Along with Cricket’s signature flatrate, monthly unlimited plans, their pay-perday PAYgo plans should also be available in the Windy City. To go along with the launch Cricket also announced the availability of the Cricket A100 and the Kyocera S1300, both available exclusively in Chicago. These are very basic models, though they do come at a reasonable price tag. messaging, and mobile Web services. The i9 features a 3.1 megapixel camera, which is among the best, if not itself the best, in the prepaid space. The inside screen of the flip phone reminiscent of many recently-released HTC models. It features a slide-out keyboard which hides under a 240 x 320 screen. It has a 1.3 megapixel and media player, so it’s at least average on the advanced features. The phone should be available soon for $100. TracFone America’s fifth largest carrier Before January, the top five wireless carriers in America hadn’t changed much. It went AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Alltel. However, with Verizon acquiring Alltel, the order shifted a bit: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, ? Who’s the new fifth? That would be TracFone, according to The Wall Street Journal. They’re at over 10 million customers, putting them pretty far behind T-Mobile, which has over 30 million subscribers. Still, fifth place for a strictly prepaid provider is a significant achievement. Joe Pawlikowski is a Senior Editor for Prepaid Reviews, an independent website that reviews prepaid cell phone providers and reports on the prepaid wireless industry. He can be reached at info@prepaidreviews.com. [Boost Mobile’s] i9 features a 3.1 megapixel camera, which is among the best, if not itself the best, in the prepaid space. is a high-res one, and it also features an external screen that is big enough to play low-res Web videos. The external screen also features touch capabilities with haptic feedback, and can be rotated to the side for better video viewing. The company has a few other phones slated for future launches, including the full-QWERTY Motorola i465. That would be the first QWERTY available for Boost, as well as the first QWERTY Motorola phone for iDEN. The Kyocera X-tc, to be released through Virgin Mobile, is a modern-looking phone, On the top end, Verizon has replaced their $2.99 daily fee plan, which offered minutes and texts at 2 cents each, with a $3.99 daily fee plan. extend to many surrounding suburbs. This is important because MetroPCS does not have a nationwide network and do charge for roaming minutes. They have recently entered into a number of roaming agreements, however, which expand their free-roaming network. The company also launched service in the Waco, Texas area. This extends their footprint in the state, where they already have service in Dallas/Fort Worth, Tyler, Longview, Marshall, and Kilgore, with additional networks in Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana. Their roaming agreement with Leap opens up areas of Temple, Killeen, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. With the economy not performing well, Metro’s flat-rate, unlimited calling plans may be seen as a boon to those who talk a lot. The nocommitment nature of their plans gives customers flexibility that they do not have when signing a two-year contract. Their MetroFlash program means a new handset purchase is not necessary -- all you need is an existing CDMA phone. All this could lead to big things for Metro in the near future. New prepaid phones: Boost Motorola i9, Virgin Kyocera X-tc The phone wasn’t quite released in February, but Boost Mobile did announce that the Motorola Stature i9 would be available soon. This is yet another tie-in to their $50 unlimited plan, which launched in January. The phone represents one of the top offerings from Boost, with features that go along with their unlimited voice, “Tradeshows provide incredible access to many companies and people at one time, thereby reducing travel and providing a more cost effective and efﬁcient way of conducting business.” A down economy provides opportunity, and your opportunity is here. International The International CTIA WIRELESS show is the most signiﬁcant global technology event of the year—featuring more than 1,000 exhibiting companies, over 1,000 members of the media and tens of thousands of professionals from 125 countries—all working toward the common goal of advancing the mobile lifestyle. Verizon makes change to prepaid options A little over a year ago Verizon overhauled their prepaid plans, eliminating the pay-by-month Easy Pay plans in favor of per-minute plans which all feature a daily access fee. These were met with a mixed reception. Users who talk heavily on some days and not at all on others could benefit from Verizon’s policy of only paying on days you use the phone. The daily fees, however, weren’t as attractive to light daily talkers. To address these issues, Verizon tweaked their highest- and lowest-end offerings. On the low end they’ve added a new option: 25 cents per minute with no daily access fee. This mirrors AT&T’s GoPhone scheme. Now both carriers offer 25 cents per minute a la carte, and 10 cents per minute with a 99 cents daily fee. Verizon adds a $1.99 daily fee plan on top of that, where minutes and text messages cost 5 cents each. On the top end, Verizon has replaced their $2.99 daily fee plan, which offered minutes and texts at 2 cents each, with a $3.99 daily fee plan. This includes unlimited calling and text messaging for a penny each. If used every day, the plan comes to about $20 more than their $99 postpaid unlimited calling plan. The penny text messaging feature should eliminate the need for Verizon’s $20 prepaid unlimited messaging plan. Cricket rolls out two new phones, Chicago network February proved a busy month for all of the major unlimited plan carriers. Boost began its first full month of offering a $50 unlimited plan and announced a new phone (see below), MetroPCS launched in two major markets, and Cricket had an expansion of their own. They announced the launch of their network in Chicago, and along Over 1,000 exhibitors will be showcasing new products and the latest innovations in technology. 300,000+ sq ft of Exhibit Space Global Wireless Marketplace The International CTIA WIRELESS 2009 educational program addresses a broad array of topics in over 30 sessions regarding Developing Businesses on Mobile, The Blueprint of Convergence and Partnerships Growing Mobile. New Education Tracks Discuss Innovation Select from over 20 partner conferences and seminars which have been handpicked for their expertise in key issues and topics such as: ﬁxed-mobile convergence, M2M, wireless retail, wireless investment, 4G, IP Backhaul, applications development and much more. Partner Conferences & Seminars Enhance your Knowledge We return to the original gala format which allows for ample networking and client face time, featuring a cocktail reception, dinner and an evening of entertainment starring the legendary Billy Crystal. WIRELESS GALA STAR, BILLY CRYSTAL The WIRELESS Gala Build Your Contacts Outstanding Keynotes Smarter Planet User Experience See Beyond the Horizon Industry Overview Device Innovation Complete Broadband ¸ New Broadband Wireless Health HON. AL GORE 45th U.S. Vice President BACH Microsoft DOTSON T-Mobile USA Chairman, CTIA LAZARIDIS Research in Motion SEIDENBERG Verizon Communications ERIC J. TOPOL, M.D. Scripps Translational Science Institute, Scripps Health WOLFF Clearwire Register now to be part of this global marketplace @ WWW.CTIASHOW.COM MARCH 31, 2009 Partner Conferences and Seminars Exhibit Floor, Keynotes, Sessions & Partner Conferences and Seminars APRIL 1-3, 2009 Las Vegas, NV, USA LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER http://WWW.CTIASHOW.COM http://WWW.CTIASHOW.COM http://WWW.CTIASHOW.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Prepaid Press - March 2009

The Prepaid Press - March 2009 Contents The Retske Report: A Disconnect in Connecticut Regulatory Rundown 5 Minutes With Brooks Smith, CEO of InComm TracFone Launches SafeLink Wireless in NY iPayStation Enables International Top-Up Comverse Launches Next-Generation IMS Solution Prepaid Companies Agree to Pay $2.25 Million Prepaid Telecom in Brief Boost Mobile Reintroduces Itself Virgin Mobile Announces New Branding Campaign The State of Prepaid Technology: Becoming a Virtual Operator Prepaid Wireless Roundup New Prepaid Calling Plans from Verizon Wireless The Legal Line Jobless Benefit Debit Card Usage Debated InsurCard Provides Catastrophic Relief Solution Metavante, Monitise Americas Launch Text Banking TransCard Provides Personal Financial Management Walmart to Help Americans Manage Finances Payments and Processing in Brief Prepaid Consumer and Employee/Partner Incentives CashStar Launches Interactive Gift Card Platform VIPGift Continues Sales Expansion Pentagon Installs Unique Card Personalization Line Digital Promotions Grow in Popularity The Ultimate Gift Card Network Retail Sales Show Unexpected Rebound Smart Transaction Systems Selects Hypercom GiftCards.com Acquires Swapagift.com InComm Gaming Opportunities on the Rise VCT Adds Equipment to New Jersey Facility Gift Cards and Promotions in Brief Our Advertisers Contact Us

The Prepaid Press - March 2009

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