Are $50 unlimited plans latest trend? T-Mobile follows Boost
February 19th, 2009, 12:29 pm · 3 Comments · posted by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress
Just a month after Irvine’s Boost Mobile launched its $50 unlimited plan, T-Mobile is toying with the same idea.
The nation’s fourth largest mobile service provider told Reuters that it will test the plan in San Francisco and offer unlimited service for $50 a month. It is unclear whether the service will also include unlimited text and web. Currently, T-Mobile’s unlimited plan is $99.99 per month and includes talk, text, video messaging and Instant Messaging.
Whether or not consumers use their monthly allotment of minutes, unlimited plans are appealing because you don’t have to worry about overage fees.
Boost Mobile’s plan takes it a step further — the $50 price tag includes almost everything, including taxes. It targets users who don’t want to be stuck in a contract and offers talk, text, walkie-talkie, some Web and taxes for $50. That plan, launched in January (see “Boost Mobile adds ‘tax-free’ $50/month unlimited plan,”) has exceeded expectations, said Matt Carter, Boost’s president.
“We are very pleased with the performance of Boost Monthly Unlimited. Currently we are seeing many times more customers porting into Boost than porting out,” Carter said. “… The response has been so great we’ve ordered more handsets and we’ve added call center agents to fill the orders for the first quarter because the demand is there to pay for it.”
Meanwhile, other smaller carriers have offered unlimited plans much longer. MetroPCS, which specializes in budget-minded unlimited plans, priced its most expensive plan at $50 a month. For that price, customers get unlimited talk, text, global text, picture messaging, e-mail access, web access and mapping.
Cricket’s $50/month unlimited plan includes talk, text, picture text, text to Mexico and mobile web.
Both MetroPCS and Cricket offer service in certain areas of the U.S. so roaming charges apply.
One analyst cited by Reuters believes T-Mobile will roll out the unlimited service nationwide, “in coming weeks,” said UBS analyst John Hodulik.
UPDATE: T-Mobile doesn’t officially comment on products and services in test markets but a call to a San Francisco T-Mobile store confirmed the $50 unlimited service is on the way. However, customers must go to a store to get more information. I guess they’ve been notified not to tell anyone about it over the phone.
More cell-phone news: Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local cell phone services. Latest mobile-news headlines:
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Yeah! $50/month for unlimited talk, unlimited text, unlimited video, and unlimited web mobile is great.
T Mobile sucks folks, if you are in a metro area it is great, if not blah, and they are only offering this $50 a month for existing customers, probably with tax included, no one can touch Boost at this time, killer signal strenth, if not better than AT&T, in outreaching area’s, very practical and has it’s perks.
I live in Western North Carolina’s up way up in the mountains does T-mobile boost reach up here with good reception.