SIMPLE Mobile, a mobile virtual network operator that uses T-Mobile’s network, has introduced several new plans this week. First up, the most important one, is the unlimited talk, text, and web plan for $40 per month. There’s no catch, except that you’ll be limited to “3G speeds”. When we asked them what exactly that means, a SIMPLE Mobile spokesperson just pointed us to their FAQ that states: “Web browsing speeds using a 3G phone on the 3G network will typically range from 128 to 300 Kilobytes per second.” There’s also of course the old $60 per month plan that does “4G speeds”, which we’ll assume will deliver up to 42 Mbps HSPA+. Next there’s BlackBerry support, and by that we mean truly unlimited talk, unlimited text (domestic and international), BlackBerry Email (BIS), BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), access to the BlackBerry App World and unlimited Web browsing. The “3G speeds” plan is $50 per month, the “4G speeds” plan is $60 per month. And finally there’s two “wireless broadband” plans, which are supposed to be used with tablets, USB modem, and portable hotspots. The first plan does 750 MB of data at full speed for $25, the second plan does 2 GB of data at full speed for $45. Both plans require you use said data in 30 days.
While we love SIMPLE Mobile’s dead simple (no pun intended) pricing structure, their vagueness about what’s 3G and 4G is kind of disappointing. We asked them what sort of speeds you’d get if you shoved a SIM that’s currently using a “3G speed” plan inside a device that can fully support T-Mobile’s 42 Mbps HSPA+ network, and we didn’t get a clear answer. Something tells us that SIMPLE Mobile just sells SIM cards and guilts you into buying a plan that you don’t really need in order to make more money, kind of like how some people fall for commercials that tell them to buy “premium” fuel for their dilapidated used car. What’s to stop you shoving one of these unlimited 3G SIM cards inside an Android tablet?
Nothing.