T-Mobile has rolled out a new prepaid plan and it offers unlimited voice, text and picture messages for $50 a month.
The new plan can be used with nearly any device but if you want to get the most out of something like the Nexus One or the myTouch Slide, you’ll still need a monthly data plan.
The move comes as the prepaid market is booming in the United States. Long a staple in European companies, these no-contract services are gaining traction in the U.S. market and many players are trying to capitalize on this growth. T-Mobile has been losing long-term contract customers in droves but it has been able to stay afloat thanks to the growth in the prepaid market.
T-Mobile isn’t the only one eying this segment of the market, as Sprint Nextel is going after this market in an aggressive manner. The third-largest U.S. carrier owns Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile and it has also rolled out Assurance Wireless and Common Cents Mobile plans. Each of these services can target the different segments of the prepaid market.
It’s not just the big boys, as MetroPCS is gaining traction with its no-contract plans and it is quickly approaching major carrier status. Leap Wireless, which owns the Cricket brand, is also making strides, and the regional carrier SouthernLINC has also just introduced an unlimited plan that costs about $50.
We’re still not going to see a European-style system – where you can swap your carriers at ease – in the United States anytime soon though, as there are still too many technological challenges to overcome. T-Mobile uses GSM, while Sprint uses CDMA technology for its services and these are incompatible. MetroPCS will let you bring most of your Verizon or Sprint CDMA devices to its network but my experience has shown me you can’t really get proper data service with these types of devices.
[Via T-Mobile]