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Boost Mobile Drops Pricing Bomb
$50 for unlimited phone, text, web and walkie-talkie service...

Boost Mobile, a MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) running on Sprint's Nextel network, has dropped a mobile pricing bomb. As of January 21, the carrier will offer a $50 per month plan that includes unlimited national calling, text messaging, wireless Web and walkie-talkie services with a national calling area for $50 a month. More interesting perhaps is that the carrier promises that they'll be no hidden fees, no activation fees, and they'll be paying for taxes, wherever you live, out of their own pocket.

Click for full size
Up until now, Boost has been primarily known as the inexpensive but also-ran operator with the fairly annoying hipster ad campaign. But the company hopes this shift on fees could differentiate them from competitors like MetroPCS and Cricket, who they've been battling in the prepaid market.

"Wireless consumers know there’s a lot of wrong out there – activation fees, overage charges and extra costs for services like voicemail and roaming. Unlike some other prepaid services, our new flat-rate plan will not include any of these charges; what you see is what you get," said Matt Carter, president of Boost Mobile.

Of course you will pay sales tax on the phones and service, as there's no way Boost could get around that. You'll also obviously pay for additional services like GPS or content like ringtones. It's also important to note that the Internet access involved here is sluggish WAP (wireless application protocol) Internet over the iDen network.

Still, a $50, unlimited no contract plan is probably going to appeal to a lot of people, particularly those impacted by the struggling economy. It should be interesting to see if the network can handle the sudden influx of new customers.
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exocet_cm
Writing
Premium Member
join:2003-03-23
Brooklyn, NY

1 edit

exocet_cm

Premium Member

Boost Mobile

The Criminal's Choice in Mobile Communication
MightyPez
join:2002-05-01
Saint Paul, MN

MightyPez

Member

Re: Boost Mobile

How so? Does Boost offer a service that somehow enables criminal behaviour beyond voice/text communication?
Expand your moderator at work

exocet_cm
Writing
Premium Member
join:2003-03-23
Brooklyn, NY

1 edit

exocet_cm to MightyPez

Premium Member

to MightyPez

Re: Boost Mobile

Easy to acquire, cheap to ditch, difficult, if not impossible, to track.

"A concern of police and security agencies world wide is that prepaid mobile services allow the user to be anonymous and therefore facilitate criminal or terrorist activities. As prepaid service is not so much sold as re-sold in bulk in the form of sealed cards, there is no technological means to determine the identity of a prepaid phone user."
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

1 recommendation

moonpuppy (banned)

Member

Re: Boost Mobile

said by exocet_cm:

Easy to acquire, cheap to ditch, difficult, if not impossible, to track.

"A concern of police and security agencies world wide is that prepaid mobile services allow the user to be anonymous and therefore facilitate criminal or terrorist activities. As prepaid service is not so much sold as re-sold in bulk in the form of sealed cards, there is no technological means to determine the identity of a prepaid phone user."
This would include every single carrier that has a prepaid service like Verizon, ATT, T-Mobile, Virgin and Boost (through Sprint), etc.

Why not ban cell phones since criminals can get others to buy them and do strawman purchases like they do for guns.


RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

1 recommendation

RadioDoc

Re: Boost Mobile

When prepaid cell phones are outlawed, only outlaws will have prepaid cell phones...



As for Boost, being tethered to Sprint's network means no service unless you are in a major market or within a few hundred yards of an Interstate. No thanks.
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

moonpuppy (banned)

Member

Re: Boost Mobile

FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!!!!!!


rec9140
Provoice just DO it
join:2003-07-29
Mulberry, FL

rec9140 to RadioDoc

Member

to RadioDoc
said by RadioDoc:
As for Boost, being tethered to Sprint's network means no service unless you are in a major market or within a few hundred yards of an Interstate. No thanks.

Boost uses the iDEN x-Nextel(nexhell) network which is totally different than the Sprint CDMA network.

The iDEN network has quite a bit more coverage and sometimes works alot of places that some CDMA carriers (including sprint) don't even in Podunk, USA.

Unfortunately until the rebanding is completed nexhell(boost) is one of the biggest RF polluters around.


Any one in public safety probably has nexhell/boost and the alphabets at the feds are HUGE users of the iDEN network as their primary and sometimes only communications.

meister_sd
Premium Member
join:2006-01-29
La Mesa, CA

meister_sd

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

said by rec9140:


The iDEN network has quite a bit more coverage and sometimes works alot of places that some CDMA carriers (including sprint) don't even in Podunk, USA.
I live in Southern California and I have access to T-Mobile, ATT (Cingular), Sprint and Nextel. Out here, we go out to the desert a lot and I've taken those carriers with me. I can tell you, Nextel beats all the others hands down. The absolute worst is ATT (They actually weren't too bad as Cingular). I haven't been able to test Verizon but hope to soon with a friend who uses them. This is the biggest reason most first responders use Nextel.

One thing to always remember, each market is different. My friend in New York likes Sprint, out here it used to sux - but it is better now. Tower build out is the biggest factor in any market. This is why when people ask me about cell phones from places other than San Diego - I tell them to talk to others local to them.

rec9140
Provoice just DO it
join:2003-07-29
Mulberry, FL

rec9140

Member

Re: Boost Mobile

said by meister_sd:
This is the biggest reason most first responders use Nextel.

PTT, PTT, PTT.

Thats the drive behind the public safety use.

Its used as a huge "private channel" network to avoid the existing network which may not have encryption abilities.

iDEN also replaced almost all the SMR trunked systems that existed, although private SMR via LTR trunking is making a good comeback in many areas.

Sole reason I have a Boost is for the PTT, thats it. I would have to look up the phone number to tell you it. The DC/PTT/walkie talkie is what used 99.99999% Theres been a very few instances in some remote areas where I've had to use it to make a interconnect call in place of my VZW, but I could count that on one hand and have plenty left.

PTT is what drives iDEN use more than any thing.
MightyPez
join:2002-05-01
Saint Paul, MN

MightyPez to exocet_cm

Member

to exocet_cm
As others have said, how is this different from every single carrier out there that offers prepaid cellular service? Do you mention AT&T as being the criminals choice when threads about the iPhone come up?

badtrip
Premium Member
join:2004-03-20

badtrip to exocet_cm

Premium Member

to exocet_cm
said by exocet_cm:

Easy to acquire, cheap to ditch, difficult, if not impossible, to track.
Who cares?

I swear LEOs and politicians are seeming more and more like paranoid schizophrenics every day that goes by. Everyone's a perp and were out to commit crime, especially if we want a cheap phone with no strings attached.

maseone
@comcast.net

maseone to exocet_cm

Anon

to exocet_cm
Just to clear up the issue. This is not necessarily the case depending on the phone you use. Newer (5 yrs old and newer) phones have emergency 911 GPS at a minimum and full GPS is more and more common. Even before GPS, triangulation is pretty accurate. Your travel patterns are constantly tracked and permanently stored. It is much easier than you think to pin down who owns what phone.

But I guess nothing has changed, the less intelligent criminals are why prisons have always been big business since their inception.

m1

Geminimind
Premium Member
join:2003-12-20
Sacramento, CA

Geminimind to exocet_cm

Premium Member

to exocet_cm
Ooh sounds like a winner to me I like my privacy.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
Netgear WNDR3700v2
Zoom 5341J

KrK to exocet_cm

Premium Member

to exocet_cm
said by exocet_cm:

Easy to acquire, cheap to ditch, difficult, if not impossible, to track.
Like Handguns on the street, you mean?

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

dadkins to exocet_cm

MVM

to exocet_cm
Hi exo!
What about non-criminals like myself?
I don't have a credit card and no credit in general.
They won't accept me for a contracted service(not that I would want to pay the high prices anyways).
I want/need a cell so all I have as an option is pre-paid.

Now, both Virgin Mobile *AND* AT&T have my name and address ... and their GPS can determine that I am at that same address - unless I go to the store or something.


exocet_cm
Writing
Premium Member
join:2003-03-23
Brooklyn, NY

1 edit

1 recommendation

exocet_cm

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

I... was... joking...

Edit: Oh yeah, Hi dadkins See Profile, long time no chat
44402812 (banned)
Hack The Planet
join:2006-08-28
Plattsburgh, NY

44402812 (banned) to exocet_cm

Member

to exocet_cm
said by exocet_cm:

Easy to acquire, cheap to ditch, difficult, if not impossible, to track.

"A concern of police and security agencies world wide is that prepaid mobile services allow the user to be anonymous and therefore facilitate criminal or terrorist activities. As prepaid service is not so much sold as re-sold in bulk in the form of sealed cards, there is no technological means to determine the identity of a prepaid phone user."
God forbid you have to act like a cop and do your job "investigating" instead of someone doing your work for you?
44402812

1 recommendation

44402812 (banned) to exocet_cm

Member

to exocet_cm
said by exocet_cm:

The Criminal's Choice in Mobile Communication
[/BQUOTE
What can we expect from a cop? We all know they are not the sharpest tools in the shed?

itzasjoke
@ameritech.net

itzasjoke

Anon

Re: Boost Mobile

Relax he was just intending it as a joke. But really, he knows too well many criminals "do" like prepaid.

And I'd rather have him sit next to me then some obnoxious "gangsta" wannabe punk.

FiL25
Premium Member
join:2005-08-16
Silver Spring, MD

FiL25

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

now you, yeah your subtle racist remarks get you a spankin, boy'eh!!!

N3OGH
Yo Soy Col. "Bat" Guano
Premium Member
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs

N3OGH to 44402812

Premium Member

to 44402812
said by 44402812:
said by exocet_cm:

The Criminal's Choice in Mobile Communication
[/BQUOTE
What can we expect from a cop? We all know they are not the sharpest tools in the shed?
That's awfully funny coming from someone who can't even properly quote another user's post without screwing it up...

RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

RadioDoc

Re: Boost Mobile



Even funnier when someone tries to be critical and does it themselves...

N3OGH
Yo Soy Col. "Bat" Guano
Premium Member
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs

1 edit

N3OGH

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

Hey, all I did was hit the quote button and type....

Edit. Now that I look at it, there is nothing wrong with it. The error is part of the quote, and not in my post.

Correct me if I'm wrong?

RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

RadioDoc

Re: Boost Mobile

My comment stands. You pooched the nesting.

N3OGH
Yo Soy Col. "Bat" Guano
Premium Member
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs

N3OGH

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

SHRUG

FiL25
Premium Member
join:2005-08-16
Silver Spring, MD

FiL25

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

The Ref says: It's Official... You Lose.

N3OGH
Yo Soy Col. "Bat" Guano
Premium Member
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs

N3OGH

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

Double SHRUG.

It's an internet message board, not real life.

I don't live here.....

Smile__
Premium Member
join:2008-10-10
New Freedom, PA

Smile__ to 44402812

Premium Member

to 44402812
Thanks.. I'll let my brother know he is an idiot. Remember that the next time they save your life or stop a burglar trying to get in your home.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: Boost Mobile

You can let him know i said the samething. Especially if he works for the PD in my city where Speedway is the "unofficial" sub-station for my area, and they make a big deal out of helping a lady push her car off the 4lane street because it kept them from getting coffee and doing "paper-work" on their cell phones.

Smile__
Premium Member
join:2008-10-10
New Freedom, PA

Smile__

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

huh? Try PA my friend... He is not a patrol officer.. He goes after deadbeat landlords and bars..

CrazyFingers
join:2003-10-01
Columbia, MO

CrazyFingers to Smile__

Member

to Smile__
said by Smile__:

stop a burglar trying to get in your home.
Heheh, yeah, right.

Smile__
Premium Member
join:2008-10-10
New Freedom, PA

Smile__

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

Are you the burglar? lol
44402812 (banned)
Hack The Planet
join:2006-08-28
Plattsburgh, NY

1 edit

44402812 (banned) to Smile__

Member

to Smile__
said by Smile__:

Thanks.. I'll let my brother know he is an idiot. Remember that the next time they save your life or stop a burglar trying to get in your home.
Well they should? They make enough taxpayer money to sit around in their cruiser, eat doughnuts, give tickets, and cough up an attitude, lol. It's hard being a cop it is one of the few professions where you have job security if you are stupid.

POB
Res Firma Mitescere Nescit
Premium Member
join:2003-02-13
Stepford, CA

1 recommendation

POB to exocet_cm

Premium Member

to exocet_cm
said by exocet_cm:

The Criminal's Choice in Mobile Communication
Of course since bad things also happen with other products, we should also ban the following. I won't include firearms since I'm sure our esteemed OP LEO takes that as a given.

buckets, bath tubs, pools, hot tubs (drowning)
fireworks (injury)
plastic bags (suffocation)
dog collars/leashes (strangling/choking)
forks, knives, any sharp pointed objects (injury)

The list goes on exponentially as any single item can be "dangerous" in the "wrong" hands. Perhaps Officer Lightbulb should pull his head out of his rear bumper and start living in reality instead of his citation book.

exocet_cm
Writing
Premium Member
join:2003-03-23
Brooklyn, NY

exocet_cm

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

Who is "Officer Lightbulb"?

N3OGH
Yo Soy Col. "Bat" Guano
Premium Member
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs

N3OGH to POB

Premium Member

to POB
I don't believe anyone suggested banning anything except you.

Perhaps we should ban keyboards, as they seem to be the primary way you make yourself look like a snide & cynical fool.....

It amazes me how some folks just can't take a "funny".

Lighten up, Francis.

exocet_cm
Writing
Premium Member
join:2003-03-23
Brooklyn, NY

exocet_cm

Premium Member

Guys, relax. My one-line comment was more of a joke than anything serious. Relax folks...

FiL25
Premium Member
join:2005-08-16
Silver Spring, MD

1 edit

FiL25 to exocet_cm

Premium Member

to exocet_cm
I got a Boost phone. So does my girl and plenty of my friends... free calls to them all day.

Save yourself a reply; add a /sarcasm line, holmez.

N3OGH
Yo Soy Col. "Bat" Guano
Premium Member
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs

N3OGH

Premium Member

Re: Boost Mobile

said by FiL25:

I got a Boost phone. So does my girl and plenty of my friends... free calls to them all day.

Save yourself a reply; add a /sarcasm line, holmez.
I GOT a Boost phone?

That comment speaks for itself....

Try, I HAVE a Boost phone.....

Lone Wolf
Retired
Premium Member
join:2001-12-30
USA

2 recommendations

Lone Wolf to exocet_cm

Premium Member

to exocet_cm
Ridiculous.


Hide the Phone - They're Coming

swanboy
join:2001-01-22
Hollywood, FL

swanboy to exocet_cm

Member

to exocet_cm
Seems like a ridiculous issue to me.
Should toaster purchases require paperwork and social security number as well? God knows how these people can rewire a damn toaster. Could turn nuclear in no time.

Back in the real world:

I've switched from T-Mobile to Boost, and have no complaints. I was tired of paying too much money and watching my minutes everyday. So far so good.

Rail_Oww
@verizon.net

Rail_Oww to exocet_cm

Anon

to exocet_cm
Sprint invested billions of dollars to fix the interference problem they had with the gov't. The only reason why they were able to keep the network was because they did fix the issue. The network is operating 200 times better than it ever has, thanks to Dan Hesse, the CEO of Sprint. Why do you think Gary Forsee got canned? He was useless!!!
Expand your moderator at work

trebzon
join:2001-09-03
Grandville, MI

1 recommendation

trebzon

Member

Very Good News

I think this is great. They may not have the best product but they now have the easiest to understand pricing and they arguably have the best mix of pricing and product. I am interested. Very interested.

This also can't help but make the market change a bit and add some interesting choices with the other carriers this year. A recession has some positives I guess.

••••••

odreian615
join:2006-01-18
Chicago, IL

odreian615

Member

What's the non business purpose of the walkie talkie?

Almost every company have free mobile to mobile anyway

••••

AcidDevil
join:2002-07-02
7th Layer

AcidDevil

Member

ATHF!

Master Shake Rules!!
ADL
join:2000-12-20
USA

ADL

Member

Article Misinformation

The Boost site has the following pricing

Unlimited
Talk - $50
Talk/Text - $60
Talk/Text/Web - $70

Not that great since it is only in your home area.

••••••••••

PhoenixAZ
Get A Mac
Premium Member
join:2004-01-04
Phoenix, AZ

PhoenixAZ

Premium Member

Better Phones?

All of their phones are bricks and ugly!

•••
b10010011
Whats a Posting tag?
join:2004-09-07
united state

b10010011

Member

Nice but still not as cheap as my old Free-Up plan

I am still on Verizons old Free-Up prepaid plan. I only have to buy $30 of air time every 60 days. So it works out to $15 a month with rollover and since I have never ran out of minutes in five years that ammounts to unlimited calling for me.

KoolMoe
Aw Man
Premium Member
join:2001-02-14
Annapolis, MD

KoolMoe

Premium Member

Re: Nice but still not as cheap as my old Free-Up plan

I use tMobile's pay-go plan - 100 minutes ($100) every *year*. Last year, that $100 lasted me just a couple weeks shy of a full year. This year, it'll probably go a bit quicker as I'm using the phone more.

It's not a good deal on a per/minute basis but $100/year in mobile phone costs is pretty much all my budget can afford!
KM

wxboss
This is like Deja vu all over again.
Premium Member
join:2005-01-30
Fort Lauderdale, FL

wxboss

Premium Member

Boost or Bust?

A lot of Nextel subscribers credited Boost (a Nextel pay-as-you-go option) for degrading or over taxing the limited Nextel network.

While this plan looks very appealing, I'm sure it won't do much to improve the network's quality if it attracts more subscribers as intended.

*insert desperation here*

COMMAN
Plug Me In
join:2000-07-17
Mount Juliet, TN

COMMAN

Member

BOOST Unlimited

........some harsh comments, but each to his own. As a very light user of cellphone services, I started with Boost 7 years ago on the pay-as-you-go plan. It was almost 2 years ago when they began offering the "unlimited" service for a monthly fee in the California and Nevada markets. I jumped on it, as at the time I was doing a lot of "side jobs" and needed it as a business phone. I've had nothing but excellent service and the value is amazing - and the "unlimited" service runs on Sprint's CDMA network, not the Nextel network that pay-as-you-go uses (both my wife and oldest daughter use the "PAYGO" service and phones). This is basically our primary long distance service to stay in touch with relatives across the country as well as my personal cell phone and I would highly recommend it. YMMV

rec9140
Provoice just DO it
join:2003-07-29
Mulberry, FL

rec9140

Member

Re: BOOST Unlimited

said by COMMAN:
is amazing - and the "unlimited" service runs on Sprint's CDMA network, not the Nextel network that pay-as-you-go uses (both my wife and oldest daughter use the "PAYGO" service and phones).

The new plan offers "unlimited walkie-talkie" thats Direct Connect and thats iDEN only. None of the Boost phones are QChat phones to do CMDA PTT.

These plans are for the PayGo and thats iDEN.

spewak
R.I.P Dadkins
Premium Member
join:2001-08-07
Elk Grove, CA

spewak

Premium Member

Oh no they didint!

Boost said, Yo, I dropped a bomb yo,
I said, Oh noo you didint!
ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL

ISurfTooMuch

Member

Desperation on Sprint's part

With Boost being owned by Sprint, this smacks of desperation on Sprint's part. They're likely doing this with Boost instead of Sprint to hide the fact a bit and not to devalue the Sprint brand (as if it could be devalued any more than it has already been), but it still means they're desperate for subs.

I'm willing to bet that, sooner or later, you're going to see Sprint become an unlimited carrier like MetroPCS and Cricket. Either that, or they're going to sell out to another company.

•••

texans20
Premium Member
join:2002-09-28
Texas!

texans20

Premium Member

This is amazing...

Considering the economic crisis cell phones are becoming a luxury for many people, and this pricing couldn't come at a better time. Unlike Crickit's crappy coverage, Sprint's iDEN coverage is rather impressive so you will have good service in most populated towns.

»coverage.sprintpcs.com/I ··· PACT.jsp Click on Nextel devices to see national iDEN coverage.

Will it work for everyone? No. Some people will want trendy crap phones like the iPhone and many people live in rural areas where perhaps only Verizon has decent coverage. However for a no-contract unlimited plan with fairly decent coverage and no hidden fees this may change the cell phone market up a bit. It's great for those who just want to talk and text, and don't care much about data services. It's also another blow to local wireline phone providers. I may suggest my parents get this, actually.

••••
bgraham2
join:2001-03-15
Smithtown, NY

bgraham2

Member

Whats all this terrorist crap?

Anyone can walk into Radioshack and get a prepaid phone with no way of tracing it. I did it when I got mad at Verizon for dumping newsgroups. I got rid of my $35 a month Verizon cell phone, paid $10 for a prepaid cell phone and put $20 in the account. Paid cash, no ID needed and I could have given them any fake address if I wanted to. You can turn off the phone GPS in the options menu too.

The $25 a month I save pays for a newsgroups account and I am still $15 a month better off.
ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL

ISurfTooMuch

Member

Re: Whats all this terrorist crap?

The thing is, having to provide some sort of identifying information isn't going to stop terrorists (a catch-all word meant to inspire fear these days) from getting a phone. If someone wants a phone that can't be traced, they can do any of the following things:

1. Bring in a SIM from overseas and roam on a U.S. carrier. Expensive but pretty much untraceable.
2. Use forged intentity information, just as they'd use when getting other goods and services.
3. Pay off a store employee somewhere to enter inaccurate identity information when the phone is purchased.
4. Pay a crackhead to use their ID to get the phone for them. The crackhead won't ask any questions.
5. Steal a phone from someone for short-term use.
6. Pay a crackhead to steal the phone. That way, if he gets caught, he won't be linked back to the terrorist.
7.Get a wi-fi phone and use Skype over open hotspots.

The problem with using more and more draconian intrusions into people's private lives is that these measures don't stop those who want to circumvent them. The only people who end up being harmed are law-abiding citizens.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

new low price..

Assuming this is network wide available, this would be the lowest unlimited calling plan of a carrier with a National footprint. In my experience, the more rural you get with sprint's phones, the worse quality you get or in some cases the network isn't available at all--roaming or not (I'm thinking upstate NY as an example). Still, this is part of their prepaid plans, wouldn't this cannibalize their "contract" plans? Seriously, all they were offering me was 300anytime with free incoming for what amounted to $59 a month after taxes and fees.

What prepaid services do is put the burden of buying a phone back into the consumer's hands, as the carriers often don't subsidize good quality phones. I've left Sprint a long time ago due to quality, pricing and VERY bad customer service problems. Your Mileage May Vary -- some have had good things to say about Sprint.. My last good things to say were about Nextel, not Sprint.. IMO, Sprint never really has been a good cellular carrier. What this may do is Irk already locked down marketshare from Verizon. It may give cost concerned Walkie-Talkie business customers something to think about and squeeze Verizon on in terms of prices.

Verizon has long had a pricing premium that goes along with the best of breed cell phone service. It will be interesting to see if Cablevision-like pricing works in wooing Verizon's customers away.. because the hemorraging that Sprint had the past few quarters of mostly business customers went to Verizon, after the first wave of residential went to AT&T.

ME? I'm on Net10 temporarily (which, in my area is wholesale AT&T service). $30 every 2 months, and I'm good for 300 anytime minutes. That's $.10 per minute prepaid $.05 for text in/out. On many payphones it cost more to make a call than that. Customer service leaves much to be desired, but at least I'm getting what I'm paying for now, instead of trying to haggle with major carrier for a cheap month to month rate.

If a major carrier offers a beter deal, I'll consider it, until then.... fight it out! Hopefully Verizon will strike back in the prepaid wars! They have a marginally better network where I am than AT&T.

PGHammer
join:2003-06-09
Accokeek, MD

PGHammer

Member

Re: new low price..

Actually, you've been able to get SOME decent-quality PAYG phones on almost every carrier; it's just not the same phones on every carrier. One of the most popular phones on both VZ's prepaid and standard-contract sides was Samsung's SCH-a610; in fact, it was one of the few phones that actually overlapped. I bought my prepaid SCH-a610 because my Mom had the same phone (she was then, and is now, a VZW customer) and thus had NO retraining (not to mention that my prepaid phone had all the VZW-VZW minutes I could eat 24/7, which *was*, after all, why I got the phone in the first place). I used it as a straight phone, which means I needed two (and only two) features - great call quality and great coverage. VZW gives great coverage (never got hit with a roaming charge, not even in Las Vegas, which was then, and is now, practically in Sprint's front yard), and the Samsung is arguably one of the great VGA-screen cell phones when it comes to call quality (some of us actually DON'T want a phone equipped with a truckload of features we won't use).

I still have the phone, and use it as a watch/timer (I made the mistake of leaving VZW prepaid after getting a prepaid phone from another carrier as a Christmas present), and will, when possible, go back to VZW (even if I have to switch phones).

ztmike
Mark for moderation
Premium Member
join:2001-08-02
La Porte, IN

ztmike

Premium Member

Bill?

How do you pay for service each month?

FiL25
Premium Member
join:2005-08-16
Silver Spring, MD

FiL25

Premium Member

Re: Bill?

most likely attached to CC. Only way. A friend of mine said it deducted from his checking account.
navyblue99ss
join:2006-11-05
Derwood, MD

1 recommendation

navyblue99ss

Member

Idiots

I see so much crap being spewed here its not even funny. Quick example would be the change of plans equals new 2 year contract and them not telling you. WRONG they eliminated that a long time ago. I can change my plan monthly and it does not extend my contract.

On top of that I have had verizon and at&t/cingular before and I have never had service thats been better than my sprint/nextel service. Period end of story. I have the ic902 hybrid that uses sprint for cdma and iden for direct connect and it is absolutely fantastic.

Anyway i just wanted to comment about how most of you havent a clue what your talking about and thats why sprint/nextel is in the possition its in right now. Everybody I know that has sprint for cdma absolutely loves it.

NOZIREV
join:2008-07-10
New Bedford, MA

NOZIREV

Member

Re: Idiots

Not sure where you are getting your information from navy but Sprint and Nextel are probably close to being the worst cell providers out there. In saying that, Verizon is probably the best. Sprint and Nextel are in the position they are in because they have horrible coverage, that is coming from someone who had there service for over 8 years. Now i am a happy Verizon Wireless customer. Never going back to Nextel.

Carl
Premium Member
join:2004-07-21
Lafayette, LA

Carl

Premium Member

iDEN is crap in my area.

In my area, iDEN is crap.
Text messaging never works (within Nextel/Boost/Sprint and also to/from AT&T and Verizon) reliably--messages either never go through, or are so far delayed it's pointless (I had a few messages on iDEN take two whole days to go through)
Wireless Internet is painfully slow.
Voice is just...okay.

BillRoland
Premium Member
join:2001-01-21
Ocala, FL

BillRoland

Premium Member

Re: iDEN is crap in my area.

said by Carl:

In my area, iDEN is crap.
Text messaging never works (within Nextel/Boost/Sprint and also to/from AT&T and Verizon) reliably--messages either never go through, or are so far delayed it's pointless (I had a few messages on iDEN take two whole days to go through)
Wireless Internet is painfully slow.
Voice is just...okay.
Then don't use it. See? That was easy.

Carl
Premium Member
join:2004-07-21
Lafayette, LA

Carl

Premium Member

Re: iDEN is crap in my area.

said by BillRoland:
said by Carl:

In my area, iDEN is crap.
Text messaging never works (within Nextel/Boost/Sprint and also to/from AT&T and Verizon) reliably--messages either never go through, or are so far delayed it's pointless (I had a few messages on iDEN take two whole days to go through)
Wireless Internet is painfully slow.
Voice is just...okay.
Then don't use it. See? That was easy.
I actually have a Sprint SERO account and a Nextel SERO account, in addition to an AT&T GSM account.

iDEN is great for what it is, and I swore by it at one time, before the network went to crap in my area.

I was simply mentioning that people who may buy it to take advantage of the unlimited messaging or web may be disappointed by the way iDEN performs with those services.

iDEN is just fine for voice, and users who purchase this to take advantage of the unlimited voice should be happy.

-CRS-

DaveDude
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey

DaveDude

Member

Boost is done_ Sprint isnt far behind

When price drops like this its time to get ready to switch to a different service. This is sprint weak attempt at relevance. So i guess this time next year we will be wondering who will be buying sprints assets. Hey Sprint heard of LTE ?

openupshop
join:2000-11-25
Chandler, AZ

openupshop

Member

What About Unlimited Pics?

It didn't say anything about MMS. Anyone know if this will include unlimited picture messaging?

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
·Charter

nunya

MVM

A *happy* (gasp) Nextel customer

I have 2 Nextel phones and 1 AT&T phone. My Nextel works in many places the AT&T 3G phone drops off the network. I've not encountered vice versa.

I'm clinging to Nextel SERO accounts. Being a contractor, PTT is a must. Every other contractor in the area is still on Nextel PTT. I know other companies have PTT, but nobody uses it. Nextel cornered the market waaaaaay earlier.

While Nextel had a rocky set-up period for me (due to SERO issues), I haven't had any billing issues (unlike AT&T, who can F#$% up a bill every month for the duration of a contract) or service issues.

I would consider going with the Boost plan if I could keep my PTT #'s and my phone #'s. I'm not sure if they'll do that, but I may try. I'd really like to have the text and unlimited talk (my wife goes over our plan all the time).
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: A *happy* (gasp) Nextel customer

you can get unlimited PTT but only on select phones. Some phones are CDMA some are iDEN so it depends on the phone you get from what their site looks like now: www.boostmobile.com
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