Friday Morning Links
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  ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium
join:2002-03-03
Mullica Hill, NJ
kudos:4 |  EU deregulating fiber buildout;result higher wholesale fees
European Union leaders are set to back risk-sharing pacts among operators to pay the 300 billion euros ($411 billion US) needed to equip the bloc with high-speed broadband networks.
Industry officials said the move could allow operators to charge higher access fees to competitors that want to use the new networks.
"With the principle of recognizing that investments are very risky there could be arrangements on what price to sell the new next-generation services, that they can charge more than the at-cost that they charge today," the source said. Sounds like the EU incumbent operators are getting an incentive to run FTTH by removing regulation of wholesale access rates. This in effect can shut out 3rd party ISPs from using the fiber because they could then be non-competitive compared to the incumbent operators. Wow, sounds like the EU is taking lessons from US fiber policy.
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| ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium
join:2002-03-03
Mullica Hill, NJ
kudos:4
1 edit | RE: Prepaid Wireless growing during the Recession
Fresh survey data show that U.S. consumers are rapidly switching to cheaper calling plans, often choosing so-called prepaid packages that give carriers smaller, less predictable revenue streams.
On Mar. 19, Washington think tank New Millennium Research Council (NMRC) released results of a survey showing that 17% of Americans have already switched from contract-based plans to cheaper prepaid services in the past six months due to concerns about their jobs and the recession. Those sticking with contracts are migrating to cheaper plans and cutting such extras as texting and e-mail.
Carriers that specialize in prepaid calling may be among the few beneficiaries of cutbacks. Now, only about 15% of Americans use prepaid wireless plans, which can cost 50% to 75% less than contract-based plans.
"Thanks to the recession, the U.S. marketplace is undergoing fundamental changes." Indeed, prepaid may grow to 20% of the market by yearend, Sharma estimates. In the fourth quarter, prepaid customers accounted for 57% of new subscribers at T-Mobile USA, up from 23% a year earlier.
MetroPCS (PCS) saw net subscriber additions surge 74%, to 519,519, from a year earlier. In the same quarter, Sprint Nextel lost 1.3 million customers, most of them postpaid.
The hope for some within the industry is that when economic prospects improve, "people will go back to postpaid" calling plans, Sharma says. But the more attractive prepaid plans become, the harder they will be to shake. If it truly results in some of the major players like Verizon & AT&T getting in a price war and reducing wireless costs, the consumer wins here.
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1 edit | Re: RE: Prepaid Wireless growing during the Recession What about the contract/ETF? How are people getting out of them?
I'd love to dump my cellphone and go prepaid only but if I do so I'll end up paying an ETF. | |
| | |  AVDRespice, Adspice, ProspicePremium
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ | Re: RE: Prepaid Wireless growing during the Recession said by fifty nine:What about the contract/ETF? How are people getting out of them? I'd love to dump my cellphone and go prepaid only but if I do so I'll end up paying an ETF. You shouldn't have this problem in two years. | |
| | | ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium
join:2002-03-03
Mullica Hill, NJ
kudos:4 | said by fifty nine:What about the contract/ETF? How are people getting out of them? I'd love to dump my cellphone and go prepaid only but if I do so I'll end up paying an ETF. You wait until your contract is up and then don't renew it. My Verizon contract is up next month and I am then going month to month after that. I'm going to look at all the deals around after that and switch providers if necessary.
I'm going to look at those various deals that allow you to use your cellphone in the house and use VOIP for landline use using the same phone. I'll drop Verizon POTS service then too.
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|  Rogue WolfAte Your Homework, And Framed The Dog
join:2003-08-12
Troy, NY | When I decided to ditch my landline, I went prepaid. Essentially, I pay $25 for three months of basic service (incoming/outgoing calls, voicemail, messaging), which is perfectly fine for me as the phone only sees occasional use. And if the phone is damaged, I go to any major retailer, get a new one for $20, and get another $10 worth of airtime.
I don't see the point of paying anyone $50 a month for a bunch of airtime and features I'm almost never going to use.
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Attention. Attention, please. We have the funk. I repeat, we are in full possession of the funk. | |
| | GwenH
join:2009-05-12
New York, NY | With the current economic downturn I think that there is a shift in the type of peer pressure people are facing today. It is no longer 'cool' to have the newest iPhone on the market instead an outward show of frugality is the 'in' thing; at least this is the perspective among my peers. To be seen as wasting good money on toys that are not a necessity is considered a waste when saving up for an emergency is considered far more wise and respected. Most of us have canceled our contracts and bought cheap prepaid phones namely Tracfone or Net10 for their excellent prices and per minute rates. | |
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