I’m glad Ting is heading this way, but ST has been doing it for a while. It does make you wonder whether ATT and VZW will eventually close the door on MVNOs like this if they gain too much share. I’d keep an eye on America Movil, I suspect they won’t be satisfied as just an MVNO. Next possible bidder on T-Mo?

In similar, I could play with any of VZW’s world phones, and given some hackery, have it work on just about any provider.

I get the issue. But, the problem isn’t so much that carriers won’t move, it’s that we as techies aren’t making the right call for what to put in front of folks as the best solution. If choice is the best approach, our recommendations and use cases should fall in that vein, not necessarily in the vein of making something popular.

The only appeal i can see is for a minority of people who anally monitor their data/voice usage each month and also use very little of either service.

That said, the only Data option that seems worth while is the $3 option b/c, well, its $3.. and perfect for anyone who checks email once or twice a week. The fact that the price goes up by over 400% for 400MB more is ridiculous (but again, also in line with current carrier data rates). To me, this seems like another communications company doing the same thing as the other carriers but allowing more flexibility with the plans mixing plan details.

The problem is, since the FCC has no power over wireless to enforce net neutrality, aka ‘dumb pipes’, this service will be quashed within a few years as the carriers continue to expand their power over their customers and the government. Or at the very least, it will never be able to expand beyond Sprint’s network..

I’m not holding my breath, though.

I disagree. If a carrier chose to compete based on the performance and service they delivered, they could be more profitable than they are with their current exclusivity-driven model. If they had a plan to totally satisfy the customer, instead of playing gotcha with fine print and kafkaesque service plans, they would draw customers like honey draws flies (and people).

The management philosophy that pervades the communications service industry (and most others) relies on stifling competition, minimizing value and maximizing revenue, with no concern about customer happiness. Apple has proven that happy customers create monster profits, and almost any other company that sells to consumers can replicate some of that success by focusing on what makes people happy, rather than how to extract every nickel they can from them.