Comments on: As users flee 3G, Verizon turns it into a prepaid network

By: KT

KT — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 01:54:51 +0000

Will be interesting to see if this (cheaper) excess capacity can 3G-enable cars and other “appliances.” (or science applications).

@Frank:
Yes, true; TMO is better option. The EVDO coverage may be better in a few areas, but TMO 42mbps 3G coverage is way faster than Verizon’s pathetic 1mbps 3G data speeds. (If TMO gets the iPhone 5/5S in a few months, it’ll be a huge win and AT&T/VZW will feel churn.)

@hortron:
Pre-paid is (theoretically) less expensive because of the $100-200 monthly mobile bill you’re forced to pay for 24 months (or the huge, non-linear ETF to get out of it) to get your subsidized iPhone or other smartphone…

By: hortron

hortron — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 02:15:58 +0000

I just don’t understand the draw of no contract.It’s not like there’s so much movement in wireless pricing that it’s worth the hassle to switch every few months. And believe me, I’m what they call price-sensitive to the utmost degree.

Maybe people like prepaid because it’s conceivable they might not be able to pay their bill one month, so the option of turning it off is appealing?

I don’t get it.

By: rrm

rrm — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 23:28:00 +0000

wow… advertising does work for the sheep

By: hovno

hovno — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:23:15 +0000

I use PagePlus (Verizon MVNO) just to get the best coverage network in the Northeast. I pay $55/mo for unlimted talk, text and 2GB of 3G data. Works great for me, and i rarely use 1/2 of the data allowance, usually about 1/4. If you are not a heavy data user, and you want reliability, then this is your best bet. Smartphones can be activated on the PagePlus network. I activated a Droid X2.

By: PoleDancer

PoleDancer — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 13:20:42 +0000

People actually text? Why?
Just mail a letter.

By: Robert Wilke

Robert Wilke — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 00:38:46 +0000

What was the line from PT Barnum,

A sucker is born every minute.

That’s what Verizon is hoping for. Sorry VZW I and many more are a heck of a lot smarter then this.

By: tom

tom — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:58:33 +0000

what ever happened to pay per minute prepaid with an option to add data. all the major carriers used to have this but data was super expensive, now that data gets a bit cheaper everyone wants us to buy unlimited minutes/texts., but many people don’t need all the minutes.

what i would really love to see is the old verizon prepaid plan with pay per minute and 99 cents per day unlimited data but with a LTE SIM card option.

By: JimMc

JimMc — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:48:49 +0000

Verizon MVNOs Page Plus and TalkForGood offer even better prepaid rates for the same network. I wonder if Big Red somehow felt any competitive pressure from their own MVNOs?

By: EntrepreNerd

EntrepreNerd — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:44:04 +0000

$70 a month for higher end limited service vs. $45 a month for unlimited everything? That is one heck of a premium.

By: Raheim

Raheim — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:41:37 +0000

People still make phone calls??? Lol