For too long, prepaid phone customers have been stuck with less than incredible handsets. This is in the process of changing. There are a couple of reasons this shift is happening.
One is that prepaid cell phones are becoming more acceptable to more people. It is no longer seen as only an option for those who don’t have the credit or otherwise don’t qualify for a monthly contract cell phone. With the new popularity of “alternative” plans, people have more options and can decide to go with a standard low-grade handset or something with a bunch of bells and whistles.
People are now used to cell phones that have navigation features for driving and other special add-ons, so there is a market for this kind of thing out there, especially now that several other companies other than the big four are offering attractive deals.
Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile are two of the companies offering higher quality handsets, while also making rate plans for prepaid more attractive. See what’s happening? Wireless companies know they have to compete in this segment in order to be a viable company. Boost and Virgin are big names in the prepaid and pay as you go market, and are taking steps to gain even more subscribers. Boost recently unveiled its monthly unlimited plan, which includes unlimited data, text, and minutes usage.
Boost will introduce the Motorola Stature i9 at a retail price of $300 (wow–that’s not your momma’s prepaid phone) and Virgin will unveil the Kyocera X-tc, a slider phone with a big screen and a keypad great for texting, which will go for about $100.
Related posts:
I’m definitely looking forward to a time when any and all phones being available on prepaid payment options. Prepaid is really just a way to pay, and shouldn’t restrict users to the types of phones they have access to. The i9 is a pathetic attempt to appear high end, but I expect it will represent only a fraction of a percent of sales. Maybe at $150 it would make sense, but a $300 it’s really not worthy of any press…sorry Moto…sorry Boost
.