T-Mobile

Walmart and T-Mobile upgrade Family Mobile plan

January 18th, 2012   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

Yesterday Walmart and T-Mobile announced the addition of unlimited data to their Family Mobile plan. This is an infinite increase from the 100MB per line allotment they had in place previously. There is a limit, however, on how much 3G data customers will receive. The general limit is 250MB per line, after which time data gets slowed down to EDGE speeds. But from now through March 16th new customers can get 5GB of 3G data for their first month. The Walmart Family Mobile plan costs $45 per month for the first line, and $35 per month for each additional line. It is postpaid, though it does not require a contract or a credit check. The plan is available at Walmart or on T-Mobile’s website.

Via Phone Scoop.

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T-Mobile strong again with prepaid adds

November 14th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

It appears that T-Mobile’s focus on prepaid services works. If you look back through the T-Mobile archive you’ll see a common theme with its quarterly reports: they continue to add prepaid subscribers while losing postpaid. That helps stanch some of the bleeding from its reeling postpaid side. This past quarter saw more of the same. The company lost 186,000 postpaid subscribers, but gained 312,000 prepaid subscribers. What’s more remarkable is that this gain came amid an increasing churn rate, 7.2 percent in the third quarter, up from 6.6 percent in the second.
 
While T-Mobile warned of a rough fourth quarter, the company could again see big prepaid adds, thanks to new plans.

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T-Mobile introduces Sparq

November 7th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

It was an under-the-radar release, but last week T-Mobile prepaid introduced the Sparq, a messaging-centric phone that features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It comes from Alcatel, a well-known phone manufacturer that has been slow to reach the US. Again, it’s nothing fancy, featuring a VGA camera, music player, and microSD slot. But if messaging, and not data, is your bag, you can find some use from the Sparq. It’s available for $79.99 on T-Mobile’s website.
 
Via CNET.

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T-Mobile pushing for prepaid data users

October 25th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

It appears that T-Mobile has seen the writing on the wall. For the past few years their quarterly earnings reports have featured grim subscriber numbers for the postpaid side. At the same time they’ve consistently added prepaid customers. For the past year or so, we’ve seen T-Mobile acknowledge this trend by creating a whole slew of monthly prepaid plans that feature plenty of 4G data. According to a report from FierceWireless’s Phil Goldstein, T-Mobile is pushing its dealers to promote these prepaid plans. It has started a tiered compensation plan that incentivizes dealers to extol the virtues of these monthly 4G plans.
 
This isn’t the only trend T-Mobile has jumped in on. They’re also moving in on a market that has little remaining use for big allotments of voice minutes.

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T-Mobile rolls out all its new prepaid plans

October 18th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

For the past few weeks we’ve heard many T-Mobile prepaid rumors. They all involved new plans: a $60 unlimited with 2GB of 4G data, $30 plan with 100 minutes plus unlimited text and 5GB of 4G data, and three pay-per-day plans. Those have now gone live. The per-day and $60 plans you can find at T-Mobile stores, while the $30 plan is a Walmart exclusive. They are all available through T-Mobile’s website.

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T-Mobile will introduce pay-per-day prepaid plans

October 6th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

T-Mobile prepaid has been quite busy lately. A week ago we learned that they would launch a $60 prepaid plan, and earlier this week they TmoNews.com have brought us yet another development: pay-per-day prepaid plans. Set to launch later this month, the pay-per-day plans, branded PayGo, will come in three tiers.
 

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T-Mobile and Walmart offer $30 unlimited text and data plan

October 4th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    4 Comments

Yesterday T-Mobile and Walmart announced the introduction of a $30 prepaid plan that includes unlimited data and messaging. The plan, designed for messaging and web heavy customers, will include 5GB of data at 4G speeds, with additional data coming at reduced speeds. A minimal calling plan that includes 100 minutes, with overages at 10 cents per minute, is also included. Available only through Walmart stores, Walmart.com, and T-Mobile’s website, you can get your hands on this plan starting October 16th. For the best possible phone with this plan, make sure to check out our best prepaid smartphones article.

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T-Mobile could be readying $60 prepaid plan

September 29th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

T-Mobile prepaid already has a quality line of unlimited prepaid plans, and they might be adding to it. According to documents obtained by TmoNews.com, the company plans to add a $60 unlimited plan to complement its $50 and $70 offerings. As expected, it comes right down the middle in terms of data allocation. The $50 plan provides 100MB of data at 4G speeds, while the $70 plan provides 5GB. The $60 plan, then, will provide 2GB. This is adequate for many users, but is particularly helpful for those who occasionally stream video and music. The report does not contain a possible release date, but these things tend to develop quickly.

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BlackBerry Curve 9360 could be hitting T-Mobile prepaid

September 8th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

Click for larger
 
A new line of BlackBerry phones has launched this year, though that’s usually of little concern to prepaid users. Apparently, however, things have changed this time around. The above screenshot comes from T-Mobile prepaid promotional material. That is, it does appear that the BlackBerry Curve 9360, complete with 3G, will soon be available for prepaid customers. The price isn’t half bad for a brand new BlackBerry, either: just $229.99. The device will drop on T-Mobile next week.
 
Via TmoNews.com.

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T-Mobile partners with Family Dollar

August 17th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

Pictured above is the LG GS170, a basic flip phone that is now available through T-Mobile‘s new prepaid partnership with Family Dollar. As we learned when T-Mobile announced its second quarter results, it’s pretty reliant on prepaid adds to keep numbers up. Family Dollar gives them another avenue for distribution. While T-Mobile prepaid cards have been available through Family Dollar since 2003, this new deal places a greater emphasis on T-Mobile’s services. It also adds the GS170 as a device option, for those who would like to start their prepaid service through Family Dollar.

The handset itself is a perfect fit for Family Dollar, as it’s cheap and has basic calling and texting features. It also has a VGA camera, a basic but nice add-on.

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T-Mobile loses overall, but gains in prepaid

August 5th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    4 Comments

As we sort through carriers’ second quarter reports, we’re seeing plenty of losses. For T-Mobile it was no different. They lost 50,000 subscribers, though that’s fewer than they lost in the first quarter of this year or the second quarter last year. Where they gained, though, was in prepaid. Counting MVNO subscribers, they added, 231,000 net subscribers. That might be lower than the first quarter — and remember, wireless does best in the first and fourth quarters — but it’s way up over the second quarter of 2010. So while T-Mobile loses customers, it has its prepaid arms holding down the fort. T-Mobile currently has 3.5 million MVNO customers, which is a nice little supplementation to direct subscriber income. Their prepaid churn is also down, both from the first quarter and the second quarter last year. That’s a good sign for them going forward.

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Not much changes with T-Mobile’s new plans

May 23rd, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    4 Comments

We had heard that T-Mobile prepaid would see some rate plan changes last weekend. Those did come, but not much really changed. According to the press release, the biggest change comes to the $70 plan, which previously included unlimited talk and text with 2GB of data. Now it is unlimited data, with the first 5GB coming at 3G/4G speeds. After that speeds get throttled, making them unsuitable for streaming media and other data-intensive tasks. The $50 plan remains mostly the same, except instead of a 100MB cap, it includes 100MB of 3G/4G speeds before going back to slower, mobile web speeds. You can check out the changes, plus all of T-Mobile’s prepaid offerings, at T-Mobile’s website.

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T-Mobile gains in prepaid, loses overall

May 11th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

As we wrap up our journey through the Q1 reports we get to another company that has been held together with duct tape and prepaid wireless for the past year or so. That’s T-Mobile, recent acquisition target of AT&T. They reported their Q1 earnings late last week, and ended up losing 99,000 subscribers. Of course, prepaid gained, giving the company another 372,000 accounts. That means that they lost on the more profitable postpaid end. Those prepaid customers are up, too, from 41,000 in the first quarter of 2010, so that’s a positive sign. Their prepaid churn is much higher than competitors, though, up at 6.7 percent. Can they continue adding customers with such high turnover? We’ll see more in Q2, but maybe not that much further. They’ll in all likelihood become part of AT&T in the not so distant future.

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T-Mobile adding to prepaid monthly plans this month

May 9th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

Above is a little photoshop job by the guys at TMoNews.comn. It represents coming chances to the T-Mobile prepaid monthly plans. The prices will stay the same, but you’ll get more features. Specifically, the 2GB cap on the $70 plan will go to unlimited, while the 100MB cap on the $50 plan is no longer a hard cap, but rather a soft cap. That is, instead of making you buy more data when you exceed 100MB, you’ll just experience slower speeds. Apparently we’ll see this go official on May 22.

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Are T-Mobile customers better off with AT&T GoPhone?

March 29th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

The pending merger between AT&T and T-Mobile has the latter’s customers in limbo. What will become of them if the acquisition passes regulatory muster? We know that AT&T will fold the T-Mobile brand and reap the customers, but will they be accommodating to T-Mobile customer plans? According an AT&T executive, T-Mobile will keep its current pricing structure. We don’t know for how long, and we don’t know if non-contract customers will be afforded such a luxury. But it does bring up an important question: are T-Mobile prepaid customers better off with AT&T GoPhone?

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What would a Sprint, T-Mobile merger mean for prepaid?

March 9th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

Late Monday into Tuesday word swirled: Sprint was in talks to acquire T-Mobile USA. This rumor is nothing new. We heard it last year, and I’m sure we heard it before that, too. But with T-Mobile slipping and Sprint finally having reversed their two-plus-year losses, the talks have renewed. They would face the same problems as previously, specifically that they currently run different network technologies, but a convergence under LTE could help fix those issues. Still, it doesn’t appear to be an easy transition, which is why I wouldn’t bet on this happening. But if it does, I wonder what would happen to prepaid at the combined company.

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T-Mobile says goodbye to FlexPay, Sidekick

March 1st, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    5 Comments

While yesterday marked subscriber losses for T-Mobile, we’ve more recently learned about service and equipment losses. In the next few months T-Mobile will lose its FlexPay and Sidekick services. These come as little surprise. We’ve just been waiting for word on them, and yesterday we got some decent evidence pointing to the discontinuation of both.

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T-Mobile loses postpaid, gains prepaid in Q4

February 28th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    4 Comments

While its postpaid arm might not be doing so hot, T-Mobile prepaid is still gaining subscribers. While postpaid lost 318,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter, prepaid helped offset that by adding 295,000 subscribers. Yet even this number is down, as T-Mobile added 488,000 prepaid subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2009. Churn is also up on prepaid, to 7.5 percent, from 7.2 percent in the third quarter and 6.8 percent in Q4 2009. This is also higher than many of the other prepaid carriers we’ve covered. These numbers do include T-Mobile’s MVNOs, which include Simple Mobile, among others.

Update: Sorry, meant Simple Mobile as a T-Mobile MVNO, not PlatinumTel.

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T-Mobile picks up Nokia X2 for prepaid

February 21st, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

What you see above is the latest addition to the T-Mobile prepaid lineup. It’s the Nokia X2, obviously a full QWERTY handset that is ideal for messaging. It’s pretty basic, as you’d expect from a prepaid model. You can listen to radio stations from the device, which is a plus, but there doesn’t appear to be many other features. Don’t bother googling the X2, because you’ll come up with a different model — one that has a 12-key keypad, but also has a microSD slot and a 5 megapixel camera. That is not this X2. This one is a bit more basic. It costs $80 at T-Mobile’s website.

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Nokia X2 coming to T-Mobile prepaid

January 21st, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

TMoNews.com found the above image, which describes a phone coming to T-Mobile prepaid on February 16. It’s the Nokia X2, and, well, it appears as though messaging will be a cinch. There’s no mention of a camera, which seems odd. It does have multimedia capabilities, though, which is nice — as is access to the Nokia Ovi store. Still, this is a pretty basic messaging device and little more. There’s no pricing, but as long as it’s under $100 it should be an attractive option for heavy texting T-Mobile customers.

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Nokia 1616 likely headed for T-Mobile prepaid

January 5th, 2011   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

I’m not sure why this didn’t go up yesterday, so apologies for the delay.

Any time I see a handset like this the first thing I think is that it’s headed for prepaid. With a greater focus on messaging and data on postpaid carriers, the lowest end handsets appear headed to prepaid. This is true of the Nokia 1616, a device that just hit the FCC and is bound for T-Mobile prepaid. We don’t have much in the way of specs, but from what we can gather it will be the most basic of basic phones, eschewing even a camera. The upshot: expect it to be cheap.

Via Ubergizmo.

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T-Mobile boosted by prepaid in the third quarter.

November 5th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

The year hasn’t been kind to T-Mobile. In the first half of the year the company lost 170,000 subscribers while its rivals continued to gain. In the third quarter there was something of a turnaround, and it was mostly on the prepaid end. While T-Mobile lost 60,000 contract subscribers, it gained 197,000 prepaid subscribers. That counts both the company’s core unit and MVNOs. The fourth quarter could be even better for T-Mobile’s prepaid arm. In October it introduced monthly plans with data, and recently added an Android handset to its prepaid lineup.

Via RCR Wireless.

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T-Mobile to launch the Huawei Ideos as the Comet

November 2nd, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

It was just two months ago that we learned about the Huawei Ideos, a low-end Android handset that appeared to be a good fit for prepaid. That’s what T-Mobile has in mind. They announced the Ideos, dubbing it the Comet, and will release the device on November 3 for $200 without a contract. The hardware isn’t all that impressive, a 528MHz processor with a 2.8-inch screen, but it does run Android 2.2. T-Mobile does have a number of monthly plans that have data included, including the $70 plan, which provides 2GB. You can find more information about the Comet and compatible prepaid plans at T-Mobile’s website.

Via CNET.

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T-Mobile changing prepaid plans

October 13th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

Somehow I missed this last week. I have no idea how. It kind of changes the results of yesterday’s prepaid showdown. According to information obtained by TMoNews.com, T-Mobile will change its prepaid rate plans this month. These include two tiers of unlimited plans, plus a high-usage offering that will compete with Straight Talk. They’ve also made a minor change to their pay-as-you-go plans, which I can’t remember changing at all since I started editing this site.

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T-Mobile to launch prepaid data plans

October 7th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

According to a training document leaked to Engadget, T-Mobile will soon unveil a set of prepaid broadband plans that can be used in connection with netbooks, tablets, and USB modems. These are what you’d expect to see from a major carrier offering prepaid broadband data. The plans come in three tiers: $10 for 100MB in 7 days, $30 for 300MB in 30 days, or $50 for 1GB in 30 days. The document doesn’t contain a launch date, at least that I can see, but it sounds like these will be announced soon enough. Unfortunately, the prepaid data plans do not provide access to T-Mobile’s Wi-Fi hotspots.

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T-Mobile picks up Samsung T369

August 5th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

While Cricket was busy making its big announcements, T-Mobile came through with a minor one of their own. They introduced the Samsung T369, an innocent looking candybar phone that features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Also featured: 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a microSD slot for extra storage. You can get the T369 for $80 at T-Mobile’s website.

Via Phone Scoop.

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Getting prepaid data on T-Mobile

June 11th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    9 Comments

For a while, T-Mobile prepaid featured just one data plan. For a dollar per day you could get unlimited data and messaging on the Sidekick plan. From what I gathered, the plan worked not only with Sidekick devices, but also with other data phones, such as unlocked iPhones. Last summer, however, T-Mobile discontinued service for iPhones on Sidekick plans. I’ve also heard users of other smartphones complain about a lack of support on the Sidekick plan. T-Mobile does have a prepaid data plan, and while it can be a good deal it doesn’t cover nearly enough devices to be viable right now.

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T-Mobile introduces new prepaid plans

May 18th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

We’ve been waiting a few weeks for this one, and today we got it. T-Mobile has announced the expected two new prepaid plans, though one has an unexpected twist. First, as we expected, the $50 plan will include unlimited voice and messaging, including email. The other plan, which features a $15 monthly fee, will offer minutes at 10 cents each. On top of that, though, SMS and MMS will be included with the $15 fee. This means T-Mobile’s basic prepaid plan blows those from AT&T and Verizon out of the water. That’s only 50 cents per day, and it includes unlimited messaging. Verizon’s unlimited messaging add-on is $20 by itself.

The plans are available now on T-Mobile’s website.

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T-Mobile loses postpaid customers, doesn’t add many prepaid

May 14th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

For what seems like forever now, T-Mobile USA has added more prepaid subscribers than postpaid subscribers each quarter. That didn’t change in the first quarter of 2010, but the overall numbers are far poorer than they have been in recent periods. Just like their closes rival Sprint, T-Mobile lost a net 77,000 subscribers in the quarter. Those include 117,000 postpaid subscriber losses against 41,000 prepaid additions. Those additions include MVNO subscribers, so the number of T-Mobile branded prepaid subscribers is probably a bit lower. This is bad news overall for T-Mobile. They’re supposedly going to announce new prepaid plans that will go into effect on May 16. It would appear that tomorrow is the final day to make said announcement before we consider this delayed.

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Still waiting for T-Mobile’s answer

May 10th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

So far this year we’ve seen changes, including the addition or modification of unlimited plans, from Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Cricket, and MetroPCS, among other carriers both big and small. Most recently we saw Virgin jump into the fray with its array of interesting plans. While we’re still waiting to hear from Sprint regarding their new pay-as-you-go brand, we’re also waiting for an announcement from T-Mobile regarding its unlimited plan. Rumor has the plan being available on May 16, which is less than a week away. It sounds like we’ll hear an announcement this week. I’m most interested to find out whether they’ll keep their pay-as-you-go options, including Gold Rewards, in addition to the unlimited plan and the $15 monthly plan.

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Look for T-Mobile prepaid unlimited deal on May 16

April 30th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

Earlier this month we heard rumblings of an unlimited prepaid plan from T-Mobile. The source, TmoNews, has come back with some further confirmation. T-Mobile will not only release a $50 unlimited talk and text plan, but will also offer a new 10 cents per minute plan that undercuts some of its closest rivals.

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Could T-Mobile be eyeing a $50 unlimited plan?

April 13th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

Prepaid has experienced rapid growth over the past year or so, and T-Mobile has been a part of that. They’ve continued to add more prepaid customers than postpaid customers. This isn’t by design, of course — they make far more money from their postpaid customers. We have seen the company try to win back some of the postpaid market with its new pricing plans and aggressive handset releases, but perhaps there’s something to their prepaid trend. Apparently, people like it. So why not embrace it? If a recent rumor turns out to be true, T-Mobile might be doing just that.

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T-Mobile loses postpaid, adds prepaid customers

February 26th, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

Last year we started to see a strange trend. T-Mobile, primarily a contract carrier, started adding more prepaid subscribers than postpaid. While this kept the carrier’s numbers in the black, many in the industry worried that it would bring down revenues. That seems to be the case, as we can see in T-Mobile’s fourth quarter numbers. Their net income fell to $306 million, from $483 million in Q4 2008. Unsurprisingly, they again added more prepaid customers than postpaid. This time it was a bit different, though. T-Mobile actually lost postpaid customers during the quarter.

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T-Mobile continues low-end trend with Samsung T139

February 3rd, 2010   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

While Boost Mobile is busy showing off its shiny new BlackBerry, other prepaid carriers continue to roll out low-end models. These appeal to a portion of the prepaid segment becuase they’re so darn cheap — you can use the basic talk and text functions, which is what some people seek. Via Cell Phone Signal we learn that T-Mobile plans to launch the Samsung T139. It features a VGA camera and Bluetooth. That’s it. No word on pricing, but we should find out some time today.

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Phone lineup revealed for T-Mobile Complete

November 23rd, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

Details are starting to emerge regarding the new T-Mobile prepaid plan, T-Mobile Complete, which we covered last week. Now we find out the specific handsets, their pricing, and the service plan associated with them. That’s how T-Mobile is working this prepaid deal. Your monthly plan is dependent on the handset you buy. Does that make things easier for everyone?

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T-Mobile introduces prepaid BlackBerry

November 19th, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

It’s getting harder to believe, but there were days when prepaid phones were limited to very basic and usually outdated models. That still exists, of course, but over the years we’ve seen prepaid companies upgrade their offerings. Now, instead of offering only three- and four-year-old phones, some companies are offering two-year-old phones — and some are even offering new models. Earlier this year we saw MetroPCS introduce the BlackBerry Curve 8330. Since then they and other carriers have added more advanced devices. T-Mobile jumped into the fray this week with their new deal, T-Mobile Complete.

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T-Mobile emphasizes FlexPay in Project Dark

October 26th, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    12 Comments

As expected, T-Mobile announced a new set of plans yesterday as part of Project Dark. In an effort to supplant Sprint as the No. 3 carrier in the country, T-Mobile has introduced a series of simple service plans to along with their new crop of high-end handsets and their eventual 21Mbps HSDPA upgrade. The plans aren’t quite as good as the rumored $50 all-in, but they do bring quality prices to prepaid. In fact, the FlexPay plans, which require no contract, are priced lower than their contractual counterparts.

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T-Mobile bringing smartphones to prepaid

October 19th, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

While it’s not listed in the prepaid section of the website, T-Mobile FlexPay is prepaid in nature. It has the two most important aspects of prepaid service: no contract and no credit check. The draw of FlexPay is that customers can have a normal T-Mobile postpaid plan, but prepay for it. This allows the use of smartphones and other advanced services — in theory. In practice, that can get expensive. Most prepaid customers, therefore, will not use smartphones. That’s true, but only if things remain the same. A new T-Mobile program could change that notion.

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Expensive option for T-Mobile prepaid

September 10th, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    1 Comment

Good news for T-Mobile prepaid subscribers: there’s a new handset out, and you’re eligible. It’s the Samsung T659, and it’s a slider phone with a 3G radio. So if you live within the T-Mobile 3G map (check to see if you’re in one), you can take advantage of faster speeds and better overall coverage. The T659 really isn’t much: a 2.2 QVGA display with a 2.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, GPS support, and some music capabilities. Yet the device won’t come cheap: $199.99 without a contract. But that’s about the going rate for mid-range phones on prepaid these days. You can check out the selection and prices on from our other pay as you go cell phone providers and see that it’s not the worst deal out there. Still, $200 for a phone that looks like it hit Virgin Mobile two years ago isn’t really something to brag about.

Via Phone News.

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T-Mobile prepaid adds subscribers, ditches iPhone users

August 14th, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

We kick off this Friday with a bit of news on T-Mobile. Over the past few quarters, we’ve seen T-Mo add more prepaid subscribers than postpaid. Of the Big Four carriers, they are the only self-branded prepaid service which has done this. That trend continued in Q2 2009, as only 17 percent of T-Mo’s 325,000 subscribers were of postpaid ilk. That means nearly 270,000 of the adds were prepaid, which puts T-Mobile up there with the likes of Cricket and MetroPCS. While the company plans to add devices, like the MyTouch and eventually the BlackBerry 9700, to boost postpaid sales, perhaps T-Mobile is better off focusing on the sector which is powering the majority of their quarterly adds.

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T-Mobile reducing packaging materials

July 30th, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

Anyone who’s bought a prepaid phone at Target, Wal-Mart, or any other retailer knows that the phone comes wrapped in armor. It’s that thick, impossible to tear plastic that encases many electronics these days. This might make it tougher for shoplifters to remove the item from its case and get out without setting off an alarm, but it’s a royal pain to consumers. Plus, it uses tons of plastic, which as we know isn’t the best thing for thee environment. T-Mobile is looking to change this. They’ve begun using a new packaging material which reduces materials by 45 percent. Best of all, the material is recyclable.

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T-Mobile could be readying prepaid BlackBerry

June 3rd, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

A while back I wondered if T-Mobile should offer a prepaid BlackBerry plan, like its prepaid Sidekick. That was in regards to the Pearl flip 8220. While T-Mobile won’t be offering that specific Pearl for prepaid, it does appear they will be offering the traditional Pearl for prepaid. As the ad shows, it will cost $299.99, so quite a chunk of change, but expected for prepaid. A CrackBerry commenter notes that you get 600 minutes and unlimited data and email for $65 per month, so a bit higher than the MetroPCS plan. The ad says available in New Jersey, but apparently it’s available elsewhere at Best Buy stores. I couldn’t find it on T-Mo’s or Best Buy’s websites.

Learn more about available prepaid BlackBerry devices here.

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Samsung releases T239 on T-Mobile prepaid

June 2nd, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

For those looking for a cheap, basic slider phone for T-Mobile prepaid, you can check out the Samsung T239, which the company has just released. It’s a pretty basic model, sporting Bluetooth and a VGA camera among the basics. While it’s certainly not the same model, it reminds me of the Samsung Slash from Virgin Mobile. The best part about the T239 is the price: $59.99. You can also choose between a gray and maroon finish.

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T-Mobile adds even more prepaid customers in Q1

April 23rd, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

Slowly but surely, T-Mobile is growing their prepaid business. Unfortunately for them, it appears to be coming at the cost of their more profitable postpaid service. This week we learned what T-Mo did in the first quarter, and like the past two it added more prepaid customers than postpaid. This time, though, the proportion was even larger. While they added 57 percent prepaid in the fourth quarter of 2008, they increased that to 60 percent in the first quarter of 2009. The bummer is that they added only 415,000 total subscribers, so the hard number of additions didn’t quite match Q4.

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Looks like the Nokia 1661 will hit T-Mobile prepaid

April 7th, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    2 Comments

Late last week we learned that T-Mobile will release the Nokia 1661 later this month. There wasn’t much by the way of details, though, so we skipped it, thinking it would be a low-end phone for postpaid. However, Mobile Burn has a rumor about T-Mobile’s 2009 roadmap in which they mention that the 1661 “will apparently be available for the prepaid side of the market on April 29.” Awesome. There’s still no pricing, though that should come soon enough. As for the phone, there’s really nothing to it. It’s just a basic candybar with an FM radio and a 128×160 display. No Bluetooth, no nothing. Oh, well, it does have a “torch,” which apparently lets you cut through the darkness.

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Should T-Mobile put a greater emphasis on prepaid?

February 10th, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

The wireless industry is going to be one in transition in 2009. Not just the transition from 3G to 4G, but an overall transition. The industry is condensing. The Top 5 carriers are now the Top 4 carriers because No. 2 bought No. 5, making them No. 1. AT&T and Verizon still bring in far more customers per quarter than Nos. 3 and 4. Sprint has been hemorrhaging customers for a year now. Leap and MetroPCS could merge. T-Mobile adds customers, but not of the more lucrative contract type. So what does this all mean for T-Mobile, the nation’s No. 4 carrier? Could they be the odd man out in a rough economy?

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New T-Mo phone not poorly priced for prepaid

February 2nd, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

T-Mobile has a new handset out, and while it’s meant for their postpaid service, the price tag isn’t all that bad if you want to pick it up on prepaid. It’s the Samsung T339, and it’s a pretty basic flip phone. Cell Phone Signal calls it “stylish,” but I’ll stick with my original call of “basic.” It’s a music phone, a big plus in today’s phone market, and features Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and Wi-Fi connectivity. That, of course, is meant for T-Mo’s Hotspot @Home service, which is unfortunately not available for prepaid customers. It’s free for contract customers, but the retail is $159.99, which might sound high at first but really isn’t considering the lack of subsidy. You can pick it up at T-Mobile’s website.

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T-Mobile prepaid not raising text message rate?

February 2nd, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    5 Comments

In the middle of November we found out, via T-Mobile’s own website, that they would be raising text messaging rates to 20 cents each to send and receive. That applied to new customers, with old customers grandfathered in. Well, over the weekend some snarky commenter decided to call me out on my reference to T-Mobile’s previous prepaid branding (To Go, which apparently they’ve dropped) and the text messaging charge. Now, I got a bit defensive because I was going on information directly from the company’s official website. Yet it appears that has changed. Text messages are not 20 cents each.

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T-Mobile again adds more prepaid than postpaid

January 30th, 2009   |    T-Mobile   |    No Comments

One more quarter of this and maybe we can call it a trend. It came as a bit of surprise in November when we learned that T-Mobile added more prepaid customers than postpaid in the third quarter. They’ve done it again. Despite the release of the G1, which is only available to postpaid customers, T-Mobile again added more on the prepaid side than their postpaid service.

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T-Mobile ToGo raising text messaging rates to 20 cents

November 19th, 2008   |    T-Mobile   |    3 Comments

Bad news for those who are thinking of using T-Mobile To Go prepaid. Prior to this week, their text messaging rates were among the best for major carrier prepaid. You could send messages for 10 cents, and receive them for 5 cents. However, it appears that has changed. I found it first on Howard Forum, and now it’s even on the official T-Mobile site. Text messaging will be 20 cents to send and receive.

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