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AT&T Eliminating $10 Text Messaging Plan for New Customers

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Re: AT&T Eliminating $10 Text Messaging Plan for New Customers

#41

Post by 18pfsmt »

pacemkr wrote: post #33
cooperadymas wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'll find contract free plans are the way to go, especially if you're not interested in the latest smartphone. Virgin Mobile's plan is $35 for 300 minutes a month and unlimited text/data. (Looks like they just raised this from $25). You will be hard pressed to find a contract plan for that cheap, even without data. Virgin Mobile runs on Sprint's network, so you'll have the same coverage you would have with Sprint,…

Thanks for mentioning that it's Sprint. This answers my question further down the page. Virgin might be it for me. I was looking at them before, but was traveling a bit at the time. Verizon was really the only option.

I am considering moving to Virgin because of the data option, but I have done exactly what you describe you want to do 3 years ago. I currently use Straight Talk, which is sold by Wal-Mart, run by Carlos Slim's telco (he's _the_ telco player in Mexico), which uses Verizon's towers. I pay $33 including tax for 1000min/ 1000sms (200MB of data, but it's ~useless CDMA 1.x).

edit: I don't know if you want VOIP opinions (there so many options), but I use flowroute and am quite happy with their performance/ pricing.

Re: AT&T Eliminating $10 Text Messaging Plan for New Customers

#43

Post by pacemkr »

18pfsmt wrote: post #41
pacemkr wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for mentioning that it's Sprint. This answers my question further down the page. Virgin might be it for me. I was looking at them before, but was traveling a bit at the time. Verizon was really the only option.

I am considering moving to Virgin because of the data option, but I have done exactly what you describe you want to do 3 years ago. I currently use Straight Talk, which is sold by Wal-Mart, run by Carlos Slim's telco (he's _the_ telco player in Mexico), which uses Verizon's towers. I pay $33 including tax for 1000min/ 1000sms (200MB of data, but it's ~useless CDMA 1.x). edit: I don't know if you want VOIP opinions (t…

I use Skype a lot, so that would probably be my goto voip provider. Assuming that they offer something like a landline.

Re: AT&T Eliminating $10 Text Messaging Plan for New Customers

#44

Post by hollerith »

kragen wrote: post #36
joelhaus wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> in a competitive market in a country like the US With At&t and Verizon controlling 80% of the U.S. mobile market, I'm not so sure it's competitive. Is there only a single provider in Argentina or is it structured differently? Buenos Aires is definitely one of the most affordable cities I've been to (c. 2003), but I do recall being astonished at the prices for electronics.

Buenos Aires has four major providers: Claro, Personal, Movistar, and Nextel. I think the economics here might be a little different (aside from possible collusion between the operators) because such a large fraction of the population uses only SMS. If the providers have to put up new cell towers to provide SMS to an area, the economics are a little different. Argentina in 2003 had just collapsed. Things cost three t…

>a large fraction of the population uses only SMS

Interesting. These people who use only SMS, do they never use their phones to make voice calls -- or do you mean only SMS and voice?

Re: AT&T Eliminating $10 Text Messaging Plan for New Customers

#46

Post by bokonist »

pacemkr wrote: post #37
bokonist wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$120 a month??? I pay $25 a month from Virgin Mobile for unlimited text, unlimited data, and 300 minutes of call time, with a pretty good android smartphone. (It would be $32 a month if you amortize the price of the smart phone, which I had to buy up front). I use easytether to hook up my laptop, no problem.

300 minutes wouldn't be enough for me, but: $60 for 900 min $30 for unl. data (lucky me) $10 for 500 texts $17 in taxes (NYC) Verizon. Pretty much the same plan was slightly more expensive on AT&T. Tether might still work, for now: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/08/verizon-blocking...

Yeah, for 1200 minutes + unlimited data + unlimited texts, Virgin Mobile is now $45 http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cell-phone-plans/beyond-talk-...

Re: AT&T Eliminating $10 Text Messaging Plan for New Customers

#47

Post by georgemcbay »

pacemkr wrote: post #37
bokonist wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$120 a month??? I pay $25 a month from Virgin Mobile for unlimited text, unlimited data, and 300 minutes of call time, with a pretty good android smartphone. (It would be $32 a month if you amortize the price of the smart phone, which I had to buy up front). I use easytether to hook up my laptop, no problem.

300 minutes wouldn't be enough for me, but: $60 for 900 min $30 for unl. data (lucky me) $10 for 500 texts $17 in taxes (NYC) Verizon. Pretty much the same plan was slightly more expensive on AT&T. Tether might still work, for now: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/08/verizon-blocking...

300 minutes is the voice call limit. The data portion is "unlimited", so if you have Google Voice or are willing to move over to it, you can skip over a lot of would-be voice minutes by using GrooveIP (or some other SIP gateway solution) and serve most of your talky needs via voip without burning talk minutes.

Granted for most people it is probably easier just to bump up to one of the higher level Virgin plans which are also pretty cheap relative to industry averages.

Re: AT&T Eliminating $10 Text Messaging Plan for New Customers

#49

Post by saurik »

RexRollman wrote: post #45

It really pisses me off that I can't opt out of receiving text messages. AT&T charges me for text messages I didn't want from people I don't even know. The system should be changed so that only the people sending text messages pay.

It is my belief that this is even already how it works in Europe: people sending messages are charged, but receiving is free.

Re: AT&T Eliminating $10 Text Messaging Plan for New Customers

#50

Post by kragen »

hollerith wrote: post #44
kragen wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buenos Aires has four major providers: Claro, Personal, Movistar, and Nextel. I think the economics here might be a little different (aside from possible collusion between the operators) because such a large fraction of the population uses only SMS. If the providers have to put up new cell towers to provide SMS to an area, the economics are a little different. Argentina in 2003 had just collapsed. Things cost three t…

>a large fraction of the population uses only SMS Interesting. These people who use only SMS, do they never use their phones to make voice calls -- or do you mean only SMS and voice?

They never (or almost never) use their phones to make voice calls. I hardly make voice calls myself.
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