iPhone To More Prepaid Carriers, Next Up Virgin Mobile

by Kyle in Apple, iOS, Mobile
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We knew when we reported earlier this month, that Cricket Wireless was getting a prepaid version of the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4, that other prepaid carriers wouldn’t be far a long. Cricket will start offering the iPhone on June 22. A mere 10 days later the iPhone will also arrive on Virgin Mobile, one of Sprint’s prepaid arms.

While Cricket has a presence in most of the Best Buy’s in the continental United States, they are still considered a regional carrier. At last count they covered 60 million pops with their own network, however they have a roaming agreement with Sprint and even offer service in Best Buy stores that aren’t part of Cricket’s actual footprint.

In contrast, and using Sprint’s entire footprint, Virgin covers 278 million people.

Both prepaid brands offer an “unlimited” data option although there is throttling involved on the Cricket side.

The prepaid wireless industry has evolved over the last few years. Earlier on it was considered an industry aimed at older folks who literally only needed a phone for emergencies, people with bad credit and people who needed a “disposable” or “burner” phone.

Now cost conscious consumers across the country are going with the reliable convenience of prepaid carriers like Cricket Wireless, Virgin Mobile (Sprint), Metro PCS and Boost Mobile (Sprint). T-Mobile has a pretty big prepaid arm. AT&T and Verizon also offer prepaid services but nothing to the likes of any of the other prepaid carriers.

Consumers may rather opt for the higher cost of phone acquisition to get the iPhone without having to be roped into a two year contract.

Source: Business Insider

Cricket Becomes First Carrier To Offer iPhone On Prepaid Plan

by Elijah Ketchum in Apple, Featured, iOS, Mobile
Comments Off on Cricket Becomes First Carrier To Offer iPhone On Prepaid Plan 0 Like 2,226

As of today, Cricket Communications is the first carrier to offer a pre-paid iPhone plan. The company announced that they will begin offering the iPhone on June 22 with a plan of unlimited voice, text, and data for $55. This plan is, obviously, contract free, so the price of the iPhone will be higher, but users will not be locked in for any amount of time. They will offer the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, $399 for the 8GB iPhone 4 and $499 for the 16GB iPhone 4S.

Because this is a CDMA network, these devices are not unlocked, and you cannot buy an unlocked version from Apple and use it on Cricket’s network. It must be bought directly from Cricket, and they are currently not offering the iPhone online so you will need to call and order via phone or in-store until they do so. This should be a pretty big deal for any Cricket users trying to find their next high-end smartphone, and it’s another big step for pre-paid carriers in the US. The iPhone has finally started to branch out here in the states after going to Verizon, then spreading to Sprint and trickling down to smaller carriers such as Cricket. We’re still nowhere near the UK when it comes to purchasing any phone and taking it to any network, but it’s nice to see steps in that direction. Be sure to give your Cricket store a call on June 22 to pick up a shiny new iPhone.