Thank you for the information Kelly; clear, concise, and helpful...I like it! I will add a note on that page regarding the association of i-wireless with Kroger, as well as a line regarding the loyalty/rewards program.
Jul 13, 2010
i-wireless, a Kroger Co by: Kelly
Hi, this is Kelly, from i-wireless. I came across this post and thought I would share a little bit on the i-wireless confusion.
There are three i-wireless companies currently operating in the US: i-wireless, a Kroger Co. (sold at Kroger family stores, runs on Sprint Network), i-wireless (AKA Iowa Wireless, runs on T-Mobile Network), and i-wireless from Cincinnati Bell.
The i-wireless Anonymous is referring to is our company. We are sold at the Kroger family of stores nationwide. We are in 31 states and over 2200 stores. We offer pay-per-use, monthly, and unlimited plans. We offer a wide range of handsets (www.iwirelesshome.com), and we offer a loyalty/rewards program called FREE MINUTES. With FREE MINUTES you earn a reward each time you spend $100 in a Kroger-owned store. This can be 20 FREE MINUTES or $1, depending on which plan you are on.
You can find my contact information on our website if you have any additional questions.
Oct 16, 2009
Untangling the MVNOs! by: PrepaidWirelessGuy
Dear Anonymous - Some months ago after having this dialog I updated the Other Wireless Providers page (Other Wireless Providers) to reflect both i-Wireless companies. I believe that information to be correct, but certainly know that mistakes can happen. I always welcome feedback and insight from visitors, and if any mistakes are found, I certainly update the site to ensure that other visitors have the right information.
The prepaid space, particularly the MVNO space is very dynamic and can certainly be confusing, especially when companies share similar or the same names!
If you have any additional specific information that would be helpful in correctly distinguishing the different i-Wireless companies, definitely please share that, and I would be more than happy to make any necessary corrections, and if you share your name, I will give you credit for helping! Thank you!
Oct 16, 2009
Your wrong it's Not T-Mobile by: Anonymous
Better do your research a little better before offering advise, opinions or information about plans.
Apr 30, 2009
Two i Wireless Companies! by: PrepaidWirelessGuy
Thank you for bringing this to our attention; that's definitely super interesting! The i Wireless you speak of is actually an MVNO on the Sprint network. I will add this company to the Other Providers page as well. I wonder if the naming infringes on any trademark laws. Seems bizarre...hmm...
Apr 24, 2009
Wrong i-wireless by: Anonymous
I think the i-wireless that person is referring to is just i-wireless. It's sold at Kroger stores and from what I know, they run off of the Sprint Network. I live in Indianapolis and I can earn free minutes when I shop. It's pretty cool and allows for my son to get his minutes free each month. I did a search for them and their website is www.iwirelesshome.com.
Apr 23, 2009
i wireless MEGAtalk prepaid plan by: PrepaidWirelessGuy
i wireless, which used to be known as Iowa Wireless, is a partnership between T-Mobile USA and Iowa Network Services (INS). So, it appears as though it’s not an MVNO per se because the host carrier, T-Mobile, is actually a part owner. In other words, a true MVNO simply buys wholesale minutes from the host carrier, whereas it seems that i wireless is actually a joint venture/partnership. On their website they refer to themselves as a T-Mobile affiliate, and from examining their plans, it appears as though their my5 plans look very similar to T-Mobile’s myFaves plans, which makes me think that this is an offshoot brand that leverages much of T-Mobile’s existing offerings. This is often referred to as a flanker brand. That may very well not be their intention, but for some reason they felt they could customize an offering within this partnership to service a particular subset of customers.
Although they offer nationwide coverage, they’re primarily available in Iowa, and parts of Illinois, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. They provide a variety of postpaid plans, however, they also offer a prepaid service called MEGAtalk. Their prepaid plans actually appear to be quite good. They offer 7-day, 15-day, 30-day, and 60-day prepaid plans. To give you an idea for comparison purposes, their 30-day plan, which includes unlimited voice, text, and Web is currently going for $49.00. The only other plan that currently competes with this is Boost Mobile’s $50.00 plan.
In terms of them being in Kroger, I expect that’s one of their distributors is certain markets, but I don’t believe it’s actually a Kroger branded offering. As they don’t have a nationwide presence, they haven’t been included in the Wireless Providers section and plan comparison charts. However, they will be added to the Other Wireless Provider’s section shortly. I definitely think that for certain people they offer a great service worth considering!
