Prepaid Wireless Tracker - October 2008 Issue

Hi,

Prepaid wireless is a growing and truly exciting industry.  At Prepaid Wireless Guide I try to provide you with in-depth information that isn't readily available anywhere else.  Its content is original, and created from first hand experience working in the prepaid wireless industry.

This monthly email provides you with a quick glance at what's in the news so that you can easily keep informed.  I believe in brief, to-the-point commentary so that you can move onto other tasks in your day.  Each snippet includes a link to the original story should you be interested in the full details.

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Cricket Offering Prepaid Wireless Broadband
Although this has been on prepaidwirelessguide.com for at least a month, this past month Cricket's new prepaid broadband service received a lot of press.  There are other offers out there (learn more here), and I expect a lot more over the next year.

Leap's year: Double coverage, add features
SmartBrief - Washington, DC, USA
Leap Wireless has outlined an ambitious expansion strategy that would double its coverage by 2010 and introduce new features, such as prepaid broadband.  We're definitely foreshadowing explosive growth in the prepaid broadband market.  I look forward to reviewing their plan pricing when it's released.

Verizon Wireless Offers Plans Without Contracts
Wall Street Journal - USA
Verizon to allow customers to use any compatible handset (i.e. non-Verizon phones) and sign up for monthly prepaid plans.  Short article, however, a significant indication that the prepaid market will continue to become more and more popular as customers get continually disgruntled with contracts.

Carriers Look Toward Open Mobile Future
PC World - USA
Additional evidence that we're heading for a more open market, similar to other countries like Europe and the Philippines.  The challenge here is going to be maintaining a consistent customer experience as consumers use phones optimized for different networks.  Prepaid plans will further enable easy switching.

Review: Peek is e-mail on the go, and that's it (source article removed)
The Associated Press
Email on the go; prepaid style!  A very interesting, no frills, email-only device for a low cost monthly prepaid program.  Definitely interested to see how the market will respond to this new device.

Virgin Mobile Shuttle (source article removed)
By Daniel
It's clear that the prepaid market is evolving.  Customers no longer need to sacrifice value or handset selection for choosing to go prepaid, and this will only continue to improve.

Europe - MVNO
By 3wan.net
There's a trend to sell prepaid SIM cards that can work in any unlocked phone.  This trend could have implications for carriers, both positive and negative.  This is also a trend that's coming to the U.S. 


What's New at Prepaid-Wireless-Guide.com?

• Added comparison chart for prepaid wireless broadband plans.  Learn more here.
• Added Be Heard! prepaid wireless survey - let providers know what you want/need in your prepaid wireless service.  Learn more here.
• Added section on getting better value when making international calls.  Learn more here.
• Added Useful Links page to help visitors easily come back to third party links found throughout the site.