Virgin Mobile USA launches prepaid Broadband2Go 3G service

Virgin Mobile's just announced a prepaid 3G service under the Broadband2Go moniker, which will offer customers a contract-free internet option. The Novatel MC760 USB dongle -- which will be available exclusively at Best Buy -- will run $150, with fixed data rates of $10 for 100MB, $20 for 250MB, $40 for 600MB and $60 for 1GB. The $10 bundles will expire ten days after purchase, while the rest of them will expire after 30 days. Virgin's Broadband2Go will operate on Sprint's network in conjunction with Novatel Wireless. It's a tiny bit pricey if you ask us, but then -- most things with no strings attached are, right? The new service will be available starting late June.

[Via Electronista]

[Platinum_Skeet @ Jun 10th 2009 3:55PM]

Expensive?!?

[Gi @ Jun 10th 2009 4:51PM]

yeah really...this would be ideal for me in the rare spots without wifi, the price is kinda decent for contract-free

[David @ Jun 10th 2009 5:15PM]

It'd be ideal if you kept the amount for longer, 30 days isn't any better than a monthly contract!

[mattkenny @ Jun 11th 2009 1:44AM]

Even in Australia we have mobile broadband cheaper than that! Virgin prepaid mobile broadband has 1GB for AUD $30 (~US$24).

But the cheapest way is to scam the system. For $2 I buy a twin pack of voice SIMs, but when you activate them you can choose "mobile broadband" instead, and you get 300MB on each SIM for 30 days. So, for AU$4, you can get 1.2GB ;-)

[math0ne @ Jun 10th 2009 3:55PM]

You Americans are crazy in the Netherlands unlimited prepaid data is 10 euro a month! (vodafone)

[ALBGunner04 @ Jun 10th 2009 4:34PM]

Gotta love Holland :( North America has to put up with crazy BS...

[Hackettman @ Jun 10th 2009 4:48PM]

Dont get me started...... I already want to move to Europe....... Not just for your awesome bandwidth possibilities......

There is also awesome beer.....

[Justintosh @ Jun 10th 2009 5:45PM]

We're not the crazy ones! It's the stupid money-grubbing corporations. $60 for ONE GB?!?! Are they out of their minds? This is the 21st century, right?

[(another) Jon @ Jun 10th 2009 6:46PM]

Cricket has unlimited broadband on 3g for $40/mo.

[tikiwk @ Jun 10th 2009 11:20PM]

Well, don't blame me. I tried to tell you guys that Capitalism sucked and that Social Democracy was way better. People, you earned this. Now pay up.

Hahahahahahahahahaha


Frankly, this is such a fucking rip off, everyone inolved should be ashamed. It's got all the problems of a rebate... they hope like hell you won't actually use the service... they just want your money. And they're willing to rape the poor and not so well off to get it. 30 day limit? $150 dongle? It would only ever make sense if you need minimal service a few times a year, in brief chunks. Granted, all the big 4 US companies want $50 per month.

G'luck.

[m-p{3} @ Jun 11th 2009 7:18AM]

Netherlands are officially awesome. Gotta move there.

[Skorpius @ Jun 10th 2009 3:55PM]

What a fucking waste. I feel sorry for the people who need to have these services and get raped by the outrageous data caps.

[Anthony @ Jun 10th 2009 4:04PM]

It's contract free though, so the prices are very decent.

I rarely use more than 100MB myself on my computer, and Virgin Mobile USA's 3G comes in very good in my area.

I think I'll be making a purchase sometime soon...

even spending $20 a month on data isn't a bad deal.

Go to sprint or verizon and see that their plans cost maybe a little bit more, and might come with a little bit more, but they are on contract. So it isn't a good deal. (And on sprint, 500mb costs $40 a month, where this virgin mobile thing is $40 a month for 600mb, and NO contracts.)


I think it's a good deal.


I want one.

[wrs589 @ Jun 10th 2009 4:07PM]

They have an identical product out on most networks in the UK, except it doesn't cost $10 for 100MB. £20 will get you unlimited data for a month. It's not "true" unlimited, but its not capped at 500MB either.

[Fanfoot @ Jun 10th 2009 5:29PM]

ONE video podcast, say MSNBC Countdown with Keith Olberman, is around 200MB in iPod MP4 format (i.e. low res).

So to download this ONE show that would probably take me about half an hour on Sprint's network, I would have to pay $25!!!

Sorry, but this is rape level pricing.

[Blaine Oliver @ Jun 10th 2009 3:57PM]

1GB usage, £15 a month here in the uk on 3G broadband.

[LondonConsultant @ Jun 10th 2009 4:01PM]

No, 3's monthly rate is 15GB for £15 ($22)...

[m @ Jun 10th 2009 4:08PM]

i noticed these were common on a trip to london last summer. we've never had them in the united states until now, however. feel free to explain the pros and cons for us.

[Blaine Oliver @ Jun 10th 2009 4:12PM]

Cons
Slower than traditional Broadband.
Some long contracts
£15 a month is a lot for a second broadband.
Pros
Our 3G network is awesome in cities though
Cheaper than most places.
Its everywhere, 99% 3G coverage over the UK,
Either pay and go or contract avaliable.

As was pointed out, yeh my mistake, my internet package on my contract is £5 for 1GB, the dongle is £15 for 15GB.

[matt @ Jun 10th 2009 4:54PM]

I live in the absolute middle of nowhere, and can get a good strong signal, I just tether my N95 and use the 'unlimited' data that comes with it, although you are only supposed to use it on the phone. They will never find out...

[Amon @ Jun 10th 2009 3:57PM]

meh, what kinda stone age are we in to pay that kinda shit for this???

[LondonConsultant @ Jun 10th 2009 3:58PM]

Mobile broadband rates are measured in MB in US! LOL...

[Jake @ Jun 10th 2009 3:58PM]

I've got Virgin Mobile UK mobile broadband and I pay £5 (~$8) a month for 1GB, not to mention the usb dongle was free.

[xcrunk @ Jun 10th 2009 3:59PM]

Expensive is right....at that rate, compared to Comcast's 250GB/month cap, if you ate up 250GB on Virgin that would run you $15,000.

Seriously, cellular carriers are just raking it in.....Virgin, AT&T, Verizon.

Wow...just go find an open wifi for God's sake.

[Xprs2-Net @ Jun 10th 2009 4:00PM]

You'd have to have a serious addiction to and desperate need for connectivity to go down this path.

[crawdad689 @ Jun 10th 2009 4:02PM]

How long would 100MB last the "average" (some/minimal youtube, AIM logged on, gmail, engadget, facebook refreshes) casual user?

Are we talkin like 2 hours, or like 20 hours?

[kal326 @ Jun 10th 2009 4:10PM]

Probably not long enough to make it worth while, you could burn through 100MB in a hour or two depending on content of sites and such. Google searching probably fine for a few days, multimedia heavy sites maybe an hour.

[jars99 @ Jun 10th 2009 4:04PM]

Expires after 30 days? What kind of pay-as-you go plan has an expiration date on what you paid for? It might be expensive - but if I want to pay $60 for something that I only use occasionally, it should last until it's all been used, not until it expires.

[Anthony @ Jun 10th 2009 4:06PM]

Well even on virgin mobile's phone lineup, you buy minutes and they only last a month, I guess that's how everything has to be.

(It doesn't have to be that way but it always seems to be)

[crawdad689 @ Jun 10th 2009 4:08PM]

+1

3G data has a looooooong way to go, in the US.


Actually, we'll be well into the 4G era before any of the pricing structures and usage caps don't SUCK.

Am I crazy for thinking that, for $100/month, I should be able to have a phone with unlimited voice and 3G data, included tethering, and, say, a 25GB/month cap?

[Eric D. @ Jun 10th 2009 4:54PM]

My minutes on Virgin Mobile expire in 90 days. It's pretty standard.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Jun 10th 2009 5:25PM]

Yeah. It's ridiculous and flies in the face of the "no strings attached" label.

[crawdad689 @ Jun 10th 2009 4:05PM]

Also, $150 for the dongle is bullshit.

Can't they produce these en masse for like $2/each at this point?

[matt @ Jun 10th 2009 4:50PM]

A prepaid dongle in the UK is now about $40, to top it up is around $25 for 3GB of usage, which expires after a month, like the virgin(These figures are based on 3 prices, but others are much the same.)

[sam @ Jun 10th 2009 5:52PM]

T-Mobile UK and O2 both offer £2 per day (=$3) PAYG broadband (O2's is a 500MB cap, dunno about T-Mobile). These should be really great if you only need it occasionally. So if you're at home or work you can just use your normal wi-fi, but if you're travelling that day, you pay the £2 and you're covered.

The USB sticks cost about $40-$50, so yes you're being ripped off.

[superhobo @ Jun 10th 2009 4:05PM]

Seriously, who named this company?

[Maxwell Ash @ Jun 10th 2009 4:07PM]

Richard Branson.

[Digital @ Jun 10th 2009 4:06PM]

This is cool and all but their pricing really really stinks!!!!!

[kal326 @ Jun 10th 2009 4:06PM]

Why do the not do it like the prepaid voice plans and have it expire in a year. The 30 day thing is bullshit, you are basically paying $60 a month if you need to access your 1GB capped mobile internet roughly once a month. Granted its the same price as every other carrier in the US on a plan, but that's not saying much. At least the contract plans have the common courtesy to give you 5x the cap when they bend you every month.

[zer0suitsamus @ Jun 10th 2009 4:09PM]

i dont really like mobile broadband,

if only they had higher speeds and no download limits....

[rcappo @ Jun 10th 2009 4:14PM]

If they never expired, that might be something. Does the internet go bad or something? Still pretty expensive when compared to open public wi-fi spots, but it you could attach this to an iPod Touch (and take advantage of the location/on-line apps), that would be worth it. But again, only if the time limit lasted at least a year (or no time limit).

Then again, $20/month for the basic internet that I (and my parents) need isn't that bad of a deal.

I'll continue with my free public access points for now.

[rcappo @ Jun 10th 2009 4:16PM]

If they never expired, that might be something. Does the internet go bad or something? Still pretty expensive when compared to open public wi-fi spots, but it you could attach this to an iPod Touch (and take advantage of the location/on-line apps), that would be worth it. But again, only if the time limit lasted at least a year (or no time limit).

Then again, $20/month for the basic internet that I (and my parents) need isn't that bad of a deal.

I'll continue with my free public access points for now.

[ex @ Jun 10th 2009 4:29PM]

what key do you click on the keyboard to get that british pound symbol?

[virgil @ Jun 10th 2009 4:55PM]

This one £

[Fanfoot @ Jun 10th 2009 5:34PM]

You type Ctrl-C then Ctrl-V

[tikiwk @ Jun 10th 2009 11:59PM]

On a Windows PC: Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Character Map, select a Font, Pound sign. £

[tvh2k @ Jun 13th 2009 2:19AM]

Alt-0163 (on num pad)

[dandmcd @ Jun 10th 2009 4:33PM]

I think this is a good option for those who may only want to use this while on a vacation, or traveling on the road where wifi spots are harder to find, or not as convenient. I could use storm chasers taking advantage of this, since they only need this service in the spring and summer, and don't want a monthly contract for months they won't use it. I think it could come in handy, but I don't like the price of the dongle itself, and the fact the minutes expire after 30 days. Again though ,depending on how you and when you use your laptop on the go, this could be very useful.

But hey, Virgin is the first to offer this, and this could create enough competition to lower broadband prices overall.

[PGP-Protector @ Jun 10th 2009 4:34PM]

While the pricing is something to complain about, what I find truly offensive is that it expires so quickly.
"The $10 bundles will expire ten days after purchase," ??

so much for giving any of these as gifts.

[glenn s @ Jun 10th 2009 4:37PM]

Yes the price and the expiration date suck, but at least this is a step in the right direction. A baby step.