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T-Mobile eSIMs are finally available for regular phone plans
You no longer have to settle for prepaid service if you're a T-Mobile customer hoping to use eSIM support. The carrier has expanded its eSIM support to allow use with postpaid (that is, regular) plans. You now don't have to be quite so picky when you're setting up a second line or freeing up your physical SIM slot for international cards.
Leaks detail PC Mobile postpaid contract pricing, launch delays
June 5th came and went, without the introduction of PC Mobile's new postpaid plans and smartphone lineup. MobileSyrup heard the launch had been pushed back to today, but is now reporting the MVNO is delaying it further. A few more details of what the Canadian carrier is expected to offer when it eventually follows through have emerged, however, including the all-important price points. Three contract tiers will be available, costing $35, $50 or $65 per month, with the number of any-use minutes and data allowance increasing with the spend. You'll also be able to purchase "stacks" that give you extra chatter time or megabytes for the month. Full details of the plans are available at the source link, but exactly when PC Mobile will begin promoting them alongside a refreshed handset selection is still anyone's guess.
T-Mobile wants new customers to pay upfront, says it's nothing personal
A change to T-Mobile's billing methods means it'll want to see the color of your money before you've barely had time to play with your new handset. Normally you'd enjoy a liberating spell of non-topping-up telephonic joy before the cold, financial reality of the money being sucked out of your bank account. However, from the 20th of this month, new post-paid customers will be expected to trump up in advance for the recurring part of their bill. Don't panic though, while the first bill might feel a bit heftier (as it includes the pro rata amount for the month, and the next full month,) you're still paying the same amount over time. But, if you're used to the old method, it might come as a bit of a shock when that first magenta envelope hits your letterbox.
High carrier subsidies affect iPhone sales in parts of Europe
Apple has a problem with iPhone sales in select European countries, says a recent Wall Street Journal report. The problem isn't with the hardware or even distribution, but pricing and carrier subsidies. In the US, the iPhone is affordable to many people because the carrier foots the bill for the cost of the phone. On most US carriers, the entry-level 16 GB iPhone 4S model sells for US$199 with a two-year customer agreement. Without a contract, the price of the phone balloons to $649. That price difference is shouldered by the carrier which hopes to recoup the up-front loss over the course of the contract. Sprint is an excellent example of the subsidy model in action as the carrier supposedly paid around US$15.5 billion for the iPhone and is not expected to make a profit on the handset until 2015. In Europe, however, many carriers do not subsidize phones and sell them on a prepaid basis. Consequently, the iPhone costs a lot more than its competitors. The Wall Street Journal points to Vodafone Portugal which sells the iPhone 4 for $680, while its low-end Android phones retail for under $200. This price difference undoubtedly influences sales. When given the choice, only 5 percent of customers in cash-strapped Greece are choosing to buy the iPhone, while the rest are selecting less expensive Symbian and Android smartphones. Apple is aware of these prepaid markets and hopes the quality and lower-price of its last generation iPhone models will help it compete. Speaking at a recent investors conference, Tim Cook said, "Everyone in every country wants the best product as it turns out. They're not looking for a cheap version of the best product -- they're looking for the best product." Apple believes the iPhone is the best product and people will pay extra for it.
Samsung Galaxy S II announced for US Cellular: 'coming soon' for $230
We already had a strong hunch that it was coming to US Cellular, thanks to the FCC, but now it's official: Samsung's iconic Galaxy S II is finally making its way to the regional carrier in the coming weeks for $230 on a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. This version of the GSII offers the same 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos CPU found in the original version, as well as a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), an eight megapixel rear camera and 16GB internal storage are also confirmed, though we think it's highly likely this unit will feature the same specs as the rest of the series. Sadly, the device lacks support on USCC's brand new LTE network, so brace yourself for 3G speeds if you plan to pick one of these up. Check out the full press release below for all the details released so far, and we'll keep you posted as soon as we hear an official release date or any other deep dark secrets.
Sprint announces Q4 2011 results: the iPhone brings in 720,000 new customers
Following its bittersweet Q3, the latest financial report from Sprint this quarter offers up another mixed bag of news. Net operating losses totalled $438 million, more than the $139 million posted in the same quarter last year. It suffered a staggering $1.3 billion net loss (much of that due to upfront costs associated with launching the iPhone), dwarfing the Q3's $301 million losses. Operating revenue increases were, however, the largest in the last five years, up to $8.72 billion from $8.3 billion. Net subscribers now total 55 million, with 33 million postpaid, 14.8 million prepaid and around 7.2 million arriving from wholesale, adding an extra 1.6 million Sprint customers in the last quarter. This was also the first time in a long while that new subscribers on the Sprint platform outpaced losses at the Nextel and wireline businesses. Sprint hoped to see its iPhone draw customers into its network, putting it toe-to-toe with the bigger carriers, and it largely did, with 40 percent of the 1.8 million iPhones sold landing directly in the hands of new customers. However, the higher subsidy costs of the iPhone was also responsible for these tougher financial results. Last year also saw the tentative launch of Sprint's LTE network, and that's where the future appears to be for the carrier, with its forward-looking statement hinging on exactly how fast they're able to grab the 4G bull by the horns and get it into their customers' hands. Compatibility with Clearwire's next generation network is mentioned here, as is the "financial performance of Clearwire and its ability to build, operate, and maintain its 4G network." Lightsquared, however, was conspicuously absent from Sprint's future machinations.
Sprint announces Q3 earnings: net subs reach five year high, net losses at $300 million
Sprint has just unveiled its Q3 earnings report, and it's looking pretty bittersweet. According to the company, net operating revenues reached $8.3 billion during the quarter (about two percent higher than Q3 2010), while additions of new wireless net subscribers reached a five year high, with 1.3 million customers hopping onboard. Of those 1.3 million, 304,000 were of the postpaid variety, 485,000 were prepaid and about 835,000 were wholesale. Sprint lost about 44,000 net postpaid customers this quarter, but that's a major improvement over last quarter, when a little over 100,000 jumped ship, and marks a 59 percent improvement over last year's report. At the same time, however, the carrier reported net losses of $301 million -- lower than Q2's figures, but not exactly encouraging, either. As far as the future goes, the folks at Overland Park expect to end the year with even more new subscribers, though it remains to be seen whether that long-awaited LTE rollout can make much of a dent in its bottom line. Check out the press release in full, after the break. Update: Listening in on the earnings call it's clear Sprint is really counting on the iPhone to help it run with the big dogs. According to some convoluted metaphor, the carrier is the Oakland A's in Moneyball and Apple's handset is A-Rod (who never spent a day with the Athletics... but we digress). Still, Sprint expects more loyalty and bigger profits from customers who choose the iPhone -- at least for the next four years, after which it'll have to negotiate a new deal with the Cupertino crew. Update 2: Sprint also clarified that, in addition to its deal with LightSquared, it will be working with Clearwire to deliver LTE network coverage. The carrier has reached a preliminary agreement with its WiMAX partner, but expects to announce a wholesale deal soon. Update 3: We already knew that the iPhone 4S launch was the company's best launch ever for a family, but now the company's confirming that it was its best launch ever for any device.
Walmart Family Mobile enters the postpaid war, reselling service from T-Mobile
Walmart's already firmly entrenched in the prepaid cellular business, offering handsets and service via Common Cents (Sprint) and Straight Talk (Verizon Wireless), but according to Greg Hall, vice president of merchandising at Walmart US, there's a "perception among customers that prepaid service doesn't offer access to the best phones or the best network quality." In order to combat that, the outfit will be launching a new postpaid service today dubbed Walmart Family Mobile. The actual fine print is somewhat confusing, as it offers the best of both the pre- and postpaid worlds; users will still pay their monthly bill at the end of the month, but no subsidization will take place on the phones themselves due to this being a no-contract ordeal. It'll cost $45 per month for unlimited calling and texting for the first line, and $25 per month for every extra line; unfortunately, data will be a pricey addition at $40 per month for 1GB... but at least that rolls over each month in case you don't use it all. Initially, Wally World will offer five handsets, with the flagship phone being Motorola's Cliq XT at $249. Frankly, we aren't too impressed at what's on offer here -- get unlimited data bundled with calling and texting for the same $45 / month, then we'll talk. Update: Official PR is now after the break, and that's a September 20th launch date, so next Monday. Update 2: So, Walmart's PR team contacted us to flesh out the data plan details that the AP sort of glossed over. Thankfully, the full skinny is far more attractive than what we were led to believe. In short, each line comes with 100MB of data (one-time); after you use that up, you've got a trio of prepaid 'WebPak' options to keep you going. $10 buys you an extra 200MB, $25 gets you 500MB and $40 gets you 1GB. Good stuff! [Thanks, Ksadd]
Virgin Mobile postpaid goes to the big MVNO in the sky in May
In the US, Virgin's never been known as a serious postpaid player outside of its Helio acquisition, so it makes some sense that new corporate parent Sprint is killing off its postpaid services -- what's rather wild, though, is that they're doing it in dramatic, scorched-earth fashion. The service is simply ending on May 25, a little under three months from now, with no automatic transition to any other service in Sprint's portfolio -- Virgin prepaid, Boost, Sprint, or Sprint Direct Connect -- but the good news is that anyone interested in moving over to Sprint postpaid specifically will get a $50 discount off any device with a new two-year contract plus waived activation fees. It's far from a slam dunk for either Sprint or legacy customers -- we're certain that not all of them will stay within the company's ecosystem -- but with Virgin clearly part of Sprint's prepaid strategy, there was apparently no good business reason to continue supporting a handful of postpaid customers off to the side. For what it's worth, a Virgin Mobile spokesperson reached out to us today to emphasize that the company's prepaid brand is here to stay: "Virgin Mobile with Boost Mobile will be the cornerstone of Sprint's prepaid strategy in 2010." 2011, though... well, that remains to be seen.
T-Mobile relaxes SIM unlock policies
If you're on T-Mobile USA and hop across the pond here and there, good news, as your carrier of choice has decided to reduce some of the restrictions it has on proving unlock info to its customers. In case you've never looked into this before and travel overseas, the benefit here is you'll be able to pick up a local SIM and use it in your phone saving yourself beaucoup dollars in both data and voice -- though of course your home number, unless forwarded, won't work. Currently FlexPay, PostPaid, and prepaid -- provided you've had a balance of at least $10 and have refilled in the last month -- customers can get themselves unlocked after 90 days of service, the new rules will see FlexPay and PostPaid users able to get this sorted in 40 days and prepaid in 60. So, if your account is in good standing -- no past due balances and such -- why not make the call, it is free, and if nothing else makes for super conversation at just about any dinner party we've ever been to.
Verizon to offer contract-free postpaid plans?
There's a rumor going around that Verizon is on the cusp of announcing that customers bringing their own equipment to the table (they are doing that whole open network thing, after all) or who are willing to pay full price for their goods up front will be able to go contract-free on postpaid accounts. There'll still be an activation fee and a credit check since we're still talking about a postpaid setup, but you'll have the freedom to walk away or upgrade hardware at any time your carefree heart desires without dealing with an ETF or a pesky contract extension. If this all goes down -- which it probably will, assuming Verizon's interested in keeping up with the industry trend here -- word is we can expect an announcement on the 21st of the month.
