Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Sprint to Launch iPhone Through Prepaid Brand Virgin Mobile in Coming Weeks
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
except this is prepaid, not pay as you go. Basically it's the same as the current scheme but since you pay your plan at the top of the period and not the end you don't have to bother with a credit check. And you don't get a subsidy so you pay more for the phone and aren't on contract. But the rates aren't really that much cheaper in the end than what you pay to the big boys, basically it's the same rate minus the subsidy pay back dollars. That's all.
cool so get a cheap used iphone and hook up a pre paid $49 pan..
----------
there are 100 different android phones and 95 of them are not cared about..
----------
there are 100 different android phones and 95 of them are not cared about..
It's not close to the same rate...
If you pay $50 a month, then you are looking at $1200 over two years in plan costs. You cannot get a plan for that on AT&T, Verizon or Sprint anywhere close to that.
Even paying the $400 for the phone you are at $1600 or so, where the closest plan that they have comes in around $2000.
Yep, Apple is trying to get into every market and spread themselves all over, good for competition, and good for consumers.
WOOT! I've been waiting to hear this news for almost two years. I have been a happy VM customer all that time, and am quite fed up with the limitations of the Android smartphone I bought to use with them. Here's hoping I don't die of sticker shock when the announcement is official.
Lots of confusion in this thread.
1) Virgin Mobile in the US does not support GSM - no SIMs, etc. Its a CDMA carrier using Sprint's network. Today - you can't take iPhones to the majority of prepaid networks in US (until all these announcements), and in fact if you want 3G support, you have to use a MVNO operating on AT&T (like StraightTalk). There was some limited success with CDMA iPhones on PagePlus (Verizon).
2) T-Mobile in the US historically only supports 3G (though they market it as 4G) on AWS bands, which none of the current iPhones support, restricting you to 2G/EDGE. However, they have announced spectrum refarming and support for 3G on 1900mhz - which means iPhone's 3G will start working on T-Mo. This has already started working in a number of markets - though its far from consistent.
http://www.tmonews.com/2012/05/t-mo...-be-ready-for-iphone-users-by-fourth-quarter/
Thanks,
-Shaown
1) Virgin Mobile in the US does not support GSM - no SIMs, etc. Its a CDMA carrier using Sprint's network. Today - you can't take iPhones to the majority of prepaid networks in US (until all these announcements), and in fact if you want 3G support, you have to use a MVNO operating on AT&T (like StraightTalk). There was some limited success with CDMA iPhones on PagePlus (Verizon).
2) T-Mobile in the US historically only supports 3G (though they market it as 4G) on AWS bands, which none of the current iPhones support, restricting you to 2G/EDGE. However, they have announced spectrum refarming and support for 3G on 1900mhz - which means iPhone's 3G will start working on T-Mo. This has already started working in a number of markets - though its far from consistent.
http://www.tmonews.com/2012/05/t-mo...-be-ready-for-iphone-users-by-fourth-quarter/
Thanks,
-Shaown
I'm just curious: why did you remove all of my carefully added (and proper) capitalization when you quoted me?
With the iPhone coming to all these pre-paid and regional carriers, I wonder if this is Apple's response to Android and its dominant market share...?Just theorizing.
Partially. I think it's mostly a way of evangelizing to pre-paid customers. That way, when they go post-paid, platform isn't a question.
Virgin Mobile can really make a killing by disrupting AT&T and Verizon. As they do now, separate the monthly charges from the phone. If you buy the phone outright, no problems. For those who feel intimidated by the approx $640 price tag, VM can offer this. A two year phone loan, like how a car dealer offers a car loan. The customer pays $200 upfront ( down payment ), $18 a month and VM eats the interest rate charges. At today's low interest rates, that is less than $10.00 total. ( may be they can even package it up so it comes to $50 a month.. )
You are still free go to at any time and pay off the phone monthly for the remainder of the two years or pay off the remaining balance.
( it does bring up credit check etc. but that is only for those who are adopting the loan plan. But the key is to make this all simple and the customer can do a quick eyeball comparison to other carriers )
You are still free go to at any time and pay off the phone monthly for the remainder of the two years or pay off the remaining balance.
( it does bring up credit check etc. but that is only for those who are adopting the loan plan. But the key is to make this all simple and the customer can do a quick eyeball comparison to other carriers )
great news. too bad virgin mobile is CDMA.. there needs to be more GSM MVNOs with these lower price points that gives at least 1-2gb of data.
I'm not surprised... they had to dump those iPhones somehow. Virgin Mobile has attractive prince points, but you will be without service when traveling a lot of the time, as it doesn't have Verizon roaming.
I have VM and have been extremely happy overall. Up until now, really my only complaint has been that they had sub par phones, but that has changed with the release of the HTC EVO V 4G. I would highly suggest to anyone that if you have coverage in your area, switch over to VM. Their plans start at just $35 a month off contract, which gets you 300 min, unlimited text, and unlimited, albeit throttled data. No other company even comes close price wise.
Virgin Mobile is a subsidiary of Sprint, and thus they use CDMA technology. The oldest iPhone that could be purchased with a CDMA radio was the 4, so they will never be selling the 3G or 3GS.
I have extensively driven through Wisconsin and Illinois, and on highways in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia, and never had any major reception problems with VM. Honestly the Sprint network alone is big enough that you really don't even need to roam.
Last edited:
Don't believe it. Most of the places you need to go/be have coverage. Never have had an issue on most PayGo/Prepaid phones.
And lots of people who travel probably wouldn't use these plans...they are ideal for people who are local and don't need ridiculous price point plans for things they'll never use up.
I guess your from anywhere but USA because in USA Virgin Mobile is CDMA....everywhere else its GSM
I was on Sprint from 2005 until 2010, traveled quite a bit, and I could count on one hand the number of times I ended up roaming on Verizon.
And each and every one of those times I was in a big building or other signal-unfriendly place, and had maybe one or less bars of probably-not-very-good service.
Sprint has excellent coverage. I don't know why people put them down so often.
I think this is horrible news. The iPhone has been viewed in the top tiers of phones since its introduction. If you go to a carrier such as Virgin, you are dumbing it down. It will tarnish the view and reputation of iPhone and iOS. Steve would have never allowed this. The majority of people that use Virgin usually have a lower socioeconomic status, or are teenagers. This is where iPhone will become Android. Bad.
It's because people in this day and age don't think about that. They just think about the short term.
Have you forgotten that the iPhone has been sold at Wal-Mart under Steve's watch?
And people went nuts when that happened. I remember quotes like "have you seen the type of people that go to Wal Mart?"
I'm pretty poor and had an iPhone when I was a teenager
I could care less what carrier or what people use the iPhone..