Virgin Mobile USA Launching iPhone on June 29 with Plans Starting at $30

[havok24]

What about a sprint 4s will that work on the virgin plan?

So I have a sprint 4S currently. will i be able to activate that on the VM plan thats coming out? Theres currently no phone number attached to this phone

 

[foodog]

I can't do pricing analyses for every household's situation, but clearly, if you care about your money, you might spend a few minutes doing your own analysis to see if you can save hundreds a year.

I am going to buy my way out of a contract with Verizon for ~ 350.00 and pay for a *new* phone and still come out ahead of the ~ 130.00 a month I pay to Verizon a month now. I can sell my 4s for a couple hundred and knock a chunk off the cost of a VM 4s.

I break even pretty fast, paying 50 a month (between 1/2 and 2/3 less per month)

 

[jclardy]

the catch is they are a sprint MVNO. there is NO ROAMING. if you aren't in range of a tower, no signal. you can't ride on verizon's network. and sprint's data speeds in the 300Kbps range on average

you get what you pay for

This is true, but for me Sprint has coverage in my entire city, and parts outside. So essentially I am paying double per month in order to have coverage those times when I am in the backwoods of my state, which is pretty much never.

If it was $10-20 cheaper, then who cares, but this is $40 cheaper. Essentially 50% less. I pay double on AT&T for fewer texts, less data, and a few extra minutes. The only thing I will miss is the higher data speeds, but I can live with waiting an extra second for my tweets to refresh.

 

[LordJohnWhorfin]

The price is not that great considering how lousy Sprint's network is. In the best conditions data speed is about a third of what you get on an iPhone 4 (not 4s) on AT&T. The only thing that made Sprint bearable to me a few years back (in those pre-iPhone days) was the SERO plan: $30/month for 500 minutes and unlimited texting and data. They're now charging twice as much for a creaky EVDO RevA service that hasn't improved in 5 years. Fail.

SmartTalk is great, but their "unlimited data" policy is unclear. Some forum posters claim that you'll get banned if you use more than 2GB/month. If they had a more official position I would already have switched!

 

[supercooled]

Canada?

 

[actripxl]

Why? Over two years you save a huge amount of money on the $30/month plan (like $1400) in monthly fees compared to the ATT or Verizon carriers.

Which is why if you READ what I wrote I left Virgin to use a descent phone, if they sell the iPhone for $299 I'll go back to them on the $40 plan since 300 mins is too little.

 

[Norkusa]

Yeah, I was excited when I first heard this but after I realized that Virgin uses Sprints network, my excitement was crushed.

I know some people are happy with the 4S on Sprints network but for me it's absolutely terrible. Calls are okay but data speed is almost non-existent. I can't even use Siri most of the time because the connection always times out.

I currently have complaints against Sprint filed with the FCC and BBB and I'm trying to get out of my contract. Even if I end up having to pay the ETF fee, I figure it'll finally be worth it just to be finished with Sprint once and for all.

 

[rikahlberg]

Multi-media messaging (MMS)

Virgin Mobile's PR explicitly states that the unlimited text plan is "SMS texting." I'm assuming that means no MMS, so it looks like there's no way to send pictures or videos via text. Is that an accurate assumption?

 

[MacU]

Someone must work for the man

For what you will pay at Virgin Moble for the iPhone you can just get two new ipads.


For everyone asking, NO Virgin Mobile will NOT let you bring your own phone, they run on CDMA not GSM, its locked to there network as with all phones. You may be able to use the phone with other carriers such as MetroPCS, they are one of the few who unlock/flash Virgin phones.

Also guys being that i have used virgin before, please be aware that there are many issues and outages with there Data Network (just look on there facebook, about the "unexplained" outages), there Data wont compare to what you have now with AT&T, etc. I know within a few weeks from launch we will be reading about the SLOW DATA, if that doesnt matter to you then please go and save you some $$$$.

Also the Virgin iPhone will most likely be less after a few months. When the Blackberry first launched (they were one of the few with a prepaid blackberry) they priced it at $399 ($50 Rebate), a few months later it was $249, then a few months later (about 10 months) it was down to $199.00.

Ummm this is very detailed. Do u work for AT&T? Spy!!

 

[Wolfpup]

Sorry, but in 2012 going prepaid doesn't equate to bad credit like it used to. I think it equates more to wanting to pay less and not wanting to be roped into a 2-yr contract where a carrier has you by the balls.

There is no prestige in being tied into a contract where you're getting bent over by your service provider. Sadly, it is the people with your frame of mind that allow the major mobile companies to do just that.

This made me laugh, just imagining someone strutting around all proud of being roped in to an expensive contract :lol:

 

[nickn]

I was in Chicago recently with my friend who's on Virgin and I could not believe how useless his phone was.
Meanwhile, my T-Mobile phone was usually full bars, and never less than 2.

I think that phone might have had a problem. I have never seen or heard anything like that before around the Chicago area.

The price is not that great considering how lousy Sprint's network is.

I'll admit the CDMA network is somewhat slow, but for the price I don't mind. Also, I know this site is for Apple people, and you all like the iPhone, but there are faster Android alternatives available on Virgin Mobile. You can get the HTC EVO V 4G which has WiMax service for the same $30 a month. Over here at least, the Clearwire WiMax network flies. This is a typical result, and frankly $30 a month for just the unlimited data with speeds like this is amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgSdWA38kIQ

 

[actripxl]

I was in Chicago recently with my friend who's on Virgin and I could not believe how useless his phone was. After the second day, he literally shut it off since it was only getting a signal about 10% of the time and the only calls/texts that were going through were people complaining about how they couldn't reach him. It was some Android something or other, if that makes a difference, but the same phone works great all over CA and OR. And we were mostly in the South side, but did venture as far north as Wrigley.

Meanwhile, my T-Mobile phone was usually full bars, and never less than 2.

But I remember how shocked I was because I have never seen a phone behave so badly, especially in a metro area, and he was cursing it out the whole time.

I live in Chicago and had Virgin for over two years with no problems what so ever. I only switched because I wanted a descent android phone (xperia neo v) and the lack of options on Virgin made me switch.

The service I'm getting with Straight Talk vs Virgin is equal in terms of quality, heck for calls Virgin is slightly better, oh and I live on the north west side.

 

[Wolfpup]

Which is why if you READ what I wrote I left Virgin to use a descent phone, if they sell the iPhone for $299 I'll go back to them on the $40 plan since 300 mins is too little.

What we're saying is if you're on like Verizon or AT&T, this is a good deal regardless of how much the phone costs.

So I have a sprint 4S currently. will i be able to activate that on the VM plan thats coming out? Theres currently no phone number attached to this phone

MAYBE. I wouldn't count on it, but in the past I think some people have managed to convince them to like activate Sprint phones on Boost and the like, so the odds probably aren't zero. I'd check Howard forums.

 

[foodog]

I wonder if the next iPhone (see how I didnt say iPhone 5 not piss some of you guys off ) will also have a prepaid option when launched. And does this June 29th date have anything to with the next iPhone.

It will lag behind the post-paid carriers.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

Any bets on how quickly they'll get the next iPhone? If they have it at or around launch, I'm signing up immediately.

Ditto. Don't know how good Sprint's coverage is in my area, though. My AT&T contract is up this month or next.

 

[unlimitedx]

If gsm side is unlocked.... I'm SOLD!!!

 

[britboyj]

No. VM (like sprint) is CDMA, and there are no unlocked CDMA phones. None of the CDMA carriers seem to allow you to bring a phone from another network in (although some MVNOs let you bring in phones from their parent network, like Page Plus allows Verizon phones), and an unlocked GSM phone just isn't going to work.

Well that sucks, considering the internals are [I think] identical.

That said, I can still totally use this against AT&T. Let's see how much they want to keep me as a customer...

 

[RedCroissant]

T-Mobile

I don't know if anyone mentioned this or not and I didn't feel like reading the other posts. When I saw this article, I called Virgin Mobile and AT&T and AppleCare. They all said that I would not be able to use my AT&T iPhone 4S on Virgin Mobile's network and therefore would not be able to benefit from the lower pricing.

But, I decided to call other GSM carriers and T-Mobile offers pre-paid plans that are pretty awesome. AND if you're calling from home and are connected to a WiFi network, then those minutes aren't taken fro your plan at all. Also, if you pay online, then you don't owe any taxes or fees and the bill is exactly $30, $50, $60, or $70. Plus, you get unlimited* data(depending on the plan you choose, you get the regular speed connectivity for a pre-determined amount and then it gets throttled after that. And yes, T-Mobile also has visual voicemail. I just have to decide whether or not it's worth it to cancel my contract and switch.

They're also offering free sim activations when you sign up. I don't know how much longer this promotion will last, but they went ahead and sent me 2 SIM cards at no charge and I have 90 days to decide whether or not to use them and still receive the promotion.

 

[aristobrat]

AND if you're calling from home and are connected to a WiFi network, then those minutes aren't taken fro your plan at all.

That sounds like UMA technology. What you were told is true (using UMA to make phone calls doesn't deduct minutes from your plan), but the iPhone doesn't support UMA.

Also remember that in some markets, the frequencies that T-Mobile uses for its 3G data network aren't supported by the iPhone, which means your iPhone would run on the slower EDGE data network. I know T-Mobile's been shuffling their frequencies around to mitigate this, but if you use data lot of your iPhone, you might want to ask about your specific market before you switch.

Not that it matters, but you're still required to pay taxes, even if you pay your bill online. T-Mobile may give you a monthly discount to your bill (for paying online) that's the same amount as taxes, but rest assured that those taxing you are still getting their money.

 

[aziatiklover]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this or not and I didn't feel like reading the other posts. When I saw this article, I called Virgin Mobile and AT&T and AppleCare. They all said that I would not be able to use my AT&T iPhone 4S on Virgin Mobile's network and therefore would not be able to benefit from the lower pricing.

But, I decided to call other GSM carriers and T-Mobile offers pre-paid plans that are pretty awesome. AND if you're calling from home and are connected to a WiFi network, then those minutes aren't taken fro your plan at all. Also, if you pay online, then you don't owe any taxes or fees and the bill is exactly $30, $50, $60, or $70. Plus, you get unlimited* data(depending on the plan you choose, you get the regular speed connectivity for a pre-determined amount and then it gets throttled after that. And yes, T-Mobile also has visual voicemail. I just have to decide whether or not it's worth it to cancel my contract and switch.

They're also offering free sim activations when you sign up. I don't know how much longer this promotion will last, but they went ahead and sent me 2 SIM cards at no charge and I have 90 days to decide whether or not to use them and still receive the promotion.

Yea nice if you like EDGE on T-mobile! But they will eventually have 3G for iPhone users.

 

[obiegrad]

Would it work to buy the iPhone for ATT for say $199 (16GB 4S) and then cancel immediately and pay $325 ETF and then buy the straight talk SIM?

A little cheaper than buying outright from Apple.

 

[Wolfpup]

But, I decided to call other GSM carriers and T-Mobile offers pre-paid plans that are pretty awesome.

It is possible to use an unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile, but my understanding is that right now it'll only work on GSM, not UMTS. Besides that, stuff like visual voicemail won't work.

AND if you're calling from home and are connected to a WiFi network, then those minutes aren't taken fro your plan at all.

http://t-mobile-coverage.t-mobile.com/4g-wireless-broadband-service

http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1680

That's pretty awesome, but it sounds like it doesn't work with all phones-so almost certainly wouldn't work with the iPhone-plus it DOES still take minutes from your plan. It's only unlimited if you already have an unlimited plan.

And yes, T-Mobile also has visual voicemail.

I'm almost certain it doesn't. Check with howard forums for more info, but I think you're left with it functioning like a normal cell phone. Which of course isn't a deal breaker in and of itself, but visual voicemail does seem like a neat feature.

 

[Diode]

People who can't do math are throwing hundreds of dollars away each year to the big carriers. AT&T stock dividend yields 8%. Thanks for putting money into my pocket, guys! You are partially paying for my Straight Talk cellular service!

Here's to hoping that AT&T's and Verizon's strangle hold on the US market is nearing it's end.

Prepaid's biggest hurdle was the lack of good phones available (and responsible data rates).

With ST, Cricket's, and Virgin's cheap rates - hopefully people will begin to wake up and realize how much they are overpaying.

 

[cvaldes]

Would it work to buy the iPhone for ATT for say $199 (16GB 4S) and then cancel immediately and pay $325 ETF and then buy the straight talk SIM?

A little cheaper than buying outright from Apple.

I believe you need to surrender the handset if you quit within a month or two. The only way to do this is to go a couple of months at the cheapest rate. The $325 ETF is pro-rated, they credit you for $10 for each month you've fulfilled your contract.

Here's the "buy from AT&T way": $199 subsidized handset, $36 activation fee, $120 service ($60 per month for 450 min. talk, no text, 300GB data) for two months, $305 ETF ($325 minus $20 for two months worth of service). That's $660. Plus the hassle, the contract, and the credit check.

Or you could buy the retail, factory-unlocked iPhone from Apple for $649.

What do you mean in the above quote? How can they not tell you who's calling and who's sending you texts? They don't have CallerID?

Straight Talk does not keep an online log of your calls or texts. And there's no bill either.

If you log into your account at StraightTalk.com there's pretty much nothing to see. The only thing the website is good for is managing how you pay: you can add refill cards or set up auto-pay with a credit card.

Here's to hoping that AT&T's and Verizon's strangle hold on the US market is nearing it's end.

Prepaid's biggest hurdle was the lack of good phones available (and responsible data rates).

With ST, Cricket's, and Virgin's cheap rates - hopefully people will begin to wake up and realize how much they are overpaying.

My biggest wish is that Virgin Mobile's entry will eventually prompt Straight Talk to offer a slightly cheaper plan with fewer voice minutes (I really don't talk on my iPhone that much).

It is possible to use an unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile, but my understanding is that right now it'll only work on GSM, not UMTS. Besides that, stuff like visual voicemail won't work.

...

I'm almost certain it doesn't. Check with howard forums for more info, but I think you're left with it functioning like a normal cell phone. Which of course isn't a deal breaker in and of itself, but visual voicemail does seem like a neat feature.

There's no visual voicemail with Straight Talk either. Straight Talk has their own voicemail servers. Not that I care since I'm a Google Voice user.

 

[mytdave]

man

If I didn't have a brand new iPhone 4s and a shiny new 2-year contract, I'd be all over this.

If the iPhone 5 (6?) has LTE and Sprint gets their speed and coverage improved, then I'll be ready to jump ship in about 2 years...