Virgin Mobile is about to roll out new plans this month. Virgin Mobile (MVNO) runs on the Sprint network.
The following is their new plans:
ALL PLANS INCLUDE
TEXT, DATA, EMAIL-$25 = 300 anytime minutes
-$40 = 1200 anytime minutes
-$60 = Unlimited anytime minutes
You can add BIS/BES Blackberry service to ANY of these plans for an additional $10/month (making them $35, $50, and $70, respectively)
Here is the article on the new plans (w/pictures):
http://www.phonenews.com/virgin-mobile-new-beyond-talk-plans-and-new-phones-this-month-11148/**NOTE: Plans are NOT yet live but will be this month (exact date unknown) -- I will update this thread to reflect any new information when they turn live!**
These plans are at least equal, but mostly better than T-Mobile's ToGo, Even More, and Even More Plus plans.
The $25 price point is definitely unmatched by any carrier. That plan is smoking hot price. For that, I may just cancel my T-Mobile accounts. And I'm a huge customer at T-Mobile. I have 11 lines. It would very well save me over $200 a month. At that price point, I imagine many other people probably will run over to Virgin.
T-Mobile has got to be more competitive somehow! T-Mobile is a solid carrier, but sometimes, I feel like they have such a big variety of small nits and bits where the competition does better. What does T-Mobile compete on? Lets name some.
Price - Can be good, but prices can be astronomically high (about $300 for 5 line family plan with internet)
Freedom of choice -
Props to T-Mobile for taking the initiative of Even More Plus. Consumers might not realize it, but it's brilliant! The Nexus One experiment is a mixed bag. It brought T-Mobile a few customers, but I can safely say that it didn't revolutionize the market like it was hyped up to be.Customer Service - Top Notch, nothing more to say about that
Data Speed - EDGE is terrific! However, their 3g is generally on the slower side. I travel a lot, and average 0.4-0.5 mbps
Innovative Services - UMA Calling was great, but marketing and device selection was horrible! T-Mobile @ Home is a tough sell. It's an innovative service, but let's just put it this way, employees hated selling this! Cameo - good device, bad pricing, horrendous product support. Android - Great work at leading the way, but falling off the pace a bit.
Low End Devices - T-Mobile does a solid job bringing cheap phones to their stores.
Mid - Range Devices - Lots of these devices, pretty much all Android handsets are an example. Mid range devices usually are purchased along with text and data packages. Good profit margin, plus this is where most sales are made.
High End Devices - Currently only the HTC HD2, BB 9700, HTC TP2, and myTouch 3G Slide. HTC TP2 starting to slide towards the midrange device category. High end devices are rarely purchased without both text/data plans. These devices are sold to powerusers that always want the best. They upgrade devices frequently and generally know their options within and outside T-Mobile. Highest profit margin, spreads lots of word of mouth (can be good/bad). These can be the most loyal customers if steps are taken to make them happy. They can also be a
Coverage - Generally, T-Mobile covers denser locations well. It's a good strategy, getting the most use out of the network. However, some locations with fairly reasonable density are not covered as well as it should be.
So what categories are most important? Price, coverage, Customer service, low end devices and mid-range devices. T-mobile pretty much almost nailed it with the first level of importance.
The second level of importance: Data Service, Innovative Services, High End Devices. As you can see, the second level includes more "poweruser" like characteristics.
The second level of importance haven't been handled by T-Mobile very well. I would say T-Mobile is halfway there. Usually, their offerings, marketing, and implementation sucks in this area. Firstly to succeed with this area, T-Mobile must connect the second level with the first. Users of high end device consider things like prices, coverage, customer service of utmost importance, just like every other customer of T-Mobile. However, powerusers are the type that would become a follower by just providing what their ideal want is. The closer to the ideal, the more followers.
Take the HTC HD2 for example. Few ever expected another Windows Mobile 6 phone would ever sell in huge amounts. The HTC HD2 surprised many, selling out week after week. IN fact, I checked a few days ago to find it out of stock. T-Mobile scored high here, implementing this well. They bundled the HD2 with multimedia apps, making the phone immediately more attractive to many. It nets them positive PR everywhere. Users showing friends, discussed on the web, etc. Its a fast 3G phone, somewhat innovative (capacitive screen, super specs), and is a high end device. Not only that, but the phone itself was tied in to very attractive pricing. The $200 w/ contract is a okay pricing, but the Buy one Get one free promotion helped move a storm of units.
Currently, T-Mobile appeals mostly to the low end and mid-range crowd. It can expand to appeal to the high end crowd. By linking priority levels one and two together, T-Mobile can grow as a carrier, appealing to many tastes. It would satisfy a text addict in school, a limo driver with nothing to do all day (watches tv on hd2), a wife that just needs an emergency cell phone, and homeless people needing reliable yet affordable service. T-Mobile shouldn't stop attempting to try new things. Sure, the Cameo and UMA calling were failures, but by attempting those services, it sure gained it some loyalty for allowing customers choice. It helps frame T-Mobile as a quirky little company that we love.
I hope you guys get my drift. But let's remember this. Virgin is very hot on T-Mobile's tail on the price points. And let's hope T-Mobile responds.
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