So if Sprint and Verizon are offering unlimited voice plans, where does that leave AT&T and T-Mobile? Nowhere if they don’t do anything. But they’ve both responded to the quick maneuvers by the Nos. 2 and 3 carriers in the nation, and have announced their own brand of unlimited voice plans. This actually makes Sprint look a little silly. I know it might have sounded otherwise yesterday, but they’re just running trials of unlimited. Their fiercest competitors, though, have taken the splash without testing the waters. Is it just me, or does this perfectly symbolize why Sprint is losing out? Both companies will offer their unlimited plans for $99, just like Verizon’s base plan. However, there is one difference. T-Mobile will offer its 27 million customers unlimited SMS and MMS to go along with the unlimited talk. An unlimited messaging package usually costs $15 for T-Mobile customers, which is still cheaper than AT&T’s or Verizon’s offering of $20. AT&T took a slight hit, as they rendered all of their plans above $99 — including plans which included 2,000 to 6,000 minutes — useless. Their most expensive plan obviously becomes the $99 deal. They must have not been generating much revenue from the higher-tiered plans. You’ll also have to pay extra for messaging and data from AT&T. The cost will run from $5 for 200 text messages to $35 for unlimited everything. There’s always that $20 iPhone data plan. Will unlimited calling plans last? Who knows. It’s just a little suspect when the average user spends $45 to $55 on a phone line per month. Who’s to say, then, that the average user is willing to pony up an extra $45 to $55 per month to upgrade to unlimited…especially when the average user doesn’t consume that many minutes. [AT&T Newsroom] [Telephony Online]
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