Any PagePlus-like services for GSM telephony?

Are there any outfits doing (over at&t &/or T-Mo) for prepaid GSM voice and data customers
what PagePlus is doing (over Verizon's network) for prepaid CDMA customers?

Pointers sought to names, price plans, and any known gotchas :-) .

Thanks; and cheers, -- tlvp

On 12/28/2010 9:52 PM, tlvp wrote:

> Are there any outfits doing (over at&t &/or T-Mo) for prepaid GSM voice and data customers what PagePlus is doing (over Verizon's network) for prepaid CDMA customers?

No.

On Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:43:11 -0500, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> On 12/28/2010 9:52 PM, tlvp wrote:
>
>> Are there any outfits doing (over at&t &/or T-Mo) for prepaid GSM voice and data customers what PagePlus is doing (over Verizon's network) for prepaid CDMA customers?
>
> No.

A pity. But thanks for the bad tidings (and don't worry, I never shoot the messenger :-) ).

Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP

On 12/29/2010 12:40 PM, tlvp wrote:
> On Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:43:11 -0500, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 12/28/2010 9:52 PM, tlvp wrote:
>>
>>> Are there any outfits doing (over at&t &/or T-Mo) for prepaid GSM
>>> voice and data customers what PagePlus is doing (over Verizon's
>>> network) for prepaid CDMA customers?
>>
>> No.
>
> A pity. But thanks for the bad tidings (and don't worry, I never shoot
> the messenger :-) ).
>
> Cheers, -- tlvp

I think that the GSM carriers are more worried about the impact on their
postpaid plans of allowing an MVNO to offer data services than the CDMA
carriers because of the ease of using any compatible GSM device on prepaid.

Actually Redpocket (AT&T MVNO) does offer a $49.99 (including all taxes
and fees) plan with unlimited talk and text, and 50MB of data, which is
better than PagePlus's unlimited plan with only 20MB of data. But no
pay-as-you-go data, and no $30 plan like the 1200/1200/50MB plan on
PagePlus. You get cut off at 50MB with no more data until the next
month. On PagePlus you just pay for more data at 60¢ per MB.

On Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:04:02 -0500, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

>>> On 12/28/2010 9:52 PM, tlvp wrote:
>>>
>>>> Are there any outfits doing (over at&t &/or T-Mo) for prepaid GSM
>>>> voice and data customers what PagePlus is doing (over Verizon's
>>>> network) for prepaid CDMA customers? ...
>
> ... Redpocket (AT&T MVNO) does offer a $49.99 (including all taxes
> and fees) plan with unlimited talk and text, and 50MB of data, which is
> better than PagePlus's unlimited plan with only 20MB of data. But no
> pay-as-you-go data, and no $30 plan like the 1200/1200/50MB plan on
> PagePlus. You get cut off at 50MB with no more data until the next
> month. On PagePlus you just pay for more data at 60¢ per MB.

Mmm ... a start in the right direction, Steve: thanks. And I guess all bets are off once the handset in question leaves the USA and goes roaming into global GSM territory, eh?

Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP

On 12/29/2010 2:40 PM, tlvp wrote:
> On Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:04:02 -0500, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>>>> On 12/28/2010 9:52 PM, tlvp wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Are there any outfits doing (over at&t &/or T-Mo) for prepaid GSM
>>>>> voice and data customers what PagePlus is doing (over Verizon's
>>>>> network) for prepaid CDMA customers? ...
>>
>> ... Redpocket (AT&T MVNO) does offer a $49.99 (including all taxes
>> and fees) plan with unlimited talk and text, and 50MB of data, which is
>> better than PagePlus's unlimited plan with only 20MB of data. But no
>> pay-as-you-go data, and no $30 plan like the 1200/1200/50MB plan on
>> PagePlus. You get cut off at 50MB with no more data until the next
>> month. On PagePlus you just pay for more data at 60¢ per MB.
>
> Mmm ... a start in the right direction, Steve: thanks. And I guess all
> bets are off once the handset in question leaves the USA and goes
> roaming into global GSM territory, eh?

No, it's clear up front that it works only on AT&T's network. Roaming
means buying a prepaid SIM card for the countries you're visiting.

Given what's happened to AT&T and T-Mobile customers doing international
roaming you might not want to have a plan that allows it, see
<http://business-video.tmcnet.com/news/2010/12/27/5213591.htm>.

On Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:04:02 -0500, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> Actually Redpocket (AT&T MVNO) does offer a $49.99 (including all taxes
> and fees) plan with unlimited talk and text, and 50MB of data, which is
> better than PagePlus's unlimited plan with only 20MB of data. But no
> pay-as-you-go data, and no $30 plan like the 1200/1200/50MB plan on
> PagePlus. You get cut off at 50MB with no more data until the next
> month. On PagePlus you just pay for more data at 60¢ per MB.

What's more, I see in this week's Walmart flier an ad for an "AT&T customizable $25 Plan", "Data, text, and talk options based on customer needs," carded as an "at&t go phone pay as you go $25 REFILL".

How do these two schemes compare?

TIA, cheers, and Happy New Year, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP

On Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:39:08 -0500, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> On 12/29/2010 2:40 PM, tlvp wrote:
>> On Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:04:02 -0500, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>>> On 12/28/2010 9:52 PM, tlvp wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Are there any outfits doing (over at&t &/or T-Mo) for prepaid GSM
>>>>>> voice and data customers what PagePlus is doing (over Verizon's
>>>>>> network) for prepaid CDMA customers? ...
>>>
>>> ... Redpocket (AT&T MVNO) does offer a $49.99 (including all taxes
>>> and fees) plan with unlimited talk and text, and 50MB of data, which is
>>> better than PagePlus's unlimited plan with only 20MB of data. But no
>>> pay-as-you-go data, and no $30 plan like the 1200/1200/50MB plan on
>>> PagePlus. You get cut off at 50MB with no more data until the next
>>> month. On PagePlus you just pay for more data at 60¢ per MB.
>>
>> Mmm ... a start in the right direction, Steve: thanks. And I guess all
>> bets are off once the handset in question leaves the USA and goes
>> roaming into global GSM territory, eh?
>
> No, it's clear up front that it works only on AT&T's network.

That may suffice.

> Roaming means buying a prepaid SIM card for the countries you're visiting.

That may be more economical.

> Given what's happened to AT&T and T-Mobile customers doing international
> roaming you might not want to have a plan that allows it, see
> <http://business-video.tmcnet.com/news/2010/12/27/5213591.htm>.

Right. For years, on my grandfathered old Voicestream plan as administered by T-Mobile, t-zones GPRS WAP data access was unmetered, unlimited, and unbilled, world-wide. Recently, without any notification of my plan's tariffs changing, they've started metering and billing -- at $15/MB (!) -- my roaming GPRS usage. So far, their "customer retention" specialists haven't given a rat's @$$ about honoring the original terms of my plan. So I'm looking for alternatives (yeah, no ETF, I'm long off my contract).

Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP