Virgin Mobile's Prepaid Broadband: So Popular It's Raising Prices

Feb 15th 2011 at 1:20PM

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Unlimited no longer means no limits at Virgin Mobile USA. The company announced today that due to the popularity of its Broadband2Go wireless Internet plan for its 3G MiFi hot spots and wireless modems, it's increasing the monthly fee and restricting speeds.
The $40 unlimited data plan was "overwhelmingly popular," according to the company's press release, and is being increased by $10. Citing an overloaded Internet, Virgin Mobile scaled back the plan to 5GB of data in February, but today cut that to 2.5GB a month. After reaching that amount, customers "may experience slower download speeds until the end of that monthly cycle," the company said.
Virgin Mobile unleashed the $40 unlimited plan last summer, and it became so popular that its $150 personal modems, called MiFi, were hard to find in stores. In July 2009 it started selling a mobile USB stick for $150, which I tried out for free at the time, and the price has since dropped to $80.
The company announced the change today on its Facebook page, which caught users by surprise and angered some. One called the 25% price increase a bait and switch.

Customers who subscribed before today will still be able to keep 5GB, although if they move off the $40 plan they won't be able to return to it. New customers of the $50 plan will see slower speeds after using half of their 5GB. It was unclear from Virgin Mobile's press release if existing customers will also experience slower download speeds when they get to 2.5GB, and company spokeswoman Corinne Nosal would only say that existing customers will continue on the plan until further notice and will have a threshold of 5GB.
I have smartphone through Virgin Mobile, which through its Beyond Talk Plan offers unlimited text, email, data and Internet. I asked Nosal if those unlimited plans would soon become as limited as its broadband program. She assured me that the current changes only apply to its Broadband2Go service, but anything is possible.
"We do, however, always reserve the right to implement network management practices to ensure optimal performances for all subscribers as necessary," she wrote in an e-mail.
Popularity can be a good thing, but not when it leads to a price increase.
Aaron Crowe is a freelance journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Virgin Mobile prepaid mobile broadband beats contract pricing by $20

Aug 25th 2010 at 4:00PM


While some companies have put an end to unlimited mobile data connections on your laptop or other mobile device, Virgin Mobile USA, a prepaid provider, is simplifying its plans and offering unlimited prepaid mobile broadband for $40 a month -- $20 cheaper than what it would cost with a contract on networks like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.(wireless internet service,internet service providers,internet service,wireless service providers,verizon wireless internet,verizon internet,broadband internet providers,wireless broadband providers,broadband internet,broadband wireless)

The new plans will offer a $10 package for 100MB or 10 days as well as a $40 package that offers unlimited data use for a period of 30 days. This is a departure from its plans that charged $10, $20, $40 or $60 for various amounts of data. The nice thing about this type of prepaid mobile broadband, called Broadband2Go by Virgin Mobile, is that users can purchase a block of service when they need it (and pay nothing when they're not using it.)
The Virgin Mobile USA network is powered by Sprint, which means it has a rather large nationwide network of 3G and 1X data. If you need to check the service in your area there is a coverage map available that shows the data speeds and coverage.
In the press release announcing the plan, Virgin Mobile called attention to self employed and independent workers, who make up approximately 30% of the nation's workforce, who would benefit from a flexible and affordable contract-free data plan. Prepaid data is also perfect for personal users who may find that they need a connection only from time to time. Another bonus of prepaid? You can share a device with a friend and cut down on the initial purchase price.
Assuming you use the Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go service for an entire year, you would still save $240 over the traditional $60-a-month contract price of data, or $480 compared to a two-year contract. If you take into account several months where you don't need a mobile connection, or just need a short $10 package, the savings can grow greatly.
When compared to the prepaid mobile broadband offers from Verizon, Virgin Mobile's cheapest plan is $5 cheaper, and the Unlimited plan is $40 less per month than a 5GB plan on Verizon.
Virgin Mobile USA offers an Ovation MC760 USB modem for $79.99, which can connect one device to the Internet and a MiFi 2200 Mobile Hotspot for $149.99 that can connect up to five devices to the Internet. Those links haven't been updated by Virgin Mobile USA yet with the unlimited plan for $40, but its Facebook page has the new price.
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Virgin Mobile sells calls at 5 cents

Jul 15th 2010 at 5:00PM

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Virgin Mobile has launched another prepaid cell phone plan, selling minutes for 5 cents each under its payLo plan.
The plan, unveiled Thursday, is the lowest price I've seen for a prepaid phone, and beats what Boost Mobile, Assurance Wireless, Net10 and others sell for 10 cents a minute, including plans for people below the poverty rate. Common Cents Mobile has tried to stand out from the prepaid phone crowd by rounding down calls and charging 7 cents a minute.
The 400-minute payLo plan is $20 a month, which equates to 5 cents a minute. Additional minutes are 20 cents each, a text message is 15 cents, the picture rate is 25 cents, and data is $1.50 per megabyte. Minutes do not rollover.
If you talk less than 400 minutes a month, Virgin Mobile has another prepaid plan that is $7 per month by adding $20 to an active prepaid account for 90 days of service. But the basic rate of 20 cents a minute applies to that plan, giving callers 100 minutes of airtime for three months, or 33 minutes per month. The basic rate plan is for people who want an emergency or safety phone to call if their car breaks down, for example.
The 400-minute plan is a deal if you're using the 400 minutes, since they don't rollover.
"We can't do 5 cents and have them last a lot longer," said Neil Lindsay, chief marketing officer for Sprint Mobile's prepaid plans. "It just wouldn't make business sense."
Before switching to a prepaid phone plan, or any phone plan, check out the coverage and go to a price comparison site to see if the minutes you expect to use are worth the money.
Without long-term contracts, prepaid phones are becoming more popular. The worst disadvantage, however, is that while per minute costs have come down, they're still higher than traditional postpaid service, according to a wireless plan buying guide. Also, the minutes usually expire in one to three months, and you'll have to buy more minutes before they expire. Some, such as Net10, which I have, allow minutes to rollover.

Aaron Crowe is a freelance journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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