“Verizon Wireless will introduce a new unlimited prepaid plan nationally this week, taking on rivals Sprint Nextel Corp. and MetroPCS Communications Inc. as they continue to add customers seeking contract-free service,” Greg Bensinger reports for Dow Jones Newswires.
“Verizon Wireless will begin offering the plan–which includes unlimited talk, text and Web use for $50 a month–on Thursday, said spokeswoman Brenda Raney. In addition to Verizon stores, it will be sold at Best Buy Co., Wal-Mart Stores Inc.and Target Corp.locations,” Bensinger reports. “Such plans still make up a small percentage of Verizon’s business. As of the end of June, Verizon had 4.4 million prepaid customers, 3.4% fewer than a year earlier, while it boosted its more lucrative contract users by 4.6% to 85.3 million. By contrast, Sprint lifted its prepaid subscriber rolls in the period by 23% to 13.8 million, about a quarter of its total customers, while MetroPCS added 19% to 9.1 million.”
Bensinger reports, “New Verizon customers will be limited to four phones from LG Electronics Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and Pantech Co., though some older prepaid phones can be used for the unlimited plan. The devices aren’t smartphones, so they do not have full Web-browsing capability.”
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