Prepaid Mobile Boosted By Smartphones

Consumers who want prepaid phones are no longer restricted to low-tech devices, as smartphones are increasingly becoming available on prepaid plans, according to a survey of mobile handsets announced by the New Millennium Research Council.

"The bottom line is that prepaid no longer means low tech," said Allen Hepner, executive director of NMRC, in a statement Thursday. "One of the biggest raps on prepaid phone service was that the phones were behind the state-of-the-art handsets."

Hepner noted that many consumers, particularly those oriented toward text and Web-surfing use, now have an impressive lineup of leading edge handsets to choose from. He added that the new wave of advanced phones for prepaid plans is likely to generate a new wave of users, particularly as the U.S. economy remains under pressure.

NMRC cited a range of phones offered by carriers and retail chains like Wal-Mart that feature the low price of prepaid service plans combined with phones with advanced features and technologies. As an example, NMRC pointed to the Samsung Intensity handset offered by Verizon Wireless. The device has a 1.3-megapixel camera, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a microSD card, and access to VCAST. T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, and other providers also offer advanced phones with prepaid plans.

Another entry in the prepaid category offering an advanced phone is the Wal-Mart-branded Straight Talk family

The market research firm noted that several consumer-oriented organizations including Consumer Reports have predicted the success of prepaid plans, which have opened up as the U.S. recession has continued to take its toll

from : http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/smart_phones/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222001579