Is Unlimited Data Becoming the Norm as Prices Approach $40 a Month?

For years the biggest deal you could get with a cell phone plan is unlimited voice. In fact Boost mobile has offered unlimited voice for $50 a month for as long as I can remember. Actually, I cannot remember when they were not offering that plan. But things have changed; these days unlimited voice also means unlimited text, and $50 a month is not that big of a deal. Unlimited text allows you to use picture messaging to take as many pictures as you want and send them through multimedia text messages (MMS) to everyone. You can also send videos through MMS as well.

But MMS has a few problems of its own. On slower 3G and 2G networks, the messages often time out. Picture and video resolution is not what it could be, and though it is technically a cheap workaround for those that do not want the added expense of a data plan, it isn't practical for everyone. However, by the looks of some of the voice plans out there; $50 a month for unlimited voice, text and data for AT and T GoPhone customers, $60 unlimited voice, text and data for Virgin Wireless customers, $45 a month for unlimited voice, text, and data through Straight Talk, the new service being offered through WalMart, you may not need to resort to using MMS to get around a data plan because they are now affordable.

Boost Mobile is offering unlimited voice, text, and data for $60 on Blackberry phones. Boost is now using a marketing tool called Shrinkage, to encourage people to stay with the service and pay as little as $35 a month for the service. You have to make 18 monthly payments on time to qualify for that rate. Boost Mobile is also offering $2 daily access for unlimited everything; this is better than my GoPhone plan, in which I pay $2 for everything except data.

Verizon Wireless still has one of the worst offers out there. $1.99 daily access fee sounds good, but that does not include text or data, although you can send and receive a text for 2 cents a minute. They still have a 99 cent daily access fee that only offers unlimited mobile to mobile calling, but you still pay for nights and weekends, and you still pay 10 cents for a text. This plan may be good for some, but it is a lousy deal if you ask me.

Most of these plans still have loopholes; whether or not you are on a contract or prepaid, if you go outside of the allowance of these plans you are back to paying 10 cents a minute. Verizon even differentiates between whether or not you are texting another Verizon subscriber, or someone in general with their texting bundles; Verizon subscribers can text each other as much as they want for an extra $10 a month, or anyone in general for an extra $20 a month.

T Mobile offers $50 a month unlimited voice, text, and data, but only the first 100 MB are sent at 4G speeds. After that you are using a 3G network. My guess is that someone will finally break that glass ceiling and offer unlimited voice, text, and data for $40 a month in the near future. By then unlimited data may become the norm, rather than the exception; keep in mind that in order to get unlimited data, you have to pay the entire $50 or $60 at one time. If you do not you are back to paying 10 cents a minute or 25 cents a minute on these plans.