Comments on: Virtual wireless carriers face tough times

They may offer carefully developed services, but the new breed of mobile virtual carriers still faces stiff competition.

[TV James]

Costly added features and crowded marketplace

I was surprised to see Helio the other day in a magazine. While I'm mostly happy at Verizon, I like to learn about new choices. Helio seemed interesting, but it wasn't cheap.

I'm guessing if you're reselling someone else's service and adding more features, you really can't charge less than what you're reselling, and therein lies the problem.

It's hard enough finding an affordable cell plan that works effectively for making simple phone calls.

Plus, most re-sellers are using Sprint which is notoriously bad to begin with.

[jamesreb]

They put it on themselves.

When you look at the devices from MNVO Helio, sure its neat looking but the device really sucks. There's not even Bluetooth available on their $200+ (with contract) handsets. That's another thing, the price.

$200 is a little pricey to not have high tech features like Bluetooth. Woo hoo, MySpace mobile. That's be great, if I was teenager. But the teens are going for companies like Virgin because of either costs or contracts.

If you look at Amp'd, their handsets have the "basic high-end features" that high tech phones should have, like Bluetooth. Also Amp'd has launched a prepaid service and its still cheaper than Helio. You still get one of their good phones (with a slightly higher price) and the phone doesn't scream its a prepaid.

Some of the old legacy wireless carriers like Verizon try to mock the teen-oriented prepaid services like Virgin or Boost. Unfortunately if you look at their INpulse, you can tell they have a temp doing their marketing. $1 a day, which includes unlimited nights (but not weekend days) and mobile-2-mobile. The stinger of the whole thing is you get charged your dollar even if you don't use the phone that day.

So the MNVOs aren't dead. As long as there are teens who want to have a cell of their own and people who've hosed all the post-paid wireless companies and couldn't get on a regular phone plan if their life depended on it, there will still be MNVOs.

As for Boost Mobile, Sprint is shuttering the Nextel iDEN network in about 5-7 years. Unless they screw over their partnership with Virgin on the CDMA network, Boost could be dead.

[eric404]

Do people know it's on the Sprint network?

I've probably seen at least 300 ESPN Mobile commercials over the past year, and although I'm way too cheap to consider getting it, what always bugged me was that they NEVER mentioned anything about the service.

Until reading this article, I had no idea the ESPN Mobile leased cell service from the Sprint/Nextel network. From the lack of information in their commercials, I had assumed Disney had set up a high-speed cell network by themselves in the major cities, and I'd be out of luck with an ESPN phone as soon as I head home to New Hampshire.

They say "it's not your current phone, it's a whole new phone service from ESPN." Why don't they say, "it's not your current phone, it's a whole new phone service from ESPN, backed by the reliable Sprint network"?

[TV James]

"reliable"

I think the word "reliable" in that context could get them sued for false advertising. Sprint's the only reason we haven't signed up for the Disney service, even if it does cost more. It's cool and my wife and I are some of those crazy people who will buy anything Disney.

Except my permanent lifetime boycott of all things Sprint trumps that.

[TV James]

'reliable'

I think the word "reliable" in that context could get them sued for false advertising. Sprint's the only reason we haven't signed up for the Disney service, even if it does cost more. It's cool and my wife and I are some of those crazy people who will buy anything Disney.

Except my permanent lifetime boycott of all things Sprint trumps that.