| Provider |
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 |
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| This carrier is for you if... |
You want to monitor your child's whereabouts and phone usage. |
You don't like the "use it or lose it" policy with your minutes. |
You need service in the middle of nowhere. |
Customer service is more important than fast downloads. |
You like the nostalgia of walkie-talkies. |
You rarely travel, regional calling plans are a better value. |
| Offers Free Cell phones? |
Almost free - $49.99 with free shipping |
Free Cell Phones from Cingular Wireless |
Free Cell Phones from Verizon Wireless |
Free Cell Phones from T-Mobile |
Free Cell Phones from Sprint w/ Nextel
Free Cell Phones from Sprint PCS |
Alltel Free Cell Phones |
| Free Nights and Weekends |
Yes (all plans except Kid Starter Plan) - begins at 9pm |
Yes - begins at 9pm |
Yes - begins at 9pm |
Yes - begins at 9pm |
Yes - begins at 7pm |
Yes - begins at 9pm |
Family Plans-
additional line cost |
Yes - additional $10 |
Yes - additional $10 for up to 5 lines |
Yes - additional $10 for up to 5 lines |
Yes |
Yes - additional $10 for up to 3 lines |
Yes - additional $10-$20 for up to 4 lines |
| Offers 2 Free Cell phones with Family Plan? |
Almost free - 2 Disney Cell Phones Deal |
Free Cell Phones from Cingular Wireless |
Free Cell Phones from Verizon Wireless |
Free Cell Phones from T-Mobile |
Free Cell Phones from Sprint w/ Nextel
Free Cell Phones from Sprint PCS |
Alltel Cell Phones and Calling Plans |
| Most popular free phones |
 Almost Free- Pantech DM-P100 Flip-Camera Phone
|
 Motorola RAZR V3 Blue (Camera Phone)
 Motorola RAZR V3 Black (Camera Phone)
 Motorola RAZR V3 Pink (Camera Phone)
|
 Motorola RAZR V3m Silver (Multimedia Phone)
 Motorola RAZR V3c (Multimedia Phone)
 Motorola RAZR V3m Pink (Multimedia Phone)
|
 Motorola RAZR V3 Gray w/ myFaves
 Motorola RAZR V3 Magenta w/ myFaves
 Samsung T509 (Camera Phone)
|
Sanyo Katana Mystic Black (Camera Phone)
 Sanyo Katana Cherry Blossom Pink (Camera Phone)
 Sanyo Katana Blue Sapphire (Camera Phone)
|
 Kyocera Candid KX16 (Camera Phone)
 LG AX245 (Camera Phone)
 Kyocera SE44 Slider
|
| Free mobile-to-mobile |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes - for both Sprint and Nextel users |
Yes |
| Text messaging |
Pay per use - 10 cents outgoing or incoming |
Unlimited text, picture, and video messaes between Cingular wireless users |
Unlimited text, picture, video & IM to anyone on any network in the U.S. for $10/month |
Picture, video and text messages 15 cents per message effective June 1 |
Pay per use - 15 cents outgoing or incoming |
Pay per use - 15 cents outgoing or incoming |
| Unique features |
Family Locator (locate your kid's phone using GPS technology), Call Control (designate when phone can be used), Family monitor, Family Alert. |
Rollover minutes, push-to-talk service |
Unsatisfied customers can take number to another carrier, Verizon will refund money for calls, equipment, activation fee and taxes |
myFaves unlimited minutes |
Subscribers get 20 Sirius music channels on their phones |
"My Circle" offers free calling to select numbers on any network |
| Multimedia |
Disney Zone, Picture and multimedia messaging, wallpapers, ringtones, themes and game downloads. |
Downloadable games, ringtones, entertainment |
VCast music, chaperone product allows parents to monitor child's cell phones, global BlackBerry |
Sidekick 3 offers voice calling, messaging e-mail, Web browsing |
Streaming TV and radio content, music store, Wi-fi wireless internet service |
Mobile TV and radio services available |
| Pros |
Always know where your kids are! Family locator can be used from a Disney phone or your personalized web account. Turn off phones during homework time! |
The global system for mobile communications technology provides better media options, faster data transfers, and a broader choice for cell phone models |
More towers and roaming agreements in place make it famous for a more reliable network. |
J.D. Power and Assoc. ranked it highest in overall customer satisfaction in all six regions. |
Sprint Vision Plans offer news, weather or sports updates on streaming video or audio. |
Issues refunds for dropped calls |
| Cons |
Additional charges apply for more than 5 locators per month. |
J.D. Power and Assoc.and Consumer Reports both found Cingular's cell phone service and customer care the poorest in the industry. |
Some plans can be a bit more expensive. |
Has not launched a 3rd generation (3G), which would allow its users to download internet content at near broadband speed. |
"The network operates on a higher frequency than most original cell pone networks which give the signals shorter ranges and limits roaming ability." |
Mycircle plans start at $59.99/month |
| Cost per anytime minutes* |
$39.99 for 400 minutes -
$169.99 for 3,500 minutes |
$39.99 for 450 minutes -
$199.99 for 6,000 minutes |
$39.99 for 450 minutes -
$199.99 for 6,000 minutes |
$39.99 for 300 minutes -
$139.99 for 5,000 minutes |
$39.99 for 450 minutes -
$99.99 for 2,000 minutes |
$39.99 for 500 minutes -
$199.99 for 6,000 minutes |
| Customer service hours |
Mon-Sat 8:30am-11pm EST, Sunday 10am-8pm EST |
24 hours/day, 7 days/week |
24 hours/day, 7 days/week |
24 hours/day, 7 days/week |
4am - 10pm |
24 hours/day, 7 days/week |
| Customer base |
51.7 million (uses Sprint network) |
62+ million |
60.7 million |
22+ million |
51.7 million |
15+ million |
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