Virgin Mobile introduces prepaid wireless broadband

Jake Widman
Saturday, 13 June 2009 00:18

Your IT - Home IT

Longtime U.S. pay-as-you-go cell phone provider Virgin Mobile has announced Broadband2Go, a prepaid broadband wireless service to debut in late June.

The U.S. prepaid cell phone market has been dominated by smaller players, as the major carriers focused on long-term contracts.

But the economic climate has spurred a surge of interest in the less restrictive, no-commitment prepaid option, and as a result the major telcos have begun offering prepaid options.

This has put pressure on companies like Virgin Mobile USA, which operates on the Sprint network, to find a way to hold on to their share of the market.

Virgin has now joined similar operator Cricket in offering prepaid broadband to those who want a wireless Internet connection without a long-term contract.

"Forget the long-term contracts, monthly bills or desperately seeking a local coffee shop for Wi-Fi. Prepaid mobile broadband is ideal for students, families on the go, freelancers, anyone who needs wireless Internet access and wants to pay only when they use it," said Virgin's chief marketing officer Bob Stohrer in the announcement.

Unlike Cricket, which offers a flat monthly rate, Virgin Mobile's pricing varies according to length of time and usage.

For more on Broadband2Go, see Page 2.