Prepaid Wireless News

Alt description: Illustration of a Cricket Wireless $20 unlimited plan offer with a phone, pricing card, and map highlighting Tennessee, Kentucky, and South Carolina.

Cricket Wireless Is Testing A $20/Month Unlimited Annual Plan In Select Markets

By Joe Paonessa • 05/31/26

Based on recent information from Wave7 Research, Cricket Wireless is testing a new $20/month unlimited plan offer in select markets. The offer is not...

Carrierlytics website shown on a laptop and smartphone, featuring plan value scores, carrier ratings, coverage intelligence, and wireless plan comparison tools.

Carrierlytics Launches as Wireless Industry’s First Analytics-Based Shopping Comparison Platform

By Joe Paonessa • 05/29/26

Today, Carrierlytics has launched as the wireless industry’s first analytics-based shopping comparison platform. Carrierlytics was built to bring a mo...

RedPocket Mobile Memorial Day deals graphic showing a $150 off iPhone bundle and a $60/year Essentials annual plan with 3GB of high-speed data, alongside smartphones and a patriotic red, white, and blue background.

RedPocket Mobile Launches Memorial Day Deals With $60 3GB Annual Plan And $150 iPhone Bundle Discount

By Joe Paonessa • 05/18/26

RedPocket Mobile today launched the first of two Memorial Day promotions, starting with a $150 instant discount on select iPhone bundles before follow...

Total Wireless storefront with display signage for home internet and free phones

Carrier-Owned Prepaid Brands Lean More Into Home Internet, Putting MVNOs At A New Disadvantage

By Joe Paonessa • 05/18/26

Wave7 Research’s latest prepaid report shows carrier-owned prepaid brands are increasingly using home internet and bundle discounts as another way to...

Prepaid Wireless Dealer Storefront with Ultra Mobile promo signage

Ultra Mobile Wins Wave7 Research’s 1Q26 Prepaid Dealer Survey, Simple Mobile Close Behind

By Joe Paonessa • 05/18/26

For the second time in a row, Ultra Mobile has won the latest Wave7 Research quarterly prepaid dealer survey conducted in 1Q26. The brand narrowly edg...

Tello Mobile Launches Tax Refund Promo: 3 Months of Unlimited for $30

By Joe Paonessa • 04/06/26

Tello has launched a new tax season promotion that drops the cost of its “Unlimited” plan to the equivalent of $10 per month for the first three month...

Red Gen Mobile branded smartphone resting on a wooden desk beside SIM cards and wireless earbuds, illustrating Gen Mobile’s updated prepaid phone plans.

Gen Mobile Adds More Data to Plans, Keeps Monthly Rates The Same

By Joe Paonessa • 04/04/26

On April 2 2026 Gen Mobile quietly upgraded its prepaid plans. The EchoStar-owned MVNO, which uses the AT&T and T-Mobile networks, announced that...

Cricket Wireless storefront with signage displayed during the 2026 tax season for 4 unlimited lines for $25 and a $49 iPhone 16e.

Prepaid Tax Season Looked Softer In 2026, Even As Cheap Androids Sold Well

By Joe Paonessa • 04/03/26

Tax season is one of the bigger selling periods of the year for prepaid wireless. Refund checks hit, traffic picks up, and stores lean harder into swi...

Cricket Wireless storefront in Denver showing phone plan deals and phone deals

Cricket Set To Sell AT&T Fiber In More Stores, Expanding AT&T’s Bundle Push

By Joe Paonessa • 04/02/26

Cricket Wireless may soon become another retail channel for AT&T Fiber. Wave7 Research has reported for months that select Cricket dealers in Texa...

Independent MVNO owner watches a Metro by T-Mobile store advertise a $25 unlimited plan while weighing how to compete.

MVNOs Can’t Beat Their Suppliers on Price. So What Comes Next?

By Joe Paonessa • 03/26/26

There was a time when MVNOs could count on one big advantage: they were the cheaper alternative. They could come in under the major carriers, offer a...

PureTalk Calls Most of Its New Plans “Unlimited,” Adds Free Second Number and Watch Lines

By Joe Paonessa • 03/24/26

PureTalk has updated its wireless plans to streamline their naming to “Unlimited” for all but one, while adding enhancements to some plans such as fre...

Frustrated wireless customer reacting to changes as another person shows a $15 10GB phone plan, highlighting concerns about losing cheap plans and rollover data

Tello Improved The Value Of Its Wireless Plans, But Some Redditors Are Upset

By Joe Paonessa • 03/21/26

Tello Mobile has built its brand around budget‑friendly plans with mix‑and‑match options. For years the MVNO let subscribers pick a specific amount of...

Smartphone showing $20, $25, and $30 unlimited plans in front of Metro by T-Mobile and Total Wireless stores.

Metro by T-Mobile Continues Price War Started by Total Wireless With New $20 and $30 Unlimited Plans

By Joe Paonessa • 03/20/26

In late 2024 Verizon’s prepaid value brand Total Wireless launched an aggressive promotion by offering a 50% discount to new customers who brought the...

A futuristic advertisement featuring a green macaw with a headset holding a smartphone. Floating AR screens surround the bird detailing

New MVNO Parrot Mobile Launches With Plans Starting at $6 Per Month

By Joe Paonessa • 03/19/26

Parrot Mobile officially launched last week as a new contract-free MVNO, entering an increasingly crowded prepaid wireless market. The company is offe...

Total Wireless Expands Store Count as Verizon Pushes Harder Into Value Wireless Retail

By Joe Paonessa • 03/12/26

Total Wireless is rapidly expanding its retail footprint across the United States as Verizon moves to strengthen its presence in the prepaid and value...