A couple of weeks ago ROK Mobile altered its phone plan lineup by eliminating an unlimited data plan that it offered on the Verizon network. The plan was priced at $50 a month. Today that plan is back, but now it costs $75/month. That's quite a large price jump. ROK Mobile also announced other changes to its lineup. Unfortunately they are not all for the better either. Let's take a look at what the MVNO is now offering to its customers.
ROK Mobile's Updated Phone Plan Lineup
ROK Mobile sells cellular service using 3 different networks which include AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. No matter which network is used, each ROK Mobile plan comes with unlimited talk and text, 24/7/365 roadside assistance, ROK Rewards program and international calling.
Current Plans vs. Discontinued Plans
Current Plans Using Sprint's Network
- $30/month - unlimited data with the first 4GB at 4G LTE data speeds
- $40/month (new) - unlimited data with the first 8GB at 4G LTE data speeds
- $50/month - unlimited LTE data. Video streaming limited to 480p. Once more than 20GB of data has been consumed in a month, speeds may be temporarily slowed down during times of network congestion.
Discontinued Sprint Based Plans
- $25/month - 1GB of hard capped data
- $35/month - unlimited data with the first 4GB at 4G LTE data speeds
- $45/month - unlimited LTE data
Current Plans Using AT&T's Network
- $20/month (new) - 500MB of hard capped 4G LTE data. New customers get 1GB for their first three months.
- $30/month - unlimited data with the first 2GB at high speeds. New customers get 4GB of data for their first three months.
- $40/month - unlimited data with the first 6GB at high speeds. New customers get 8GB of data for their first three months.
- $60/month (new) - unlimited data with the first 10GB at high speed.
Discontinued AT&T Based Plans
- $30/month - unlimited data with the first 3GB at high speeds
- $40/month - unlimited data with the first 8GB at high speeds
Current Plans Using Verizon's Network
- $35/month - unlimited data with the first 3GB at high speeds
- $45/month - unlimited data with the first 7GB at high speeds
- $55/month (new) - unlimited data with the first 10GB at high speeds
- $75/month - unlimited LTE data. Video streaming limited to 480p. Once more than 20GB of data has been consumed in a month, speeds may be temporarily slowed down during times of network congestion.
Discontinued Verizon Based Plans
- $20/month - 500MB of hard capped data
- $35/month - unlimited data with the first 4GB at high speeds
- $40/month - unlimited data with the first 8GB at high speeds
Editor's Take
ROK Mobile's updated cell phone plans are a bit of a disappointment. In many cases data allotments decreased while prices went up. Plans are a lot less competitive than they were before. The lone big exception is ROK Mobile's $30 Sprint based plan with 4GB of data.
I'm really not sure of what the point of ROK Mobile's unlimited Verizon plan is. It is just as expensive as Verizon's prepaid unlimited data plan, lacks mobile hotspot, and doesn't come with a multi-line discount. People switch to MVNO's to save money. There's no money to be saved here.