Straight Talk Wireless has released a new TV commercial. The new ad touts Straight Talk's rollout of 5G coverage and an offer for a Samsung Galaxy A32 5G smartphone. Notably though, as far as I'm aware for the first time in years, the ad does not feature actor Ed O'Neil doing the read over. O'Neil is most famous for his roles in the TV sitcoms Modern Family and Married With Children. It's also the first ad that I'm aware of in a few years to not start off with Straight Talk's featured phrase "it's time for some Straight Talk." The new TV ad was recently detailed in a prepaid report issued by the firm Wave7 Research.
The full ad, which you can watch below, informs viewers that "5G is here, but the big carriers want you to sign a pricey long term contract to get in on it." The read over continues with the narrator saying "not anymore," with a mention of Straight Talk Wireless now having nationwide 5g coverage. The ad continues with a mention that customers can now pick up a Samsung Galaxy A32 5G smartphone for $299. A radio variant of the ad launched just days ago.
Straight Talk Wireless primarily uses Verizon's network for coverage and the mention of nationwide 5G coverage is specific to Verizon's network which most of its customers use. The brand is sold in stores exclusively at Walmart, and at most stores, Verizon compatible Straight Talk phones are what's carried. However, BYOD customers can use whichever network they'd like with Straight Talk. T-Mobile Straight Talk BYOD customers should have had 5G access for quite some time.
Straight Talk Wireless is a Tracfone brand currently owned by América Móvil. The conglomerate of brands had a rough second quarter of 2021 as a total of 549,000 subscribers were lost. A majority though were due to a loss of SafeLink Lifeline subscribers accounting for 378,000 subs out the door. Straight Talk did however lose 106,000 customers during the quarter. Verizon Wireless continues to pursue closing its acquisition of Tracfone and all its associated brands. The acquisition is currently under regulatory review.
If Straight Talk is to reverse course in quarter 3, they'll need to come out with better offers than a $299 Samsung Galaxy A32 5g. Cricket Wireless for instance currently offers the same phone for $99.99 to switchers. Boost Mobile was offering the phone for $199 online although it is currently listed as out of stock. Metro by T-Mobile is offering the phone for $289.99 but switchers receive a $290 virtual prepaid Mastercard after 3-months of service to offset the cost of the device.
“There is a summer trend of top MVNOs touting 5G. Straight Talk is trumpeting is, while H2O Wireless launched 5G on July 1. Red Pocket Mobile launched 5G not long ago.” – Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research