saying goodbye to verizon :)

I cannot wait. in just a few weeks, I'll be saying goodbye to verizon wireless for good. I'm essentially following my own advice, starting at step 1 (don't renew your contract), and I couldn't be happier, for several reasons:

1. Verizon (and the other major carriers) forces you to have a data plan if you have a smartphone.
   okay, so I thought they did this so they would get their money back on subsidized phones. wrong. they're just greedy. I say this because you can't even go out and buy a used smartphone on craig's list and put it on one of the major networks without having a data plan. you can feel free to try, but when you take a look at your next bill you'll have a nice new shiny data plan added.




2. Verizon is CDMA-based
   I like to travel, and I'd like to be able to use my phone when I travel. Verizon uses a wireless standard (CDMA) that is limited to the United States and just a few other countries. if you use a provider that's based on GSM (the global standard), all you have to do is unlock your phone, which is cheap, and you can use your phone worldwide.




3. last, but most certainly not least, price!!
   these plans are all based on 2 lines, with at least 1500 minutes and 500 texts per line. first up, the 4 major carriers:
   

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   carrier	plan	price	minutes	text	data
   at&t	nation 1400 familytalk + family messaging unlimited	$130	1400	unlimited	none
   verizon	nation family shareplan 1400 + 500 messages/line	$110	1400	500/line	none
   sprint	everything messaging family 1500	$100	1500	unlimited	none
   t-mobile	unlimited value - talk + text	$80	unlimited	unlimited	none

   
   these aren't even an option for me, because the major carriers all require contracts as well as a data plan with a smartphone. plus, Verizon and Sprint are CDMA-based.
   
   but thankfully those aren't my only options. there are many smaller carriers that don't require a contract, and use the same networks as the larger carriers, all at a fraction of the price. I won't include CDMA-based ones like MetroPCS, Cricket, Virgin, or Boost, but here are few GSM-based ones:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   carrier	plan	price	minutes	text	data
   h2o wireless	h2o unlimited	$80	unlimited	unlimited	none
   simple mobile	unlimited talk, text, and 3g web	$80	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited
   walmart family mobile	unlimited talk & text	$70	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited for 3 months, pay-as-you-go after that

   
   



it looks like the best deal is walmart mobile, but unlimited data with simple mobile for just an extra $10/month is mighty tempting...

but just this week a new player has entered the mix that may blow all of the others out of the water. if the leaks are true, republic wireless will be offering unlimited talk, text, and data for a measly $19 a month. we'll just have to wait until Tuesday to find out...