MetroPCS Launches Unlimited 4G Long Term Evolution Service

By Gary Kim, Contributing Editor

Metro PCS has launched no-contract, fourth-generation "Long Term Evolution" service starting at $40 a month, using application distinctiveness to differentiate its three plans, rather than access speed or data caps.

The $40, $50 and $60 a month plans do not differ in their offering of unlimited domestic talking, texting and Web access. They do, however, support a different application load, with significant differences in allowances for use of the MetroPCS premium video services. 

All three 4G LTE (News - Alert) rate plans offer unlimited nationwide talk, text and Web browsing, with all applicable taxes and regulatory fees included. Those used to rate quotes that do not include the taxes and fees will appreciate the truthfulness of the rates.

With the $50 and $60 service plans, consumers have more data access service choices to better fit their actual usage of certain streaming audio and video content, real-time Internet gaming, music and video downloads and other media applications.

Each of the three 4G LTE service plans offers unique options and features by design. The $40 service plan offers unlimited talk, text, 4G Web browsing with unlimited YouTube (News - Alert) access.

The $50 service plan includes the same unlimited talk, text, 4G Web services and unlimited YouTube access as the $40 plan, but adds international and premium text messaging, turn-by-turn navigation, mobile instant messaging, corporate e-mail and 1 GByte of streaming video provided by MetroPCS partners, with the ability to listen and download music and access to preview and trial video content using Wi-Fi access.

The $60 service plan provides the same premium features as the $50 plan, plus unlimited use of premium video streaming from MetroPCS partners (YouTube and other Web-accessible video offered at no additional charge is included in the web access plan) and premium content such as 18 video-on-demand channels and audio downloads.

The issue will partly be communicating the features in a clear way. In principle, since all the 3G rate plans also include unlimited web access, this presumably includes the ability to use YouTube. In principle, video streaming should work better on the 4G network, compared to the 3G network, but the distinction between 3G and 4G YouTube might be more a marketing platform than a feature difference, except for the higher 4G bandwidth, of course. 

It might also be difficult to determine precisely how much additional value users attach to the $50 plan, since turn-by-turn navigation, a popular feature for many users, plus global texting and instant messaging also come at that level as well. At the $60 level it seems likely the big extra feature is the video-on-demand channels, though. 

"Our customers told us they wanted more video, more sharing of their content and more Web browsing capabilities," said Roger Linquist, MetroPCS president, CEO and chairman. The MetroPCS is among the earliest mobile services using 4G platforms to differentiate streaming video access by rate plan. YouTube video can be viewed on an unlimited basis. Use of the MetroPCS premium video service either is not accessible, limited to one gigabyte, or unlimited, depending on which rate plan a subscriber chooses, by design. 

"With these new service plans, consumers are in the driver's seat on how much additional data access and real-time entertainment content they want to pay for on a monthly basis," said Linquist. 

The new 4G LTE rate plans are available in the nine metropolitan areas where MetroPCS currently offers 4G LTE services, including Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Sacramento and San Francisco. MetroPCS plans to expand its 4G LTE services into more metropolitan areas in 2011, including Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, and will continue the build-out of its existing 4G LTE metropolitan areas through the year.

MetroPCS Communications is the fifth-largest facilities-based wireless carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers served. As of Sept. 30, 2010, MetroPCS had approximately 7.9 million subscribers. 

The three new LTE packages are noteworthy for the attempt to differentiate using premium video services. The other leading mobile service providers likewise have tried to differentiate their 3G services, at least in part, by offering premium video services. But there is at least a bit of a difference here. Typically, the premium video services have been marketed to all "smartphone" users as an add-on, something like device insurance. 

With its new LTE plans, MetroPCS appears to be trying to simplify and encourage usage of premium video. 

(source: http://4g-wirelessevolution.tmcnet.com/topics/4g-wirelessevolution/articles/131262-metropcs-launches-unlimited-4g-long-term-evolution-service.htm)