MetroPCS
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| MetroPCS | |
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| Type | Wireless Communications Provider |
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| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Dallas, Texas |
| Industry | Wireless Services |
| Products | CDMA in the 1900 MHz band |
| Revenue | USD |
| Slogan | "Permission to Speak Freely" |
| Website | metropcs.com |
MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (formerly General Wireless, Inc.) is a provider of CDMA wireless communications services in the greater Miami, Tampa, Sarasota, Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, Detroit and Sacramento metropolitan areas.
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[edit] Plans
Unlike most US cellular service providers, MetroPCS uses a flat rate billing method, offering unlimited local calling plans without any contracts running between $30-$35 per month before taxes and depending on optional features, as well as unlimited local and long distance plans for $40-$45 per month. Also MetroPCS has a new $50 per month plan in which you get all of the items available with the $45 per month plan with added features. Advanced plans also offer unlimited SMS/MMS. The company offers phones manufactured by Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Kyocera, LG, UT Starcom, formally Audiovox, and many others. The phones come preloaded with portals to their shop that offers downloadable content, such as games, ringtones, wallpapers, etc. New phones have a portal to @metro and the phones usually have preloaded ringtones on them. Prices for downloadable content range from free up to $12.99 per month. The lowest cost plans do not include voicemail.
The cons, however, of the lower prices for MetroPCS calling plans and the lack of contracts are that they must charge at or near full price for their phones to make up for the lack of required commitments (though it may be possible to find used phones through community bulletin boards such as Craigslist). In contrast, most other service providers often subsidize the cost of their phones (many high-end phones can be had for $100 or less) by requiring 1 or 2 year contracts with comparably more expensive plans.
MetroPCS is very popular with the youth market, mostly due to the ease with which service can be obtained and lack of a required credit card or check. Any concern or question not addressed by the automated phone support line will then be switched to a live customer support line which will help with any problem that arise with the phone service and by occasion would necessitate a visit to a MetroPCS corporate store.
[edit] History
MetroPCS was founded in 1994 as General Wireless Inc.(GW). In January, 1998 GW filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the value of 14 PCS licenses it had paid $1.06 billion for plummeted to $166 million in value in 8 months . Upon emerging from bankruptcy during October 1998 the company was renamed "MetroPCS". [1]
[edit] Recent News
Speculation about possible Expansion to New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and San Diego. From the Dallas Morning News: "Dallas-based wireless-phone service provider MetroPCS Communications Inc. registered Thursday for an initial public offering that could raise as much as $1.13 billion.
MetroPCS, which has more than 3 million customers in Dallas, San Francisco, Miami and other major cities, wants to raise the money to build its network in New York, Boston and San Diego, it said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. [2]
[edit] External links
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| Major network operators | |
| Alltel · AT&T Mobility (Cingular) · Sprint Nextel · T-Mobile · Verizon Wireless | |
| Minor and regional network operators | |
| Cellular One · Cellular South · Centennial Wireless · Cincinnati Bell Wireless · Cricket Communications · Edge Wireless · MetroPCS · nTelos · Revol · SouthernLINC Wireless · SunCom · U.S. Cellular · Unicel | |
| Mobile virtual network operator | |
| 7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless · Amp'd Mobile · BeyondMobile · Boost Mobile · Disney Mobile · Hawaiian Telcom · Helio · Jitterbug Wireless · Jump Mobile · Kajeet · Net10 Wireless · Qwest Wireless · TracFone · Virgin Mobile · XE Mobile | |
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