Besides being the day that a groundhog attempts to predict what the weather will be like for the next six weeks, today also brought with it the launch of a new mobile service. Known as Ting, the no-contract provider is owned by a company known as Tucows and promises to provide "mobile that makes sense." Ting operates on Sprint's network and offers customers the ability to create plans tailored to their needs, offering six different sizes of voice minutes, text messages and data buckets to choose from. Subscribers that don't use all of their allotted minutes, messages or megabytes within a billing cycle will get a credit for whatever they didn't use, while folks that go over their allotment will simply be bumped up to the next size of bucket without incurring an overage fee.
As far as plan pricing goes, there are several options for voice, text and data. Voice minute packages range from 100 minutes for $3 up to 3000 minutes for $52, message packs go from 100 for $3 to 6000 for $14, and data buckets range from 100MB for $3 up to 3000MB for $60. Also included at no charge are goodies like picture/video messaging, tethering and hotspot usage. Of course, if you don't use any minutes, messages or data, you can also opt to omit them from your plan. Families can all share from the same allotted pack, with each active device on the plan carrying a fee of $6 per month.
On the device side, there are a number of Android smartphones available for purchase. You can grab a Sanyo Zio for just $105, and there's also the LG Optimus S and HTC Detail (aka EVO Shift 4G) priced at $155 and $395, respectively. There are a few other smartphones on Ting's roster, with the most high-end model being the Motorola Photon sitting at $545. There are a pair of feature phones priced at $45 and $65, and there are also some data products that include USB dongles and a Novatel MiFi 2200 mobile hotspot that range in price from $45 to $105.
Overall it looks like Ting could be a pretty interesting option for folks looking to save some cash on their monthly phone bill. The off-contract phone pricing may be a bit of a surprise to anyone used to the cost of subsidized phones, but the customizability of the plans as well as the cheap minute and messaging packs may be worth the jump to Ting for some. If you're interested in learning more about Ting's plans, you can check out the video below. There's also more information about Ting available at the company's website right here. What do you all make of Ting? Think it might be something worth checking out?
Tucows Launches Ting - A New US Mobile Phone Service
Ting Promises "Mobile That Makes Sense"
TORONTO, Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Tucows Inc. (NYSE AMEX: TCX, TSX:TC), a global Internet services company dedicated to making simple useful services that unlock the power of the Internet, today announced the launch of Ting, a mobile phone service dedicated to bringing clarity and control to US mobile phone customers.
Small businesses and families in the US are overpaying for mobile service and underserved by their mobile service providers. With Ting, Tucows seeks to offer a fresh alternative by emphasizing clarity, usability, a sincere commitment to customer support and significant monthly savings.
"What people are forced to put up with from mobile service providers just doesn't make sense. It's too complicated, too opaque, too adversarial, too expensive and frankly too inhuman," said Elliot Noss, CEO of Tucows. "We're changing that. Ting is a mobile service that makes sense."
Ting has a very different approach to pricing than the major providers. Minutes, messages and megabytes are each billed separately. If customers use less of any than they anticipated, they are credited at the end of the month. If they use more, they are simply billed the appropriate additional amount, without onerous penalties or premiums. Businesses and families can pool an unlimited number of phones and data devices on one Ting account, offering even greater savings over other providers' more limited sharing options.
People considering Ting are encouraged to instantly calculate how much they'll save with Ting by entering past bills from their current provider into the Ting Phone Savings Calculator on the Ting site (http://ting.com/calculator).
The site offers customers clear, visual snapshots of their usage throughout the month and a great deal of administrative control over usage and device features.
The customer support team boasts a "no hold policy" from 8am-8pm ET Monday through Friday and "geek support" from smart, passionate people that are empowered to solve problems.
Ting is now available to US businesses and families at Ting.com (http://ting.com).
About Tucows
Tucows is a global Internet services company. OpenSRS (http://opensrs.com) manages over eleven million domain names and millions of email boxes through a reseller network of over 12,000 web hosts and ISPs. Hover (http://hover.com) is the easiest way for individuals and small businesses to manage their domain names and email addresses. Ting (http://ting.com) is a mobile phone service provider dedicated to bringing clarity and control to US mobile phone users. YummyNames (http://yummynames.com) owns premium domain names that generate revenue through advertising or resale. More information can be found on Tucows' corporate website (http://tucows.com).
Tucows, OpenSRS, Hover, and YummyNames are registered trademark of Tucows Inc. or its subsidiaries.
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