So click on over to hear the Prepaid Podcast (34 min, 50 sec).

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss any future episodes. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Highlights include:

While the handsets cover the bulk of the show, we get into the Virgin-Helio merger, and how Virgin can best implement its new customers and new technology.

Tracfone and its subsidiary Net10 are some of the biggest names in prepaid. We talk about their network coverage, and how they get a better deal on GSM than CDMA. Ian touches on their handset lineups, which are far outdated on the CDMA side. They have added the Motorola W376g, their first handset with Bluetooth, and certainly the best handset they’ve offered yet.

Ian’s favorite overall handset lineup: Virgin Mobile.

Basically, if you want to get up to date on the state of prepaid phones, you’d do well to give it a listen.

This post was taken from Prepaidreviews.com - a top source of information on prepaid cell phones and prepaid providers like Verizon INPulse, Cricket Wireless and more.

So click on over to hear the Prepaid Podcast (25 min, 44 sec).

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss any future episodes. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Highlights include:

We’ve been hearing a rumor about Helio’s demise, which plays well with the Virgin merger rumors. Folks from Helio are vehemently denying this one, which is sometimes a sign of an impending deal. We can do little more than speculate on this one, though it has been rumored for over a month.

Speaking of Virgin, I sit down to talk with Jayne Wallace, vice president of corporate communications at Virgin Mobile USA. We chat a bit about Virgin’s success, their appeal to certain demographics, and their plans going forward.

U.S. Cellular has been doing some good lately. We give them a shout-out for providing free calls to Iowa flood victims and their families, and for holding safety programs to teach kids proper cell phone usage.

And finally, I sit down with Alex Besen, MVNO guro, to talk about the state of the industry in the U.S. We discuss the rates of saturation in the U.S. and abroad, and discuss why MVNOs are going to be integral in the U.S. once we approach the 100 percent saturation mark.

This post was taken from Prepaidreviews.com - a top source of information on prepaid cell phones and prepaid providers like Verizon INPulse, Cricket Wireless and more.

So click on over to hear the Prepaid Podcast (28 min, 41 sec).

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss any future episodes. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Highlights include:

We open up with the Virgin-Helio rumors. Many people have talked about there being little incentive for Virgin here, but I discuss the ways Virgin can benefit from a merger. Once again, if this is going to happen, it might take a while.

Moving along the MVNO discussion, I speak with Gene Retske, editor of the Prepaid Press. He talks about past trends in the telecommunications industry, and how they sort of parallel the MVNO situation.

Then to the topic of restrictions on the purchase of prepaid phones. Congress is looking into the matter, citing their untraceable nature as a boon to drug dealers. Some states are considering an ID mandatory to purchase a prepaid phone.

Yet there’s another aspect, too. I talk with Jim Baldinger, attorney for Tracfone, about prepaid phone trafficking. The idea is that traffickers buy cheap, subsidized phones, unlock them, and then sell them as new. It’s not only hurting the cell companies, it’s doing damage to the consumers.

This post was taken from Prepaidreviews.com - a top source of information on prepaid cell phones and prepaid providers like Verizon INPulse, Cricket Wireless and more.

So click on over to hear the Prepaid Podcast (23 min, 34 sec).

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss any future episodes.

You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes as well.

Highlights include:

A discussion of T-Mobile’s FlexPay plan, which mimics their traditional postpaid plans, but on a prepaid basis. It’s an alternative for people who talk too much for pay-as-you-go, but who don’t want a stifling two-year contract.

Then we talk to Yassine from Page Plus. Ever year the term “funny money”? It might sound bad, but it’s a system they use at Page Plus to give the best value to their users. Just another reason they stay on top of the prepaid game.

Notice the line of falling MVNOs? There’s got to be a reason behind that, right? I take a walk through the land of the dead, and talk about possible reasons why they failed. Note: You can’t pack too many entities into one niche.

Finally, it’s time to talk prepaid data with Brad from Cricket. Think mobile broadband cards are only for people who travel with their laptops? Think again.

This post was taken from Prepaidreviews.com - a top source of information on prepaid cell phones and prepaid providers like Verizon INPulse, Cricket Wireless and more.