There are a plethora of no contract third party phone providers, be it tracfone, various sprint network providers like virgin Mobil that is more network specific, and various similar that only work in some geographic areas and not others.
Somewhat the point being, they are parasites on the major cell phone networks, offer no infrastructure on their own, and if the day ever comes that the the cell phone networks who do have the infrastructure to make those parasite services are cut off, all those third party providers and those that use them will be doomed.
That does not stop me from using tracfone, its a great deal for me, I get less minutes at a higher per minute cost, but only pay $100.00/year. I could get an even better deal with Virgin Mobil, but in the area I live, the sprint network coverage is damn near zero.
My other alternative is a contract with a either AT&T or Verizon, both of which offer at least acceptable service in my particular area.
Which ignores two things. (1) Someone else may live in an area where neither AT&T or Verizon offer anything remotely resembling acceptable service. It is the network cell phone towers that make the technology work, if you are in a location too far away from that network's tower, you are sad out of luck. (2) The network contract model is totally schizophrenic, it basically starts at $25.00 a month and more typically $35.00 or $420.00/yr. And is seemingly based on the premise that cell phone minutes are super precious commodities to be rationed, add in another user and its another $150.00 a year with no more minutes. Now if you are willing to pay $70.00 a month or $840.00/yr, suddenly the same network will sell you additional minutes on the seeming premise that cell phone minutes are super inexpensive and can be sold like water.
But if you will just sign a contract for a year or two, you get a free cell phone and a contract that will cost you a fortune to get out of.
What that tells me, is that contract cell phone providers are spending about $30.00/month on advertising to attract each new customer, and rather than spending it on the infrastructure to provide the actual technology to make their technology work, it goes to advertisers that tell you they have the bestest network regardless if its true for your area or not. As usual, the unwise consumer who does not understand technology and does not do their own research, is just asking to be hosed. A sucker born every minute with too many cell phone companies ready to take advantage.
As it is, I spend $200.00/yr on tracfone, my wife uses a GSM type phone that works on the AT&T network, I use a cdma type phone that works less well at home, but when I travel, it provides better coverage in certain must have areas where her GSM phone would totally fail. And when we travel together, if there is cell phone coverage to be had, one or the other will work.
But something like a tracphone will not work for a phoneaholic, I regard a cell phone more as an insurance policy in event of an emergency while in car, its not going to be economical for someone who wants to live on a cell phone.
And the other thing to mention is that my monochrome cell phone battery lasts damn near forever, my wife's color display eats battery charge and has to be constantly recharged.
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