Lol! Thanks for posting this larry. Voicemail was $4.99 per month on the $16.99/month plan. Also, this plan only got 20 minutes. Wow!!
Yes, I know. My first cellphone back in 2000/2001 was for that very purpose. But my plan was much better.
This is a little bit off topic, but our very first phone was a Nokia 6120 (TDMA) in 1999. The phone was TDMA/Analog only and our plan was something like $20 per month for 20 minutes. This was with Cellular One before they were bought out by AT&T. Our next plan was with AT&T and included only the state of Florida. Our third plan was the best. It was with Cingular (TDMA) and included long distance and roaming pretty much anywhere we got a signal in the US. I will stop here. I can talk for another several paragraphs about all of our providers.
Come on, keep talking since we are discussing an old plan brochure for kicks. When I was a kid (well I guess sometimes I still am one ) in Germany, my Dad had his first bag phone in about 1990/1991. It ran on the old "C-Netz" and it was more of a Hot Spot Wireless network than anything else. Coverage, even with the bag phone was ridiculous. In the later 1990s, my dad signed up with "Mannesman Mobilfunk" who later became "D2 Privat" and now "Vodafone Germany." We kept this account/number for over 12 years! Anyways, enough said.
While we're on the memories, I had dumped Airtouch in 1999 and went almost 2 years without a cell phone as I was comfortably getting by with a pager. Then in March 2001 a telemarketer called my work and told me that I could get a free phone and 500 minutes a month including long distance for 50 bucks a month. I was skeptical since my credit wasn't that great at that time. I fell for the bait, received my Kyocera 2035, and never looked back. I kept the plan (500 anytime but no nights or weekends) for a while until I switched to the 3000 minute plan(200 anytime, 2800 N/W) about 2 years later.
Thanks for posting this Larry, and it sure does show how much wireless usage has grown in less then 10 years, and how many minutes we actually do get for our money vs back then. Heck you had to pay for long distance back then too and didn't have the beauty of Unlimited M2M or N&W.
I remember back then we would get charged roaming even if we were still on the Sprint network but out of the market!
I signed up for Sprint PCS back in 1996 & my plan was 15 minutes for $15.00. Yes, we did get that 1st free incoming minute & I believe I was using a Motorola Flare with a giant sim card. I will never forget the salesman said, this is a real durable phone & proceeded to throw it across the room. What a sales pitch, not a scratch on it. Thanks for the memories!!
You must be talking about Sprint Spectrum GSM in the DC area? That was the only place where Sprint was ever GSM.
Yes, you are correct. I believe they were GSM for several years, and then I guess CDMA came into play. I was provided a "new" phone on the new & improved network. I must admit the quality of service improved dramatically. I think T-Mobile is using the old Sprint Spectrum network in my area. I recently called customer service about a question with my service & must admit got a great deal (with a 2 year contract of course). The 450 minute plan, nites @ 6pm, 500 text messages, vision w/pictures for a total monthly bill of $43.85 including taxes & surcharges., I was looking for SERO, but didn't want to lose my number I have had for 10+ years. This was about a $15.00 per month savings over my old "retention" plan, so I feel like I made out well!
I signed with Sprint in the summer of '01 because they were the first wireless company to have truly affordable nationwide coverage. The only other company at that time that offered true nationwide coverage was AT&T but their cheapest plan was $59/month. Sprint had two reasonably priced nationwide plans at that time: 200 AT minutes (with 1000 N&W @ 8 PM) for $34.99, and 350 AT minutes (with 2150 N&W @ 8 PM) for $39.99. At that time roaming charges were only applied if you went off the Sprint network. I now have a two line plan with 1200 AT minutes, unlimited N&W @ 7, free 500 SMS on each line, free roaming, free M2M, and FIMF all for $42/month.
Good memory there! I have that brochure around here somewhere from those 2001 nationwide plans. I'll have to see what other olides I can find and post them.
You mean "traveling" ? Traveling and roaming charges were the same price. That was fun explaining to customers that had older plans...
wow! All I can say is, we have definetly came a long way. Not only technology-wise, but price-wise as well!
I dunno about that. My first sprint plan was $30 for 300 anytime and unlimited N&W. Try to find that now.
Yeah I had that plan as well. And I think mine also included FIMF. Plus back in those days the prices of phones were a lot cheaper than they are today. You could pick up a top of the line phone (for it's time) for only $179. Or a middle of the road phone that was decent for only $129. And those prices were for ALL customers (not just new activations) and you didn't have to worry about upgrade eligibility or sign a new 2 year deal to get a cheap new phone. I really miss those days.
i'm referring in terms of this brochure he scanned in for us. $99.99 for 1000 minutes, wow! I'm not sure what SPCS charges now, but with my plan on USCC I get that many with TWO lines for 30 bucks less!
Speaking of old cell phone items. I was at a friends house yesterday and came across a welcome magazine to the New Cingular, now joining forces with AT&T
