Mobile Network Considerations

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

While visiting my in-laws, I couldn’t help myself from hearing their comments about our local cell phone network providers.  They were discussing about these networks’ hidden charges and other additional service fees  which they  have no idea where it came from.  Aside from that, they were complaining about the poor connection and limited coverage of these networks especially when they are visiting their province and need to call a friend or someone from there.  You definitely cannot distinguish these deficiencies unless you see other options to compare it with.

Since my in-laws just returned from the US, I asked them what was the cell phone provider they had back in there... and they told me, it was Straight Talk.  They told me, they loved the service it had offered them.  Aside from providing a cheaper service, which saved them almost half the cost compared to other providers... there were no contracts, no surprise bills and no credit checks... and it had a great nationwide coverage having no problem with reception or connectivity.

As I heard this, I did some surfing on the net about Straight Talk (since it’s not locally available in our place). For those readers, who has Straight Talk in their places... this are some of the information I’ve got:

Straight Talk is one of TracFone's newest brands.  It offers five different value-based 30-day rate plans.  It is also a Mobile Virtual Network operator (MVNO) offering both CDMA and GSM support.  The CDMA side of the network uses Verizon's or Sprint's CDMA 1xRTT wireless networks, which was introduced in 2001 and is said to deliver between 40 and 60 kb/s to customers, while the GSM side makes use of either T-Mobile's or AT&T's GSM networks.

Straight Talk is currently exclusive to Wal-Mart stores because of a joint-venture program between the two companies.  The phones and airtime can also be purchased from the company's website, http://www.straighttalk.com.

Monthly Plans Offer:

• The “All You Need Plan” meets everything you need even heavy phone users with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data.

• Unlimited Monthly service is only $45, and includes calls, text, picture messaging, and web.

• Imagine unlimited calls, text, picture messaging and web for a whole year, for only $499.00!

• 411 calls are included at no extra charge.

• Free from activation, reactivation, or termination fees

International Long Distance:

• Straight Talk International Long Distance Service is a flexible prepaid calling service that enables you to make international calls from your home, cell or office phone at low rates.

Phone Selection:

• Reconditioned phones are available from $10.00 with camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability. Great for young users!

• Amazing smart phones; touch screen phones, and app capable phones with features like voice navigation, camera, video recorder, music player, instant messaging, and Bluetooth®.

• Straight Talk only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung.

As the saying goes "mom knows best", we know what  suits our needs.  In this case, we might consider choosing a network provider since its cheapest among the rest, others might consider the package it offers with all the gadgets and freebies included, while others consider how well it provides its service, the availability and coverage of its network signal and all the convenience.   But having all of these in one package... that's a jackpot.  Basing  on the testimonies of my in-laws and the facts I've seen from the net, I'm sure of the excellent and complete service given by Straight Talk to it's customers.  Sadly we have to bear with our local providers, having poor service at a high cost.  But hey, who knows, someday Straight Talk might expand their services here.  Yahweh bless.