MetroPCS Communications is getting ready for the rollout of new service plans next week, according to store managers for independent authorized dealers.
Dealers declined to give specific details of the service plans, but acknowledged that changes were on the horizon for the prepaid carrier. A Waco, Texas, dealer who declined to be identified called the new service plans "positive news," and dealers in Pennsylvania and Florida said the new plans would be released Monday.
A MetroPCS spokesman confirmed that the company would have an announcement "sometime next week" but declined to provide specifics. More details may emerge during a sell-side analyst meeting scheduled for 9 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
The reports come on the heels of a report from prepaidreviews.com that MetroPCS may include taxes in its $40 per month service plans. Such a move would help the carrier better compete with Boost Mobile's all-inclusive, flat-rate plans, which include all taxes and fees.
The PrepaidReviews report, which was based on interviews held with MetroPCS independent dealers, also said that MetroPCS would no longer be offering a free first month of service to customers. Instead, the fee for the first month reportedly will go to dealers as a commission. In addition, the Web site reported that all MetroPCS locations, including dealers, would be able to handle customers' technical needs such as adding lines and changing plans.
PrepaidReviews also suggested that the company may be getting ready to add postpaid-type service plans to its offerings. According to the report, the company is considering plans to begin offering one-year contracts in 2010. Customers who sign up for the one-year contracts would get a new, low-end phone every year. It is not clear if MetroPCS will adopt the new services plans, which would be a major strategic departure for the no-contract carrier.