Straight Talk has confirmed on its Facebook page that it will offer a SIM-only option for the first time along with its sister brand in Net10 within the next few days. The dedicated page for the offering is now live and features options for regular full-size SIMs as well as the increasingly popular microSIMs used in newer smartphones, including the iPhone. Read more for all the key details and the full breakdown of the service.
The offering also marks a shift for Tracfone as the service provider typically bundles service with its SIM capable phones while binding them together with questionable legalese and locks that would prevent usage on unlocked phones. The new offering may in fact be a response to the increasing popularity of purchasing Straight Talk Nokia smartphones with unlocked SIM cards that would work on unlocked or AT&T branded phones. The new service is also similar to the SIM-only option offered by competitor Simple Mobile which works exclusively on T-Mobile’s network and has the advantage of also being compatible with both networks, unlike the aforementioned Simple Mobile.
The terms also indicate that Tracfone is taking advantage of the new UMTS roaming agreement signed between AT&T and T-Mobile in the wake of the blocked AT&T/T-Mobile purchase and merger to offer the new service option. Minor caveats to this option begin with the exclusion of Tracfone-branded hardware, BlackBerry and branded SafeLink, NET10 or Straight Talk phones. The BlackBerry exclusion makes sense as Tracfone does not hold a license for BlackBerry services and would need to either negotiate directly with RIM or sublicense via carrier partners for access to BlackBerry service.
With the forthcoming launch of SIM-only service on Tracfone, the provider may at last be taking steps to end its legally nebulous practice of locking SIM cards to hardware with equally questionable legalese while offering a solid alternative to contracts with the potential bonus of 3G roaming.
As the service requires the purchase of the $45 unlimited service plan and a credit/debit card, Straight Talk and Net10 are clearly targeting enthusiasts and current SIM swap users that are looking to keep using unlocked smartphones without the repercussions normally associated with such usage, which include account termination for using the SIM in an unauthorized device.
Now that Tracfone is offering SIM only service, this will undoubtedly force carriers to compete with their own prepaid services, though it remains to be seen whether they will respond in kind. A request for comment on the extent of AT&T and T-Mobile compatibility has also been sent to Tracfone’s PR company and the post will be updated with any additional confirmation received. The service will launch next Tuesday for both Straight Talk and Net10 at the prices listed in the above linked images while the support pages list manual data/MMS settings for each network.
Does this mean we could potentially pop a straight talk sim card into a tablet(like the samsung galaxy 7.0 plus) and get cell service?
Yes you could, provided the tablet is configured correctly for each respective network.
This is something that already has been offered for some time now. They are way late to the punch right now.
T-Mobile already has Simple Mobile that gets you unlimited talk,text,web and international texting for just $40 a month.
http://www.mysimplemobile.me
The iPhone already has the unlimited talk, text and web plan for just $60 a month with no contract with http://www.iphone-unlimited.com so not sure where they are saying it is a game changer. I have had my iPhone with a no contract plan for some time now.
We have been using unlimited iphone plans for long time now through carriers such as H2O Wireless: http://www.h2o-iphone.com . That is nothing new. There are at least few million people that are already using it. For $60 a month for unlimited talk, text and web, you can’t really beat it and it’s on the AT&T network.
James, Steve,
Those sites should not be trusted. They contain out of date information and are from H2O dealers, not H2O.
Long ago, H2O discontinued its unlimited data plans, and replaced the $60 plan with one that only includes 1GB of data. A far cry from unlimited and far less of a deal.
To all those wondering why I called this a game changer, it may be best to go back and re-read the article, specifically the end.
The fact that Tracfone is providing APN settings for both networks with one SIM card makes this a much better offering than Simple Mobile, as Simple Mobile does not offer any sort of roaming on 3G, nor will they be able to after recently reported T-Mobile roaming changes go into effect in April.
Many unlocked GSM phones allow the capability to program more than one network profile into the phone to facilitate inter-network roaming, which is more common in Europe and China. For Tracfone to do this via Straight Talk and Net10 is something that was once thought impossible. That’s where the game gets changed for the better.
so the Inter-network roaming is the game changer. I hope we will see the locked-cell phones disappear forever.
So do you have to have a unlocked phone to be able to use the sim that straight talk is now saleing? Or could you just go purchase a at&t go phone then by straightalks new sim and be able to activate it and everything work??
[…] offering no-contract plans compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile’s data networks (and SIM-locked devices), switching to prepaid is becoming more attractive in an era of increased fees, for less postpay […]
[…] function as a backup phone. And, it will function on Straight Talk’s new AT&T-compatible SIM-only plan. AT&T GoPhone Samsung A107 No-Contract Mobile Phone – SilverEmailPrintTwitterPosted in […]
I’m not so sure this is a game changer with the currently horrible Straight Talk terms & conditions. Eg.
“7. STRAIGHT TALK UNLIMITED PLANS CANNOT BE USED FOR: (1) access to the Internet, intranets, or other data networks except as the device’s native applications and capabilities permit”
and:
“The Straight Talk Unlimited Plans MAY NOT be used for any other purpose. Examples of prohibited uses include, without limitation, the following: (i) continuous mobile to mobile or mobile to landline voice calls; (ii) automated text or picture messaging to another mobile device or e-mail address; (iii) uploading, downloading or streaming of audio or video programming or games; …”
Seems pretty limiting if I can’t use the internet, or stream radio, or any number of other things I’d like to do with an Android phone on their network.
Those limitations are referring to tethering and machine to machine control, Those are pretty standard across carriers and not representative of any extreme limitations exclusive to Staight Talk.
OK, just so I get this right. I have a Samsung Galaxy 7500 that I would
use to promote a cell phone business a couple years ago. The main feature, (which was pretty fresh in the US at the time) was the ability to teather high speed internet capabilities to a host of laptops simaltaniously. I just rediscovered the phone, and currently already have the $45. Straight Talk plan on an LG flip phone. If I replace the old T-Mobile sim card in my Galaxy phone with a new Straight talk sim card will I loose the incredible teathering feature of that phone??
I guess this covers all the talk in the last year of the possibility of a cheaper iphone option for the prepaid market; StraightTalk now don’t really need to, providing the micro-sims would surely cover that base? I can’t believe how quickly things are changing in the pre-paid world-While Tracfone has been around offering affordable prepaid service “forever”, the addition of StraightTalk with it’s unlimited plans only came into being in the last couple of years, pushing other prepaid providers to lower price and offer more, all the time. Makes me wonder what else will change drastically in the next 2 years?
So I just bought a galaxy note att version. Am still working on getting unlocked so i can use with simple mobile, has been difficult so far to get code and to get confirmation the LTE phone will work since simple mobile uses hspa (i currently get 4g speeds with my tmobile version galaxy s2. In your opinion if I went with straight talk or net 10 would that work better for me since it is an LTE phone? Have looked at the prepaid verizon (straight talk and net 10) but no gsm was the drawback for me. would be a game changer if i could get an unlocked sims card from these prepaids.
Thanks so much for your expert opinion and assistance
Ok so will the new Galaxy nexus work with the sims card?
[…] of events meant that the phone may have met its end not long after it was announced, following the sudden launch of the Bring Your Own Device program on the virtual operator last month, whereby Tracfone is […]
Isuldor,
I am a Net10 subscriber and was aware that devices which are data only are prohibited from being used on their network. Be careful with tablets on Straight Talk, as they have similar terms:
“Devices capable only of using data service are strictly prohibited and Your use of any such device is grounds for immediate deactivation and termination of your service without a refund.”
Define “only capable” — a tablet that can make phone calls over VoIP is certainly a telephony device. It hasn’t ever been enforced, probably for that reason. There’s no way for ST to know.