Tucows, a company best known for downloadable software, today announced Ting, a new contract-free mobile service provider.
Ting has a pretty different approach to pricing than the major providers. Minutes, messages, and megabytes are each billed separately. If customers use less of any than they have paid for, they are credited at the end of the month. If they use more, they are billed the appropriate additional amount, without penalties or premiums.
You can also pool an unlimited number of phones and data devices on one Ting account. On the Ting plan, you pay $6 a month per device (even if you only have one), and each device contributes to the total of minutes, messages, and megabytes you have selected for your plan. This is a refreshing change of pace if you're using a smartphone and a cellular modem on the same plan.
Ting is an MVNO that operates on Sprint's physical network. That means wherever Sprint provides coverage, so does Ting. And unlike Boost or Virgin Mobile, for instance, Ting offers devices that can access Sprint's "4G" WiMAX, although Sprint will be scrapping that network in favor of LTE.
Ting also offers some pretty nice hardware. On the high-end, there's the Motorola Photon for $595 and the HTC Detail (otherwise known as the HTC Evo Shift 4G) for $395. There's also the Samsung Conquer for $295, the Samsung Transform for $245, the LG Optimus S for $155, and the Sanyo Zio for a very reasonable $105. Ting also offers two feature phones, the Samsung Reclaim and Samsung M360 for $45 and $65, respectively, along with a few USB cellular modems and a MiFi.
Most important, though, are the plans. How does Ting stack up against other providers that use Sprint's network? A plan from Ting that gets you 500 minutes of talk time, 4,000 text messages, and 1GB of data costs $50 per month. A similar plan from Sprint costs $49.99 per month, with an additional $15 or $30 for data, depending on the services you choose.
Boost, meanwhile, offers unlimited talk, text, and data for Android phones for $55 per month. That price reduces by $5 every six months you pay your bill on time, until you reach $40 per month. Virgin offers the same unlimited option for $55 per month, minus the price reduction over time. Or you can get unlimited text messages and data with 300 minutes of talk time for $35 per month, or with 1,200 minutes of talk time for $45.
So from just a quick glance it looks like Ting may be a better option for users looking to share multiple devices, or to better customize exactly what you pay for each month, though single users can still get less expensive rates on Boost or Virgin.