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COPYRIGHT 2005 The Dallas Morning News
Byline: Terry Maxon
Feb. 24--Two-year contracts are fine for cell phone users who have good credit and don't mind being tied to a single company and a single wireless plan for that long.
But what about people who don't have the credit, the bank account or the desire to sign up for a long-term contract with the big cellular companies?
The answer for an increasing number of users: pay-as-you-go cellular service.
Parents buy prepaid service for their children. Senior citizens use it for emergencies.
Lower-income people and immigrants without a bank account pay for the service in cash.
"I think prepaid wireless is one of the most exciting things that has happened in telecom in a while," said Judy Reed Smith, chief executive of consulting firm Atlantic-ACM.
In the traditional pay-as-you-go plan, a customer can buy a card, similar to long-distance cards sold at convenience stores, drugstores and general retailers. Each card comes with a set amount of minutes, from 20 minutes to more than 1,000....
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