We haven't been too excited about some of the latest price deals but maybe we should. Some prices have dropped significantly partly due to the failed merger of Sprint and T-Mobile. There's at least one plan that drops prices to as low as $10 for a 10-member family share plan. Some of this may be too good to last. The Prepaid companies will slowly offer increased data levels in their plans but the carriers themselves will jockey for position until we make it to the next step in the wireless landscape. That could involve one carrier just giving up. Looking at Canada, we can see the downside of a 3-carrier market, and US regulators may be trying to avoid just that kind of scenario.
What to do? Take advantage of a plan or a phone offer now while it can make measurable savings for your usage. If the prices get better, you'll be able to switch again. If something bad happens, you'll enjoy the deals, even if they expire later on.
Unfortunately, some of these deals are self-destructive and while the low prices may survive, one of the carriers may not. We're hoping that we'll enjoy a few price deals and the carriers will get back to profitability and we'll preserve the 4-carrier marketplace that Canadians can only dream about.