U.S. Consumers Hanging Up On Home Phones (NAPSA)—A growing number of consumers are dialing up flat- rate wireless services that offer unlimited local and long-distance calling from a homecalling area for a fixed monthly price. According to a recent study by a leading wireless telecommunica- tions research firm, more than 10 percent of all new cell phone users have chosen an unlimited wireless service plan, despite their limited availability to select states. Not coincidentally, the rise in flat-rate wireless plans mirrors a national trend of consumers, particularly young people, going com- pletely wireless. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center: Approximately a quarter of all landline phone users in the U.S. say they are very likely or somewhat likely to convert to being only cell phone users; 40 percent of landline users between the ages of 18 and 29 say they are very likely or somewhat likely to give up their landlines and go “cell only”; and Nearly half of all 18-to-29- year-olds are cell-phone-only users(no landline). Boost Mobile, a youth lifestyle brand with a majority customer base that is under theage of30, is one provider of flat-rate service. Its Unlimited by Boost plan enables its customers to take advantage of unlimited local and long-distance calling from a large home calling area for a fixed monthly price as low as $35 per month depending on market. And Boost’s unlimited calling plan appears to be catching on With a suitable calling plan, many people are able to use their cell phonesastheir primary lines. with consumers. The company recently added 124,000 customers in three months from only two states. Boost’s success is not sur- prising when considering its brand focus on youth, and the Pew Research results, which indicate that much of the interest in flatrate plans is from young adults. Similar to most flat-rate wireless services, there are no contracts, credit checks or activation fees with Unlimited by Boost. Additional benefits include voice mail, caller ID, call waiting and three-way calling at no additional charge. In addition, Boost Mobile also offers plans that include unlimited text messaging, unlim- ited picture messaging, and unlimited wireless Web in addi- tion to unlimited local and longdistance calling from a large home calling area. Residents can locate their nearest participating wireless dealer offering Unlimited by Boost by calling 1-877-TLK- MORE (855-6673) or visiting online at www.boostmobile.com. ~a--- eee --- =e ----------- mee eee +e ee Note to Editors: Unlimited by Boost is currently available in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
