Verizon-owned Visible announced that it’s removing data speed caps for new and existing customers in a move that could attract more consumers to the low-cost prepaid service.
Visible offers a prepaid plan with unlimited text, talk, data and mobile hotspot for $40 per month, but until now speeds were notably capped at 5 Mbps. The plan price remains unchanged with the uncapped speeds, though mobile hotspot data speeds will still max out at 5 Mbps.
Denver-based Visible quietly came on the prepaid scene last year, eschewing brick and mortar retail stores and call centers in favor of a completely digital app-based customer experience it says enables lower prices and a simplified process. And while the prepaid brand is a Verizon subsidiary running on the carrier’s 4G LTE network, Visible operates independently from its parent, in contrast to other prepaid brands like T-Mobile’s Metro by T-Mobile or AT&T’s Cricket.
The uncapped data speed offer may only be available for a limited time, but Visible said speeds won’t be capped in the future for any existing or new customers that sign up within the promotion window, for as long as they remain a customer.
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Visible said the move is in response to customer feedback and the company hasn’t determined when or if it will reinstate the speed cap, but plans to make the decision based on consumer needs.
Expect additional announcements as Visible indicated plans to launch a “bigger” program later this year, which will include customer insights learned during the current limited availability window.
Early this year, the company added a device catalog to its offering and now offers BYOD option or new device financing for most iPhone models, as well as certain Android phones including the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ SE models. The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL devices are currently compatible for BYOD and will be available for purchase in the coming weeks.
While Visible hasn’t garnered major attention since its May 2018 launch, analyst Jeff Moore of Wave7 Research told FierceWireless earlier this year that he doesn’t consider the brand a failure, but rather “a slow train coming down the tracks.”