Americans who have cell phones :)? Anyone on GoogleFi? People who travel and don't want to switch phones?
If Apple can deliver something at $25 to $80 a month like carriers who wouldn't want it?
If Apple can deliver something at $25 to $80 a month like carriers who wouldn't want it?
A little bit context about the Austrian mobile market: Until 2012 we had four different carriers: Orange, T-Mobile, A1 and Drei (Hutchinson). December 2012 the EU commision approved the merger of Orange into Drei under a few conditions so that competition will not be hindered. One of those conditions required Drei to open its network for up to 16 MVNOs [1]. If I remember correctly, prices soared slightly, but after some MVNOs were successfully established, the other carriers opened up their networks too and the additional competition led to plummeting prices. It seems like it's not even that expensive to set up a MVNO. The request for dialling codes is free at the telecom regulatory body [2] and Drei's reference offer seems reasonable, even without negotiating better conditions[3]
[1]: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_12_... [2]: https://www.rtr.at/de/tk/Rufnummern [3]: https://www.drei.at/de/business/wholesale/mvno-and-reselling...
I've seen some pre-paid plans that did, but super discount carriers I didn't trust too much on speed / EU roaming agreements to other countries.
The cheapest plans are on the Vodafone and O2 networks, which aren't as good as the Telekom (former state-owned) network. There are, however, plans with 3 GB for less than 10€ on the Telekom network. If you're willing to go with one of the shoddier networks, you can save a few more Euros each month.
It would be interesting to know what European countries have done differently from the US to foster competition in mobile providers.