Walmart-Brand Cell Service Gets Upgrade

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 1/17/2012

Bentonville, Ark. - Walmart has upgraded its own-brand no-contract postpaid cellular service to add unlimited web browsing to the service's unlimited talk and text plan.

  The new Walmart Family Mobile Unlimited Talk, Text and Web plan costs $45 per month for the first line and $35 per month for additional lines, said a spokesperson for T-Mobile, which supplies airtime for the service. The plan is available at Walmart stores nationwide and on Walmart.com.

 Consumers activating the new plan until March 16get the first 5GB per month per line at up to 3G speeds until March 31. Customers activating after March 16 will get the first 250MB per month per line at up to 3G speeds.

 Walmart Family Mobile launched in 2010 as the chain's first exclusive postpaid cellular service as well as the chain's first Walmart-branded cellular service. Walmart Family Mobile joined Common Cents Mobile, an exclusive pay-as-you-go prepaid brand launched in May 2010 using the Sprint network, and Straight Talk, another exclusive prepaid service launched in fall 2009 with monthly unlimited plans through MVNO Tracfone Wireless.