TracFone Wireless
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| Type | Subsidiary of América Móvil (NYSE: AMX, BMV: AMX NASDAQ: AMOV) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters |  Miami, Florida, USA |
| Key people | Fredrick J. Pollak (President and CEO) |
| Industry | Prepaid Cellphone Services |
| Revenue | ▲$1.480 billion USD (Jan-Dec 2008)[1] |
| Net income | ▲$269 million USD (Jan-Dec 2008)[1] |
| Employees | 400+ (2008) |
| Parent | América Móvil (98.2%) Others (1.8%) |
| Website | www.TracFone.com www.Net10.com www.SafeLinkWireless.com www.StraightTalk.com/ |
For the TracFone by KVH Industries, see that company's article.
TracFone Wireless or TracFone is a prepaid mobile phone provider. A subsidiary of América Móvil, it provides service in the United States, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.
TracFone was Accredited by the Better Business Bureau on June 30, 2003 and had an A+ Rating as of July 30, 2009. [2]
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[edit] History
TracFone was established in 1996 as Topp Telecom Inc., a prepaid cell phone company, in Miami, Florida. In February 1999, Topp received a major infusion of capital from Teléfonos de México or Telmex (NYSE: TMX), Mexico's largest telephone company. TelMex paid $57.5 million for a 55 percent controlling interest in the company.
In 2000, Telmex spun off their mobile unit, creating América Móvil, of which Topp Telecom became a subsidiary. In November 2000, Topp Telecom Inc. changed its name to TracFone Wireless Inc.[3]
[edit] Service
TracFone provides four brands of service: TracFone, Net10, Safelink Wireless, and Straight Talk. These brands differ not only in their logos and prepaid minute rates but their underlying network.
TracFone service is limited to TracFone-branded handsets (all TracFone handsets are pre-programmed by the manufacturer, therefore, the handset is locked including its latest GSM models). Other GSM handsets will not accept TracFone SIM cards, even if unlocked. Additionally, on most handsets, some features like USB and Bluetooth have been crippled by the manufacturer to prevent direct transfer of user files. Photos can be downloaded from and uploaded to phones via MMS only and custom ring tones must be purchased from TracFone.
The TracFone-branded service allows a customer to buy airtime units to use on selected digital phones by Samsung, Nokia, LG, Motorola, and Kyocera. Depending on the handset purchased, TracFone service works on either a GSM or a CDMA network.
SafeLink Wireless provides a free cell phone and a limited number of voice minutes (68 incoming/outgoing minutes in CT, MI, NY, NJ & FL) each month for low-income-eligible families (one per family) who do not use Lifeline services offered by any other phone or wireless company. It is funded through the Universal Service Fund that almost every US taxpayer contributes to via their existing land-line and wireless service provider. SafeLink is only operating in a limited number of states.[4][5] It is similar to the Lifeline and LinkUp government subsidized service for home telephones.[6]
Straight Talk is one of TracFone's newest brands and as of July 30, 2009 provides customers with two different value based 30-day rate plans. Straight Talk is an Mobile Virtual Network operator (MVNO) that uses Verizon's CDMA 1XRTT wireless network which was introduced in 2001 and is said to deliver between 40 and 60 kbs (kilobits per second) to customers[7]. Straight Talk's coverage is limited in certain areas (most of Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, Mississippi and western Texas)[8] but provides good coverage in the major metro areas. Only seven phones are available for use with Straight Talk: The LG 100C,LG 200C,LG 220C,LG 290C,Samsung R451C,Motorola W385 and the Motorola RAZR V3a.
[edit] International Long Distance
In keeping with its marketing to immigrant communities[citation needed], Tracfone provides international calling options to all its customers. A toll-free number in the US is dialed to make phone calls to at least some telephones (not including cellphones) in over 50 countries.
The International Neighbors plan allows Tracfone customers to obtain up to three local telephone numbers in any of several Canadian or Mexican cities. These are forwarded to the Tracfone customer in the United States at the standard rates.
[edit] Company Operations
TracFone's customer care centers are located in:[citation needed]
Barranquilla, (Colombia)- Bogotá, (Colombia)
Guatemala City, (Guatemala)
Belize City, (Belize)
Georgetown, (Guyana)
Cebu, the (Philippines).
TracFone's warehouse is managed by Brightpoint. [9]
[edit] Carriers
Currently, TracFone uses the networks of several different cellphone carriers to provide service.
For newer models with SIM cards,[citation needed]
- AT&T Wireless (Cingular) on most Motorola GSM phones.
- T-Mobile on most LG models.
On phones which do not use SIM cards, carriers are usually[citation needed]:
On Tracfones with SIM cards, the carrier can be identified in the same manner as any other SIM-based phone, by interpreting the SIM number.[citation needed] On T-Mobile phones, the first line of the SIM number will end in "SIMT5", on Cingular/AT&T, the first line will end in "SIMC4".[citation needed]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b http://www.americamovil.com/docs/reportes/eng/2008_4.pdf
- ^ [1]
- ^ Miami company prepares prepaid cell-phone invasion - South Florida Business Journal:
- ^ "TracFone Wireless Launches SafeLink Wireless to Aid Nearly 500,000 Low-Income Households in Georgia", Reuters, Thursday, February 5, 2009
- ^ "TracFone Wireless Launches SafeLink Wireless to Aid Nearly 585,000 Low-Income Households in Pennsylvania", Business Wire, February 09, 2009
- ^ Lifeline Site - Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ BRIGHTPOINT OVERVIEW
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