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Wireless carrier T-Mobile will soon offer new contract-free mobile broadband plans, which are designed for the growing number of Americans who prefer prepaid options to long-term contracts, the company said today.

T-Mobile is in a precarious position as the No. 4 wireless carrier behind Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. The other three networks offer true next-gen 4G data networks in some form, while T-Mobile only offers HSPA+ (think 3.5G). While HSPA+ data can be quite good at times, the company’s lack of LTE data has hurt its perception as a tech leader. But by offering affordable plans and cutting jobs, the company can likely survive until it offers up LTE data in 2013.

The new contract-free data plans, which become available May 20th, are listed below:

• 300MB 1-week pass for $15
• 1.5GB 1-month pass for $25
• 3.5GB 1-month pass for $35
• 5GB 1-month pass for $50

“Although most of our mobile broadband customers choose postpaid rate plans for the best device prices and data rates, we know that many of our customers want the flexibility to be able to experience mobile broadband without committing to an annual contract up front,” said Jeremy Korst, VP of marketing for T-Mobile USA, in a statement.

T-Mobile previously offered contract-free mobile broadband data plans, but they were less enticing in cost. Plans started at a crummy 100MB for $10, 1GB for $30, and $50 for 3GB. The new plans are much, much better for the contract-averse consumer who needs mobile broadband.

Filed under: mobile

Sprint has added two new 3G/4G mobile broadband data plans to its lineup that will replace more-expensive plans it previously offered as well as undercut AT&T and Verizon, the company announced today.

As the distant third-place carrier in the U.S., Sprint is using every trick in its book to help distringuish itself as the best value versus its competitors, namely Verizon and AT&T. Recently, Sprint helped set itself apart from the two largest carriers when the Apple iPhone 4S was released by being the only carrier to offer an unlimited 3G data with the hyped device.

The new 3G and 4G broadband plans apply to basically every device that’s not a smartphone, including tablets, mobile hotspots, netbooks, notebooks and USB modems. The two new price plans will offer a similar price for slightly more data than the competition, with $50 getting you 6GB of data each month and $80 getting you 12 GB of data each month.

Comparably, Verizon and AT&T’s standard mobile broadband plans aren’t as good of a deal. On contract, Verizon offers 2GB for $30/month, 5GB for $50/month and 10GB for $80 a month. AT&T offers a similar 5GB data plan at $50/month, but does not offer a plan with higher data usage like Verizon and Sprint.

“Sprint is committed to delivering exceptional value to its customers, and our new 3G/4G Mobile Broadband plans are the latest example of that,” said Will Souder, vice president of pricing for Sprint, in a statement. “Sprint gives customers more data at lower prices than competitors, so they can do more with their mobile broadband devices on Sprint’s 3G and 4G networks.”

Sprint also took the opportunity to launch a new plan for just tablets and mobile hotspots, with $34.99 per month getting you 3GB of data. There’s also another new plan only for tablets, with $19.99 a month getting you 1GB of data.

A full chart with more details about the revamped mobile broadband and hotspot plans can be viewed below. You can also click here for even more details.

Filed under: mobile, VentureBeat

Sprint, always looking for a way to undercut their competitors, has just announced two new mobile broadband data plans that give you more bang for your buck. Mobile broadband customers can now play with 6GB of data per month for $49.99, while the truly adventurous can have 12GB of data per month for $79.99.

Hotspot and tablet-specific data plans have been reconfigured as well: tablet customers can score 1GB of data for $19.99 per month, while 3GB will cost users $34.99.

To accompany their new broadband plans, Sprint has also pulled back the curtains on a new Huawei mobile hotspot. Dubbed the Express, this no-nonsense hotspot is priced to move at $29 so certain Sprint customers will just be swimming in savings.

Sprint’s new data plans certainly seem like a better value than comparable plans on AT&T and Verizon, but there’s a catch: Sprint’s 4G WiMax network has seen better days. While Sprint has more-or-less confirmed that they and network partner Clearwire would continue working together for at least a little while longer, the rollout of new WiMax markets was slowed down dramatically in recent months. Long story short: if you don’t have Sprint’s 4G WiMax service already, there’s a very real chance that you won’t get it at all.

Still, it’s not a shabby deal if you’ve been bathing in Sprint’s WiMax signal for a while now. The plans are available to all new and existing mobile broadband customers, so you data-hungry Sprint customers should get on the horn and renegotiate your plans.