Ok, you caught me!  With that subject line I’m still thinking Oscar, but I’m sure those of you who live in central Connecticut have become very curious over all of the signs and storefronts you’ve seen promoting Pocket Wireless.   Who are they?  Are they a good value?   It took me a while to figure out, so that is why I waited to email you.   I’ll try to keep it simple for you.

First and foremost, Pocket is a limited service area cellular provider.  They are not a nation wide provider like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint.   Pocket’s service stretches from Springfield, down through Hartford to New Haven, and westward to Waterbury.   They operate their own towers and do not piggyback off of another company.     Pocket uses the same technology as Sprint and Verizon, CDMA, to run their towers but they do not use the same frequency.   Therefore to be a Pocket customer, you need to BUY A PHONE FROM THEM.      They do not get into gimmick pricing.  You pay for the full cost of the phone up front.   There are no contracts.  The most affordable phone they offer is $119.99 and it is a very functional, candy-bar style phone.   Pocket claims that you get 1 month of service free when you buy the phone.

Aside from their commitment to being straightforward, perhaps the best feature of Pocket is THEIR PRICING.   For $30 a month you get unlimited local calls and text messages.  For $40 a month you get unlimited long distance on top of what they basic plan offers.  And for $45, you can throw in free Internet on your phone.  All calls and services must be made /used within Pocket’s limited service area.   However if you don’t travel a lot or are possibly looking to replace your home phone with something a little more portable, Pocket could be just what you are looking for.    Infrequent travelers don’t need to worry, with Pocket you can ROAM on other carriers networks when you move out of the service area.  You will pay 59 cents a minute for this…. but who wants to be bothered on vacation anyway?

Pocket has shown an exceptional commitment to Connecticut, by opening a regional headquarters in Bloomfield and several stores.     I recently read of a business, similar to mine,  giving free analysis of their customer’s cell phone plans and suggestions.  I’m willing to do this for you, please email me and I will respond.

My Readers in other states may be familiar with cellular providers such as Metro PCS or Cricket, they operate under the same concept as Pocket.