---
title: Prepaid Phone Service Moves Into the Mainstream | Trends by The Hustle
description: Billions of people looking for reliable, unlimited data at reasonable rates are expected to help the prepaid phone business grow by 4% a year through 2026
image: https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/phone-3_20190501180052-3.jpg
---

![](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/phone-3_20190501180052-3.jpg)

Billions of people looking for reliable, unlimited data at reasonable rates are expected to help the prepaid phone business grow by 4% a year through 2026. It might not sound like huge growth, but consider the market:

- More than **two-thirds**** of the world’s 7.6B people **have a mobile phone, the majority of which carry data plans.
- And there are roughly **2.5B people *****without***** a mobile phone** that form an equally enticing market.

**Until now,** prepaid, or pay-as-you-go plans, have mostly appealed to lower-income consumers, or people who have trouble obtaining credit. 

MetroPCS, a T-Mobile subsidiary, built its brand around younger, urban crowds that prefer to pay month-to-month at lower prices, rather than getting locked into an annual contract. There’s a MetroPCS down the street from me, and it shares the same building as a check-cashing store and a vape shop. That paints a vivid picture of the customer base the company targets — but that demographic may change.

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