Ting Virtual Mobile Network to Charge for Voice & Data in Buckets, Helping (Some) Users Save on Fees

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Exceeding your monthly voice, messaging and data allocation can result in hefty per-megabyte, minute and message charges. But a new virtual telco brand will ensure that users won’t have to experience headaches resulting from over-charges unused allocations.

Prominent download site Tucows is venturing into the mobile business. The company won’t be rolling out a new network, though, but will instead ride on the Sprint network as a mobile virtual network operator or MVNO. As such, the company will be rolling out its own pricing and contract scheme, while letting users ride on the bigger Sprint network. The service operates much like Cox Wireless, H20, Simple Mobile and Virgin Mobile MiFi, which buy network resources in blocks and re-sells these to customers based on their own pricing schemes.

Ting’s pricing scheme is interesting, in that it gives subscribers the flexibility to jump up and down different mobile plans. You basically sign up for a monthly “bucket,” which includes voice minutes, MB of data and SMS allocation. If you exceed your allocation, you automatically get bumped up the next higher plan, instead of getting charged per-item. If your usage is below your allocation, then you automatically get bumped down and get a credit for the difference on your next bill.

This way, you don’t get charged per minute, per SMS or per megabyte (or KB) of data. If you’re a light user, you also don’t have to pay for minutes you don’t use, as long as you fall under the next lower scheme.

This doesn’t always result in savings, though. Once you get bumped up, you would have to be able to use up a considerable portion of the allocation in the next higher bucket to realize any savings. Otherwise, paying per-minute, per-megabyte or per SMS might be cheaper if it’s only a few calls, messages or a small amount of excess data. But if you suddenly need to make a lot of calls, SMS or connect more, then you’ll appreciate the savings that the next tier will provide. Ting says the average American user will be able to save $336 per year with their pricing scheme.

Also, Ting is a no-contract carrier, so users are free to sign up and leave. The disadvantage here is that they don’t offer subsidized mobile phones, either. Phone purchases are higher than with other networks with two-year contracts. Given this, it’s probably a good idea to sign up for Ting if you already have a smartphone you’re happy with. Otherwise, you will need to shell out a few extra hundred dollars for a new phone that might cost twice, thrice or four times as much in initial cash-out as if you were to sign up elsewhere.

If you’re buying a new phone with the plan, Ting allows you to save in the long run, as Cnet‘s Rafe Nedleman computes, although the savings will only be realized in a span of two years since you will need to shell out money for the outright purchase of a new phone.

Ting is launching early 2012. Will other networks follow suit with the automatically-adjusting plans?