Ting cellular service is now live nationwide, no ball and chain required

About a couple of months ago, we found out that internet hosting giant Tucows was getting ready to introduce a new wireless service to the U.S. market. Called Ting, it promised affordable monthly rates, flexible plans, and most importantly, no long-term commitment.

Well, the day has finally arrived. Riding on Sprint's airwaves, Ting is already operational across the U.S., so families and businesses that are looking for an alternative to their current wireless plans are free to check it out.

Here is how Ting works: first you need to go to the service's web page and purchase a phone online. Bringing your own device is not allowed at this time. There is a total of 8 handsets available at the moment:

After receiving their new handset over the mail, which takes between 5 to 10 business days, users must choose their plan in accordance to whatever they think they will consume over the next month. Having 100 nationwide minutes costs $3 and a more reasonable 500 minutes will cost you $9. If you are more into texting, having 1000 of them per month costs $5. Of course, there are data options as well, given that Ting can operate on Sprint's 3G or 4G WiMAX networks. 1000 megabytes cost $24 and 2 gigs can be had for $42 per month. The cool thing about Ting's plans is that there are no overage charges. Even if you go over your monthly allowance, your plan's tier will be automatically switched based on your usage, and you will be credited or charged for the difference in cost. Oh, and services like tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot are free of charge.

So, what do you, guys and girls, think about Ting? Is anyone planning on switching in the near future? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.

source: Ting via Engadget