Sprint Nextel and Verizon are rolling out new, more consumer-friendly calling plans, reflecting the hyper-competitive state of wireless.

Starting Monday, Sprint will start offering a new “share” plan that offers 3,000 voice minutes and a bounty of add-ons for $169.99 a month for two lines. Additional lines cost $19.99 each.

In addition to the 50 hours of calling duration, subscribers will receive: unlimited messaging and e-mail, unlimited access to the mobile Web, 50 streaming music channels, 25-plus live TV channels, on-demand TV — clips as well as full-length TV shows — and unlimited GPS navigation. For sports fans, there’s additionally unlimited access to NFL Mobile and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile. BlackBerry users plus qualify for that plan.

Cheaper plans with fewer services start at $69.99 a month. Depending on the plan, lines can be added for as little as $9.99 a month.

For a family of three, the $169.99 plan represents a $45 savings off Sprint’s prior plans, says Walter

Piecyk, a telecom analyst at Pali Research. The savings is $60 compared with Verizon and $45 compared with AT&T wireless. The latter don’t offer GPS navigation or BlackBerry options, he notes.

With prices for gas, food and other necessities rising, Piecyk says Sprint’s approach is pitch-perfect.

“If you can save somebody $50 to $60 on a rate plan, they’re going to switch,” he predicts.

Sprint has been struggling with a string of operational problems related to the Nextel merger. Piecyk says most consumers don’t care about that — but they do care an terrible lot about saving money.

“If you cut the price ample, that moves customers,” he says.

Verizon, on the cusp of becoming the USA’s No.1 wireless carrier, thanks to its proposed acquisition of Alltel, is plus turning up the marketing heat.

Next week, Verizon plans to start offering discounts of $8 to $21 a month to humans…

Orginal post by Top Tech News