Recent market moves propose that counting mobile minutes used could go the way of the oversized car phones that laid the foundation for today’s wireless revolution.

Following in the footsteps of Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel, Virgin Mobile USA is the latest wireless carrier to adopt an unlimited pricing plan. Citing the rising cost of gas, air travel, and other items, Virgin unveiled its Totally Unlimited calling plan for $79.99 a month on Tuesday.

“Totally Unlimited for 79.99 per month is simply a better value than postpaid plans offer,” said Bob Stohrer, chief marketing officer of Virgin. The plan will be offered on July 1 as the lowest-priced and first unlimited nationwide calling plan without roaming charges or an annual contract.

Giving Consumers What They Want

In February, Verizon Wireless announced its $99 plan for voice. AT&T and T-Mobile came in behind them and added text messaging to an unlimited voice plan for the same $99.

next Sprint Nextel came out with its flat-rate service with unlimited voice, e-mail, text messaging, Web surfing, video and other features for, again, $99 a month.

“Consumers like the flat-pricing model. They are tired of thinking about mobile minutes. So the more carriers can bundle together into one, the better for consumers,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch.

The Pay-As-You-Go Model

Consumers who opt for Virgin’s Totally Unlimited plan will be able to talk as much as they want each month, including days, nights, weekdays and weekends.

Those plan include a host of monthly and pay-as-you-go plans without annual contracts, as well as new Top-Up card denominations and a range of text and messaging packs, including a $10 unlimited messaging offer.

“It is simply not essential to sign a two-year contract to get real worth with your wireless plan,” Stohrer said. Virgin is trying to prove that point…

Orginal post by Top Tech News