It seems like every week there's a new price point being set in the telecommunications world. There's an all-out war going on between the traditional Big 4 wireless carriers -- AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile -- and smaller Tier 2 operators such as Metro PCS, Cricket, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Straight Talk and others.

The Big 4 have historically pushed expensive "bucket of minutes" business models with 24-month contracts. That's allowed the Tier 2 operators to carve out a market niche by offering cheaper unlimited calling plans with no contracts.

Which would you rather have?

The success of the smaller players is now actually forcing the Big 4 to come around with better deals for customers. That's the point of this guide. I want to keep you updated with the best deals out there so you can have the cheapest possible cell phone bill in your life with the fewest strings attached.


THE BIG 4 PROVIDERS  

T-MOBILE
T-Mobile offers customers basic unlimited calling starting at $49/month with no annual contract. Customers in select areas of the country may also be eligible for a more traditional plan that offers 1,000 minutes and unlimited nights/weekends for $39/month.

• Visit T-Mobile.com for more details.


AT&T
AT&T is competing with the Tier 2 providers by introducing its "A List with Rollover" plan. "A List" allows you unlimited free calling to the 5 numbers you call most -- regardless of whether they're AT&T customers or not. You'll need a minimum $59/month calling plan to be eligible to do "A List."

• Visit ATT.com/Alist for more details.


SPRINT
The ink wasn't dry on the AT&T plan when Sprint came out with its "Any Mobile, Anytime" plan. It offers unlimited calling to any cell phone on any network for $69/month. No need to designate "favorite" numbers or worry about which carrier your friends and family have.

• Visit AnyMobile.Sprint.com for more details.


VERIZON
Verizon does not have any particularly good unlimited deals at this time. However, there is a sneaky back-door way to use their infrastructure through Straight Talk (see below).


THE TIER 2 PROVIDERS
 
METRO PCS
The basic Metro PCS unlimited calling plan starts at $35/month. Additional fees apply for unlimited texting and data. Right now, there's a limited time rate of $30/month. (Editor's note: Rate accurate for November 2009. )

However, Metro only works in select markets, so this may not be a deal for people who travel around the country frequently.

• Visit MetroPCS.com for more details.


CRICKET
Unlimited calling with Cricket starts at $30/month. Additional fees apply for unlimited texting and data. Cricket is currently offering a limited time rate of $25/month. (Editor's note: Rate accurate for November 2009. )

As with Metro PCS, Cricket only works in select markets, so this may not be a deal for people who travel around the country frequently.

• Visit myCricket.com for more details.


PAGE PLUS CELLULAR
The basic Page Plus Cellular unlimited calling plan starts at $39/month with 20 MB of data. However, the better deal may be the "Talk n Text 1200" plan, which offers 1,200 minutes of talk time, 1,200 text message and 50 MB of data.

• Visit PagePlusCellular.com for more details.


VIRGIN MOBILE
Virgin Mobile offers $49.99/month unlimited calling with no contracts. Additional fees apply for unlimited texting and data.

• Visit VirginMobileUSA.com for more details.


BOOST MOBILE
Boost Mobile offers an unlimited calling/texting/web plan with no contracts for $50/month.

There are, however, some downsides. The cell phones available through Boost are antiquated. And they're not subsidized, so be sure to look on eBay or Craigslist for a deal on a used one. In addition, Boost operates on the Nextel network, which doesn't always offer the best call quality.

• Visit BoostMobile.com for more details.


STRAIGHT TALK
Straight Talk offers two flavors of no-contract plans. The first comes with 1,000 minutes and 1,000 text messages and 30 MB for $30/month. The second is an unlimited calling/texting/web plan for $45/month.

Interestingly, Straight Talk actually uses Verizon's network to place calls. So you can go with Verizon and pay around $125/month for unlimited calling and texting or you can go with Straight Talk and use Verizon's infrastructure for $45/month. You do the math.

However, one drawback with Straight Talk is that it only supports limited phones.

• Visit StraightTalk.com for more details.