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Virgin Mobile today announced the lowest price I’ve seen for unlimited wireless calling at $79.99 per month. The plan, which requires you to pay upfront every month but requires no contract, is available July 1. Virgin operates on the Sprint network. I’m not necessarily endorsing that deal, but it highlights a recent trend among wireless carriers offering calling unlimited plans. Some include unlimited texting and data, while others don’t. Calling is getting cheaper and cheaper all the time. These recent developments point to a few tips:

• It’s never been a better time to cut the cord by canceling your landline and going only with a wireless phone, assuming your wireless phone works throughout your home. This is especially a good idea for on-the-go young people.
• Consumers might be lured into buying unlimited plans, even though they would be better off with a cheaper plan because they don’t use enough minutes to warrant “unlimited.” I’ve heard a break-even of about 1,500 minutes a month. I’ll be researching this topic soon.
• You have to pay attention to telecommunications services regularly because companies offer new deals and prices regularly.
• Light wireless callers, who use 300 minutes per month or fewer, are likely to be better off with a prepaid wireless plan. Good ones are available from Tracfone (same as Net10) and T-Mobile, as well as the aforementioned Virgin Mobile. (Since I switched to prepaid in March, I’ve cut my wireless expense from about $43/mo to $10/mo., averaging usage of about 85 minutes per month.)