MOBILE: METROPCS - $35/MO, UNLIMITED CALLS

Yes, the ad on the back of CityBeat said unlimited calls, even long distance, $35 per month. Not sure if there is a catch, but you can learn more at www.metropcs.com, which said:

MetroPCS's cell phone coverage allows more than 3 million subscribers great, flat rate plans with unlimited minutes, no signed contracts, no activation fees and your first month of service FREE! MetroPCS is among the first cellular service providers to deploy an all-digital network based on third generation infrastructure and handsets. Cell phone coverage includes many top markets like Atlanta, Florida, Dallas, Detroit and California.

Note that the ad listed contact phone numbers for cities that all had one thing in common: being on the outskirts of Los Angeles -- fringe adjacent cities -- so perhaps coverage is one issue to check on if you live in the main areas of LA. Their coverage map actually looks okay, but will be much improved once their "planned expansion" is completed. We also noticed that this map mentions what may be a roaming fee - a cost in certain areas for "travel talk" - so perhaps that is a potential catch to what otherwise sounds like a great deal. We hope that MetroPCS will at least spur more competition and lower prices on other cell services.