Verizon Wireless is launching its first prepaid unlimited phone plan on Thursday, with voice calls, text messaging and Web access for $50 a month.

Verizon Wireless has offered prepaid plans since its inception in 2000, but its previous plans offered services only a la carte -- for example, voice calling for $1.99 a day, mobile Web for 99 cents a day and unlimited texting for $20 per month.

The prepaid market has long a stronghold of regional carriers and smaller wireless companies like MetroPCS (PCS), which offers unlimited prepaid plans that start at $40 a month. Sprint (S, Fortune 500) also offers prepaid plans through Virgin Mobile and Boost.

Verizon is hoping to capture a larger part of that customer base.

Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/14/tech...ited/index.htm