[hrabago]

> Technically true, but almost all phones are acquired via subsidies anyway.

Again, yes, in the US. In some Asian countries, you can walk into any mall and there will be any number of stores selling new or used cellphones all of which are unlocked.

> People don't see it as the "grown up" option.

Again, this is limited to particular cultures. In some countries, prepaid is the norm, not the exception. People keep their numbers and switch phones as they move from one phone to the next, and buy only as much load as they need. (USD 0.20 good for 10 SMS messages)

[parbo]

In Sweden there is a law stating that numbers have to be portable across carriers, no need to use pre-paid to achieve that.

[kgrin]

That's also true in the US

[netcan]

I was referring to Australia (in response to the grandparent).