MetroPCS debuts new 4G LTE plans starting at $40

Prepaid carrier MetroPCS is rolling out a new line of wireless plans that it's dubbing "simpler" 4G LTE plans. All three plans offer unlimited data and are available on several of the smartphones MetroPCS offers.

The cheapest plan is $40 per month and includes unlimited data with the first 500MB of data running at 4G LTE speeds. The next unlimited data plan is $50 per month and the first 2.5GB of data runs on 4G LTE. And the final $60 per month plan offers complete unlimited data at 4G LTE speeds. All three plans include unlimited talk and text, and taxes and regulatory fees are included.

MetroPCS customers can choose from several low-cost smartphones that the carrier supports, including the Samsung Galaxy Admire 4G, LG Motion 4G, ZTE Avid 4G, and Huawei M835.

Customers in the smartphone market are increasingly turning to prepaid plans to avoid taking on long-term contracts with high monthly fees. A report published by Informa last month said that the cost of smartphones is also being driven down by low-cost prepaid carriers -- such as MetroPCS, Sprint Nextel's Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile -- because users are increasingly more reluctant to fork over hundreds of dollars just for the device.