No service plan is required. I think the software is even more aggressively bonded to TracFone service than is usual though.<p>(TracFone is the company behind many of the phones at Walmart: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;TracFone_Wireless" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;TracFone_Wireless</a> )