data plan rant & question

...cellphone companies join telecom and cable providers in the grouping of companies allowed to operate with bullshit marketing and promising without delivering.

Sprint has just announced that its adding a $10 a month charge to smartphone plans to cover data bandiwdth costs, it claims. Sprint has been on a big kick advertising it being the front runner of 4G network speeds, but goes on to say smart phone users have 10x the data of a regular phone.

Sprint's plans are unlimited data on paper, as are many of the other cellphone carriers, and cable and telecom companies.

But while they say unlimited in one breath, in the next, they give you an arbitrary figure (claimed to be an average) of data to say you are abusing the unlimited plan and over-taxing their network services disproportionately. They try to shift the blame onto the consumer for using what the company themselves call an "unlimited" data plan.

Its easy to see why people get upset so easily about this issue when you start running the numbers.

3G class wireless must deliver 200kps minimum, which is only about 25Kb/s. For us older folks to keep in perspective, its still about 4 times faster than the fastest dial-up modem. Lets take the maximum usage example out in this case too. it becomes 1.5 mb a minute, to 90 megs an hour, to 2.16 gigs a day, and 64.8 gigs a month.

So technically true 3G unlimited is 'supposed' to be 64.8 gigs in a month minimum spec. But as we already know, its not unlimited. So what do these network companies say is too much usage for a person? well, you obviously can't use more than 64.8 gigs, so lets give a nice round figure. How about half, since you're only awake half the time anyways? 50% of that is 32.4 gigs, surely you can use half that much at least? no?

How about a quarter? 25% would be 16.2 gigs, but alas you can't use a quarter either.

Almost all the carriers say that once you start using more than 5 gigs in a month, you're using too much. They either cut you off, or throttle you down to really slow, sub-dialup speeds. For using over 7% of their advertised number that they claim to support, just 7% damn percent, you're abusing their network.

But this practice is common in any and all network providers. They advertise a service they can't back, and I have no idea why they are allowed to.

I have a pretty slow home internet connection by comparison, but it does me ok and I haven't been hurting at my DSL 3.0mps plan, because my only choice is cable with Comcast, whom we already hate.

but lets assume that I am just filling that 3.0mps the whole time, non-stop. That would be pretty extreme usage, right? so 3.0mps is 375Kb/s, which is 22.5 megs a minute, which is 1.35 gigs an hour, which is 32.4 gigs a day, which is 972 gigs for an entire month. If I get anywhere near 250 a month, AT&T starts foaming at the mouth. While as a ratio, this is much better than a wireless plan's threshold, its still ass.

Now I'm not one to usually cry out for government intervention, and I don't want governemnt to interfere in how they actually operate, but what we have here are companies allowed to say one thing and do something completely opposite. The description should more closely match the service so people can make choices.

They advertise unlimited that has by the numbers very very tight limits. They advertise network capacity they can't nearly promise to satisfy ever. The bigger problem here is that we have no means with which to compare providers to eachother.

-----

so question time:
how much does truly unlimited internet cost? What do they want to charge the person for the services of filling out a 3G connection?

Does anyone know?

 

I feel your pain.
I think this all started when dial-up plans went to unlimited minutes. When broadband became available they continued the same marketing because it sounded good. They should have tiered the data throughput from day 1. I absolutely do not understand how we can go backwards because those in marketing don't understand technology. If you are legitimately using 3mbps I don't know what the service provider would have to stand on. If you are running a server of any kind (some file trading networks use your pc as a server) they can hide behind the TOS.

I blame it on the marketing weasels. Truth in advertising is an old wives tale.

 

Comcast no longer advertises unlimited data plans on any of their accounts. My plan has a limit of 250gb a month.

 

Look at it this way: At least it's a free way to get out of your contract and switch.

 

This. I have VZW's "unlimited" data plan with the infamous 5 GB limit in the notes, somewhere.

I had Comcrap's internet service and I remember years ago how sneakily they introduced the arbitrary bandwith limits. Basically, they sent you notification to your Comcast e-mail. Yeah, the e-mail maybe 5% of its customers use. :squint: Then, when asked how they measured your usage, they assured you they could, but also couldn't provide you a way to monitor your usage. Now, they actually have a usage gauge when you log in. I recently had the chance to swap to ATT Uverse (NOT their DSL, which I despise around here) and I took it. ATT has no usage limits, yet.

 

ATT optical doesn't reach my street.

And I don't think I'd have a problem if there was truth in advertising at these prices, generally speaking.

"3g speeds for up to 5 gig a month."

 

I have 2 gig a month on my iPad, and I don't even get close to maxing it out.

 

i am grandfathered in with AT&Ts unlimited data plan. when the iPhone4 came out, any new customers had limited data plans to choose from. any previous customers could keep their unlimited data and transfer their plan for as long as they have a smartphone with AT&T

 

This is true. It'd be annoying, but at least you'd know the limits going into the contract.

I routinely top 1 GB/month, having gone as high as 1.5-1.7 GB when I was working on a car at a friend's (streaming Pandora/Slacker all day). I also use wireless when I'm home.

I've heard that's how VZW's plan will work ("unlimited"), but never bothered to confirm.

 

Verizon is acting screwy as well as of late.... Getting rid of there "new every 2" program... I'm guessing it will be replaced with some other kind of discount program. I'll be damned if I'm paying $600 for my next phone... but,the times, they are a' changin...

 

Where'd you hear this...? I haven't heard that at all. Sucks if they do scrap the program, that's the main reason I upgrade every 2 years. I do know that to get the $100 credit, they require a plan of above $50 or so for the base (XXX peak minutes). Else it dropped from $100 to $50.

Meh, I don't mind 2 years. Since VZW lets you renew 2 months before a 1-year contract ends, or 4 before the end of a 2-year, it's not a big deal to me to wait. Hell, I'm eligible for upgrade the end of this year and I was shocked, as it doesn't feel like I've had this phone for that long (bought the HTC Incredible on release day). I paid $299.99 - $100 NE2 - $100 MIR for my Incredible.

Now, if they kill off NE2, I'll be sticking with 1-year contracts.

 

Just went into effect this week... Here are a few articles...

http://www.tuaw.com/2011/01/17/verizon-discontinues-new-every-two-policy-in-the-wake-of-the-i/

http://consumerist.com/2011/01/verizon-confirms-new-every-two-is-ending.html

 

Thanks for the links, I had no idea! That is pretty lame...

I was talking to a friend of mine over the weekend who had VZW a few years ago. He jumped shipped to ATT and picked up the iPhone, apparently (loves the phone, hates ATT as I expected). He refuses to come back to VZW because of how they love to cripple their phones. He's considering Sprint, who has the $69.99 Everything plan I wish VZW would adopt.

 

They still do it, now. Their basic phones all have the same basic interface, and they limit how you can connect all phones to your computer and what you can do without certain hacks/tips & tricks. I have an Incredible, now, and I can't use it as a modem with my computer without paying VZW. So, I rooted it, and can use wireless tethering for free, now. Nevermind how some applications/basic features you can't use without rooting the phone (no simple backup of everything, no screenshot ability...)

Yeah, I know I'm playing for better coverage/service, but I'm cheap. I'd love for VZW to actually be a bit more competitive with its competitors price-wise.

 

LOL, I would be more worried about Sprint than I would be of AT&T. Our company primary carrier is Spint then Verizon if we do not get service in a certain office. Why do we choose Sprint over Verizon? Plain and simple, pricing. They give us incredible pricing on data and voice. We save millions a year on our wireless service with Sprint. I ahve heard this from a few big companies across the country. Sure, Verizon and AT&T might have the consumer market but I wouldnt count my chickens on the business side.

 

I love my $25.99 unlimited everything AT&T plan.

 

I love my PagePlus Cellular prepaid for $29.99 month. 1400 minutes/1400 texts and 50MB data. I'm not a datawhore, so yes the 50MB data is very small, but plenty to check my yahoo mail, update my Titanium Weather hourly, check wap of WRXATLANTA, navigate via Google Maps and GPS and still watch a couple hours of youtube a month.

Bring your own device, I'm using an old school Samsung Omnia with cooked Rom from Omnia Roms.

Dirt cheap and 90% of the bells and whistles for less than 1/2 the cost. Best part... it is Verizon's network.

 

No clue how you even get that...

I'm a data whore on my phone, even checking Facebook and using wireless at home I still transfer upwards of 0.5 GB a month. When I went out of town for Christmas and had to use wireless tethering (no decent internet in BFE, AL), I used something like 1.2-1.5 TB. Just checked and I'm just under 560 MB for the month. I suppose I could cut back a bit... :rofl: