Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Sprint is going to enact a 5GB data cap for both new and existing customers on October 2. Overage will be $.05 per megabyte, which translates to $51 per GB.
Again, existing customers will not be grandfathered in on this plan.
Nobody who follows the wireless industry is surprised by this at all. Bandwidth is finite. And as nice as it is to be able to say "we're the only ones who are unlimited", it simply isn't financially sensible. Sprint is a for-profit corporation, and since all of their competitors have caps, they have nothing to lose by cutting their losses -- and only profit to gain.
I am a little intrigued that Sprint has chosen NOT to grandfather existing users on unlimited plans, as AT&T and Verizon have. Given their ongoing churn problems, I would have thought Sprint would be doing as little as possible to risk annoying their customer base.
The article (and all the other guidance coming out of Sprint) clearly states that the only Sprint users that will have the 5GB cap are those that are using their phones as mobile hotspots or directly hooked up to their computers.
Smartphone/regular phone data usage is still unlimited, and only mobile hotspot/computer usage will count toward the 5GB cap. Also the 5GB cap does not apply to those that have tablets signed up for the mobile hotspot/phone-as-modem plan.
For the way the vast majority of phones are used, the cap does not apply.
I disagree. The post says "mobile hotspot". What part of that is misleading?
I also think it's unreasonable to expect consumers to keep separate track of their smartphone and hotspot data. Consumers are just now starting to understand the concept of data metering; telling them they now have to keep track of twice the amount of information is a terrible idea. Hopefully Sprint will do the right thing and present all consumers with a clear, easy-to-use, up-to-the-minute summary of their data usage on demand.
This is the beginning of the end of Sprint's unlimited data. I suspect we're seeing the earliest phases of their preparation for migration to LTE. We all knew it was coming, it's simply a matter of time. It doesn't make them a bad carrier, it just makes them somewhat less competitive.
Very few people (relative to the whole) use PAM and mobile hotspot. Phone data is still unlimited, and that's what most people care about. Even if you tether under the radar, you should be fine for now.
What really pisses me off about Sprint though, is that you have to wait TWO freaking years (20 months) to upgrade your phone with discount. They changed a couple weeks ago. I was enjoying me yearly upgrades.
What really pisses me off about Sprint though, is that you have to wait TWO freaking years (20 months) to upgrade your phone with discount. They changed a couple weeks ago. I was enjoying me yearly upgrades.
Hmmm, thought I replied to this earlier.
Anyway, I hear you. It's the same on Verizon. On one hand I'm happy with my Thunderbolt, but at the same time, what if I want that new quad-core 3D handset coming out next week?
The article (and all the other guidance coming out of Sprint) clearly states that the only Sprint users that will have the 5GB cap are those that are using their phones as mobile hotspots or directly hooked up to their computers.
Smartphone/regular phone data usage is still unlimited, and only mobile hotspot/computer usage will count toward the 5GB cap. Also the 5GB cap does not apply to those that have tablets signed up for the mobile hotspot/phone-as-modem plan.
For the way the vast majority of phones are used, the cap does not apply.
ignore it, downtown harrisburg is a Verizon employee....
We still have Unlimited Data......I know no one who even uses their phones mobile hotspot feature, no paying the 30$ fee anyway.
Very few people (relative to the whole) use PAM and mobile hotspot. Phone data is still unlimited, and that's what most people care about. Even if you tether under the radar, you should be fine for now.
What really pisses me off about Sprint though, is that you have to wait TWO freaking years (20 months) to upgrade your phone with discount. They changed a couple weeks ago. I was enjoying me yearly upgrades.
Its the cost of getting the iPhone Verizon did the same thing before they landed iPhone, and AT&T before that...
ignore it, downtown harrisburg is a Verizon employee....\
Nope.
Just because you work for Sprint doesn't mean everyone else works for Verizon. Even Stephen1110 doesn't work that way. At least he can make technical arguments on the matter.
Sometimes.
Last edited by DowntownHarrisburg; 09-24-2011 at 08:12 PM..
Its the cost of getting the iPhone Verizon did the same thing before they landed iPhone, and AT&T before that...
This doesn't affect the iPhone. Per your words, "nobody" uses the hotspot feature, and this doesn't impact smartphone usage.
I do enjoy watching folks eat their words.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212
Sprint has so much spectrum they can run LTE and WiMAX concurrent and still offer unlimited.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212
Hey I'll take a consistent and stead 6mbs down with a 6 million user load, shows me that WiMAX wont buckel under heavy pressure...and the fact that it will still be "UNLIMITED"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212
Verizon LTE doesn't have nearly the spectrum allocated to it that Sprint's WiMAX does which is why they can continue to offer Unlimited rather than caps
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212
Sprint has so much spectrum it will be able to run LTE and WiMAX concurrently while still offering unlimited....
Funny thing is, nobody would care if you hadn't been so loud about it. We know you're a Sprint employee and you love your company dearly, but that's no reason to be so fanatical about it.
I also think it's unreasonable to expect consumers to keep separate track of their smartphone and hotspot data. Consumers are just now starting to understand the concept of data metering; telling them they now have to keep track of twice the amount of information is a terrible idea. Hopefully Sprint will do the right thing and present all consumers with a clear, easy-to-use, up-to-the-minute summary of their data usage on demand.
I have a traffic monitor widget on android. On my home screen has small widget that shows how much data I used that resets monthly. I can open the widget to get data use per app, including tethering.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
