Comments on: Flat-Rate Data Plans Are Dead. Is That a Good Thing?

By: Netflix: ISPs Overcharging Subs With Tiered Data Plans: Broadband News and Analysis «

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:41:27 +0000

[...] means that ISPs introducing tiered data plans could be overcharging subscribers by up to 100 percent. Netflix also takes issue with the way that [...]

By: Video: The Year In Mobile Recapped (in 180 Seconds): Tech News «

Video: The Year In Mobile Recapped (in 180 Seconds): Tech News « — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:02:11 +0000

[...] Demand for mobile data is exploding: AT&T’s network experienced 5,000 percent more data traffic in the first three years of selling the iPhone, for example. But this isn’t just an iPhone or U.S. phenomenon: the demand for wireless data around the globe will double each year through 2014, which is forcing network operators to re-evaluate their data plan strategies. [...]

By: Jenkins! Is it the year of mobile PR yet?? | Beyond PR

Jenkins! Is it the year of mobile PR yet?? | Beyond PR — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:22:17 +0000

[...] smarter. But will the networks be able to keep up with the demand for data? U.S. carriers are shifting away from flat-rate data plans as they need consistency in their margins to invest in the infrastructure to keep up with our data [...]

By: Cochese

Cochese — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:37:15 +0000

One thing I have noted, and was deeply dreading, was Verizon Wireless’ switch to tiered data plans. Now that it has happened, I don’t even notice, in fact, I don’t even mind that they tiered the data plans. Then again, I believe that is because the data plans remained the same. I still get unlimited data for the same $30.00 U.S. I have paid since 2006/7 and if I wan’t, I can select a lower priced data plan. However, that would be ridiculous as I used about 16gigs a month!

I feel for my fellow peoples on ATT. When they tiered their data plans, they really got the bone.

By: U.S. Mobile Data Traffic To Top 1 Exabyte | Digital Asset Management

U.S. Mobile Data Traffic To Top 1 Exabyte | Digital Asset Management — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 07:17:13 +0000

[...] come as a surprise — is that the demand for wireless data is on an upswing and seemingly endless,despite the new tiered-pricing plans. According to Chetan Sharma, an analyst who tracks the wireless-data industry, the U.S. [...]

By: In 2010, US Mobile Data Traffic To Top 1 Exabyte : Tech News «

In 2010, US Mobile Data Traffic To Top 1 Exabyte : Tech News « — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 17:38:10 +0000

[...] really be a surprise is that the demand for wireless data is on an upswing and seemingly endless, despite the new tiered pricing plans. According to Chetan Sharma, an analyst who tracks the wireless data industry, the US wireless data [...]

By: Pulse

Pulse — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 02:42:55 +0000

Not Good For the CONSUMER !

The first step in stripping the internet to the bone !

By: tom

tom — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 01:44:01 +0000

i am not sure why but it seems to me this ‘look at from the business prospective’ is unique to technology.

i am not sure whats up with it but when it comes to technology it seems lots of people believe even the consumers should see things from the side of the business. i do not know of any other business area where this opinion is so prevalent.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 13:10:53 +0000

Nurlip, never worry about hating “to be one of those commenter’s who complains about the article” — we’re not a print journal that writes a story and then ending our responsibility. We promote conversation, which means comments will be all across the scale. No worries on that! :)

There’s merit in your thoughts because, yes, I did take a business-view of the situation. For years I’ve taken consumer views in my writing, and as a consumer, I try not to lose sight of that background. I’ve also paid for and used multiple data devices continuously since 2005: at one point, my monthly cellular bill topped $350 due to several phones, USB data sticks and such. So from that perspective, I hear you.

But the flipside for the consumer is to understand the challenges the carrier networks are facing. Could the carriers be throwing more money at the situation: yup, I won’t argue with you on that. However, I wanted to help consumers understand some of the reasons why they can’t simply offer the unlimited plans to everyone who wants them.

The intent wasn’t to take the carrier’s side here, but explain to those who might not understand the constraints due to explosive growth in data demand, the unpredictability of it and the approach to managing it from a capacity standpoint.

Indeed, the landscape is different in Europe with more competitors, which certainly helps. It’s also beneficial that most regions there are smaller (making it easier to provide coverage to more people for less infrastructure expansion costs) – unfortunately, we’re a spread out population here in the U.S. so national networks aren’t cheap. We also are outgrowing our networks faster than many other regions: smartphone adoption is quite high, by comparison, in the U.S., which further widens the gap between supply and demand.

Hope that helps explain my perspective for this piece, even if you don’t agree with it — which of course, I totally respect. Thx!

By: nurlip

nurlip — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:34:40 +0000

This article said nothing relevant to its title. I hate to be one of those commenter’s who complains about the article but thats what this is, deal with it. One of the first things we learned in English class when writing a paper is that opening with a question peaks reader interest. However, we also learned that its important TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. Obviously a question as ambiguous as this one can’t really be answered at this point, BUT you need to cater to both sides of the question and that is where this article fails. This was obviously written by someone deeply entrenched in the ‘industry’ as they barely discussed the consumer’s perspective and focused completely on what they read in Sharma’s report and generally the carrier’s side of the story. My point is, who cares about the carriers side? Surely not consumers who hear words like ‘margin’ and think of the space between folds of leather that are the giant corporation’s wallet. Consumer demand is what keeps businesses open and failing to meet that demand means consumers will go elsewhere and businesses will close while new ones flourish. Obviously putting limits on what appears to have unlimited demand is never going to be a good model for those who demand it. Giant telco’s failure to spend their money where it needs to be spent (expanding their data service, obviously) and making their customers pay for their mistakes is what put our country in its current economic situation. Being 26, I’m just barely older than the ‘can’t function w/o my phone’ generation but that doesn’t mean i haven’t strongly considered moving to Europe simply b/c they have a competitive mobile industry (competitive in terms of lots of company’s, not 4) which yields more consumer friendly pricing, flexibility and increased innovation in products and services. So if i’m willing to do it, i’m sure a sizable percentage of the younger generation is also willing as well, for that reason and dozens of others, namely public transportation. The 18-25 generation values public transportation not b/c its ‘green’ or cheaper but b/c it allows them to multi-task, as in read the news on the train on the way to work or work on the way to work. All of that is done on their mobile phones which are more affordable/accessible in Europe, alongside public transportation and healthcare.. You say “It’s good to hear that carriers are thinking forward..” but i say they can’t see their own hand about to slap them in the face.