Both Sprint and T-Mobile have maintained that shared data plans or for suckers. The exception, though, is the business customer. Both companies are delving into small business shared plans to fend off Verizon off AT&T. Read more »
In January, Boost Mobile will start throttling speeds to its “unlimited” customers after they exceed 2.5 GB. Clearwire is experimenting with usage-based plans. It’s getting harder and harder to find a truly unlimited data plan anymore as carriers impose more restrictions. Read more »
After much hype and anticipation, MVNO FreedomPop is officially launched, offering 500 MB of free data to anyone willing to fork over a deposit for one of its 4G modems. The iPhone and iPod Touch sleeves aren’t available yet, but they’ll arrive in the coming weeks. Read more »
A new research study shows that carriers may be charging for mobile data that you don’t actually consume. A test of two U.S. mobile networks found that carriers count every byte they ship you even if your phone is incapable of receiving that data. Read more »
Apple’s wholesale support for LTE across its devices means that 4G network deployment can really get rolling. As these new networks go online, carriers will be forced to start lowering the price of mobile data. It won’t happen immediately, but it will happen. Read more »
T-Mobile is reinstating the unlimited plan for smartphones with just one restriction: you can’t use your phone as a hotspot. Anything else is fair game. T-Mobile insists that the new policy is viable business model, despite what AT&T and Verizon say to the contrary. Read more »
AT&T has stopped subsidizing tablets, recognizing that it can’t sell slates the same way it sells smartphones. Now AT&T and other carriers need to start dropping tablet data plan pricing. If we’re no longer “paying back” the device subsidy, we shouldn’t be paying subsidized plan prices. Read more »
Confused by how AT&T’s new shared-data planswork? Well, we’ve put together a primer to show you how they work and compare them to Verizon’s similar pricing structure. Ultimately, shared data might not be for you, but hopefully this guide will help clear up the confusion. Read more »
AT&T revealed the shared data plans it’s been hinting at for so long. The new pricing structure looks very similar to the shared tiers Verizon announced last month with two key differences: AT&T’s plans are optional for new and existing customers, and they’re slightly cheaper. Read more »
On Wednesday, T-Mobile USA revamped its mobile pricing structure, introducing a new 500 MB tier, adjusting some tier prices and adding a new category of unthrottled data plans. The changes aren’t revolutionary, but they will certainly give T-Mo customers more options. Read more »
T-Mobile USA has a well-deserved reputation for having the hungriest smartphone users in mobile, but now it’s offering proof. The typical smartphone user on its network consumes an impressive 760 MB per month. For HSPA+ 42 smartphones that number increases to an astonishing 1.3 GB. Read more »
Exclusive: This fall unlocked smartphone retailer GSM Nation will launch a virtual operator service, pairing T-Mobile’s HSPA+ speeds with the 200-plus smartphones it sells online. The company is breaking the link between operator and device and dispelling the notion that phone subsidies actually save consumers money. Read more »
Reports are coming from Japan that Amazon is forming an MVNO. If true, it would be an interesting experiment for Amazon, expanding its mobile business beyond selling devices, apps and e-books to selling connectivity itself. But I suspect this is nothing more than an experiment. Read more »
Though FreedomPop remains mysterious on the exact timing , its “free” mobile broadband service seems to be nearing a launch date. It has started selling its WiMAX iPhone sleeve online and also revealed it won’t deliver as much free data to customers as it originally advertised. Read more »
AT&T is heating up its retaliatory campaign against the Federal Communications Commission for denying its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson claimed once again that the merger’s death directly resulted in AT&T’s raising mobile data prices 30 percent. We don’t buy it. Read more »
Verizon Wireless next week will begin selling international data roaming plans much the same way it sells domestic data: buckets of megabytes for a set price. But don’t expect to get a lot for your dollar. Verizon is selling 100 MB for $25 a month. Read more »
If you’ve managed to keep your unlimited mobile data plan with AT&T, you’ve finally got some clarity on when AT&T will slow down your data speeds. Most customers will trigger the brakes at 3GBs of data in a month, while LTE customers get 5GBs a month. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE tablet on Verizon will cost $499 with a two-year data contract at a minimum $30 per month. Plans for each device have to go, and it’s time for carriers to adopt a pay-per-use plan for all tablets, not just the iPad. Read more »
Ting, a new reseller of Sprint’s voice, 3G and WiMax, launched with one of the most unique mobile plans to date. Families using Ting share voice minutes and messages. But there’s another twist: they also share their monthly data across all devices on the plan. Read more »
This year’s CES was the biggest in the show’s 44-year history. It boasted 15 miles of exhibit hall aisles, 3,100 booths and 153,000 attendees. It is easy to be jaded by the endlessly repetitive products, but the thousands of innovations point toward a future of connectivity. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
On Sunday, AT&T is reconfiguring its mobile data plans in a way that will anger many customers but may actually please others. It’s raising its smartphone and tablet data plan rates, while simultaneously offering customers a better deal on the data they do consume. Read more »
Leaked information is pointing towards T-Mobile moving away from its unlimited data plan offering for the smallest plan option. If the leak is correct, customers on T-Mobile’s 200 MB plan will pay $0.10 for each megabyte over the limit. Which is worse: overages or speed throttling? Read more »
Starting on July 24, T-Mobile customers can take advantage of new plans saving more than $800 per year over service from rival carriers. Two phones on a Value plans with unlimited voice, messages and 2 GB of 4G data is as low as $99 per month. Read more »
Thirteen months after rival AT&T stopped offering unlimited smartphone data plans, Verizon Wireless is following. New customers on or after July 7 will choose between three tiers of monthly mobile broadband service. Are Verizon’s new data plans better than those from AT&T? That depends on you. Read more »
Mobile operators are freaking out about the growth of mobile devices, mobile video and their shrinking ARPU. But a respected research group with plenty of carrier clients issued a report this week that essentially tells carriers to stop whining. They can afford to invest. Read more »
Earlier this week, AT&T hinted at shared data plans, which could mean one of two things: one individual plan for multiple devices or a family plan to share data among a household on the same account. My family’s data usage illustrates the benefits of the latter. Read more »
T-Mobile UK told customers its ‘unlimited’ data plan now offers just 500 MB a month of data instead of a less limited 1 GB, so perhaps it is time for networks and ISPs to finally stop faking the concept of all-you-can-eat data with marketing lingo. Read more »
Need help choosing a cell phone plan? It used to be easy but now that smartphone adoption is rising, there’s a wider wider range of considerations including available software applications, handset platforms, and the cost of a data connection. This guide should get you started. Read more »
