Smartphones with 3G can be the perfect way to connect a laptop to the web for short work sessions. This practice is termed “tethering”, as the laptop is “tethered” to the smartphone by USB cable or Bluetooth. Sometimes even Wi-Fi can be used for the tethering. The tethering allows the notebook to connect to the web using the phone as the gateway.
Carriers in the U.S. are reluctant to allow smartphone customers to tether notebooks, and those who have allowed the practice charge an extra monthly fee. Sprint customers have been longing for a tethering option given the carrier’s “Everything” plans. Unlimited data for a monthly fee makes Sprint plans a natural for tethering operations for mobile workers. Unfortunately, in a web chat a Sprint executive admitted that the carrier will not allow tethering with any of their smartphones that require Everything plans “from here on out.”
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