CellphonePlans
Latest
T-Mobile's new plans get official: starting at $60 for unlimited everything, throttling included
T-Mobile's just gone official with the new unlimited plans we caught wind of a few days ago, and while they are truly unlimited by numbers, they're not completely unlimited in functionality. The plans cost $79.99 for Even More customers (buy a subsidized device on contract) and $59.99 for Even More Plus subscribers (bring your own phone commitment-free). Either way this gets you unlimited data, domestic calling, and domestic messaging, with a $5 surcharge for BlackBerry users. Unlike Sprint's similar offering, once you pass the 2GB bandwidth mark, "data speeds will be reduced for the remainder of that bill cycle," essentially informing users that throttling will most certainly take place. In all, we're pleased to see the compromise T-Mo's put in place for data (whereas most other carriers are simply axing the unlimited option altogether), and we hope some of the competition takes heed. It does sound like a pretty sweet deal for those of you not grandfathered in on unlimited data plans. Still, for those of you interested, we suggest getting a jump on, as the (potentially leaked) press release reveals that these plans might only be available for a limited time.
Sprint's Dan Hesse differentiates between unlimited and 'unlimited' in latest TV spot
We're not the biggest fans of new tiered data plans that are slowly but surely becoming the norm, and if the latest ad from Sprint is any indication -- that particular carrier isn't either. CEO Dan Hesse takes the offensive, reminding viewers that the word 'unlimited' shouldn't include things like metering or throttling, while touting the company's "Simply Everything" plan that actually does include, uh, everything. With customer gains on the upswing, the move is probably a good one -- though that whole 'premium data' thing is a little iffy. Full PR after the break.
OTI report finds US and Canada have the most expensive cellphone plans, India and Hong Kong the cheapest
It's far from the first study to compare the cost of cellphone plans around the world, but this new report from the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative (which counts Google CEO Eric Schmidt as a board member) does look to be a bit more thorough than most, which might help to dissuade some of the criticism levied at past studies from the likes of the CTIA. Of course, the ultimate findings of the study aren't exactly a surprise, with the group again finding that the United States and Canada have the most expensive cellphone plans in the world. As you can see in the chart above, that takes into account voice, text and data rates, which added up to a minimum $67.70 and $59.99 per month for a "complete" postpaid cellphone package in Canada and the US, respectively. That's as opposed to just $13.50 and $12.90 per month in Hong Kong and India, which are considerably cheaper in large part because they ether rely on a pay-per-use business model or a combination of pay-per-use and a small preset limit. That's just scratching the surface though -- hit up the source link below for the complete report with charts aplenty.
AT&T leans harder on TDMA customer base
We kinda knew that AT&T was ready to start throwing the switches on its aging TDMA national network, but now the carrier is taking it to the customer with increased fees on older calling plans. Make that stiffing the customer, as those AT&T subs still using tried-and-true TDMA digital handsets on older AT&T "Blue" plans (non-GSM) are apparently now being charged $9.99 per month for sticking with those grandfathered calling and feature plans. So, if you're an "old" AT&T Wireless customer (pre-Cingular merger) using that Nokia 6160, be warned. We know some of those older plans have hard-to-beat prices for features, but AT&T really wants you off them. That, or pony up another $10 a month.
