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AT&T invokes Title II status to dismiss FTC data throttling suit
AT&T definitely doesn't want to be regulated as a Title II "common carrier" internet provider, but it's happy to use that status to dodge charges of throttling customer data. The carrier just filed a motion to dismiss a recent suit by the FTC over "deceptive" mobile data throttling. It claims its common carrier status for providing voice services exempts it from the FTC's jurisdiction over data as well -- and that it should instead fall under the FCC's writ. The suit resulted after AT&T said that certain unlimited data plan customers would see throttled speeds, despite the fact that they paid for that to not happen. AT&T said that its common carrier designation, rather than specific services it provides (like data), means that "the FTC cannot rewrite the statute to expand its own jurisdiction."
Sprint and Verizon are doubling data on shared plans too
Not to be outdone by AT&T, Sprint and Verizon have now announced they are also going to double the data for users on shared mobile plans, at no extra cost. What's more, both carriers are bringing the promotion to family and business customers alike, making the news all the better. With Sprint, for example, you can get 120GB maximum for $225 per month on a family plan, while business accounts will receive up to 200GB for $330 -- on the former, there's also the $130 option, which lets you share 60GB between lines. Similarly, Verizon is set to double the data amount on its 20GB, 30GB, 40GB and 50GB More Everything plans; the 12GB and 16GB are making the jump as well, but only to 15GB and 30GB, respectively. Verizon's promo is kicking off tomorrow, with Sprint following suit the day after. But be sure to act fast, since the networks will only be offering this through the end of October.
Sprint offering new unlimited plan for $60 a month
One of the major issues with moving all your media to the Cloud is how expensive data plans can be for mobile devices. You don't want to pay hefty overages just to stream your favorite Sam Smith song all the time when you can store it on the device. Of course, that doesn't have to be a problem anymore if you're a Sprint customer. The mobile service is rolling out a new unlimited data plan, at $20 less a month than their closest competitor T-Mobile. Sprint's unlimited plan costs $60 a month, per line. That's a savings of $240 a year over T-Mobile. Sprint has experimented with unlimited plans in the past, but this is their simplest one yet. Today also marks the official start of the Sprint Spark enhanced LTE service program, which is designed to increase wireless data speeds across devices for all users. Sprint Spark is only available in 27 markets right now, but offers users average wireless speeds of 6-15Mbps on compatible devices. As we rely more and more on our mobile devices, it's good to see mobile carriers start to realize how unhappy customers are with data caps on mobile services. Now if they'd just do something about how expensive our coverage is in comparison to the rest of the world, we'd all be set.
AT&T to offer increased data plans for business
AT&T has announced that it's rolling out new, large data plans meant for businesses. Starting on March 22, businesses will be able to sign up to data plans covering either 30, 40 or even 50 GB of data per month, which can be shared across a number of phones on one plan. There is a standard charge per month for each tier, and then AT&T charges per phone on the rest of the plan. If you'd like, the business can even sign up other tablets or devices like laptops to the plan, allowing one plan to cover all of the devices your company uses. In addition to the new plans for businesses, there are also new data only plans for customers, which you can hook up to tablets, laptops or other devices, without paying extra for any phone charges. And finally, for businesses that need more than these larger plans, there's a Business Pooled Nation plan, which allows for up to 10 GB per device if you indeed need more bandwith or more devices than the standard plan allows. The limit is 25 devices for a 50 GB plan for businesses, or 10 devices on any of the plans for customers. But then again, if you have more devices than that, you're probably using more data every month anyway, right? The new plans, again, will go into effect on March 22. [via iMore]
Hands on with FreedomPop's free data for your iPad and iPod touch
FreedomPop's free data pitch is aimed at the thrifty consumer: put down a refundable deposit on a USB dongle or MiFi-style router (iPod touch cases are also an option) and receive a monthly 500 MB bandwidth stipend for life. For free. If it sounds too good to be true, well, it might be. But before I get to that, let me give you a general idea of where FreedomPop is coming from. Plans FreedomPop is currently a Clearwire 4G WiMAX rebundler (they will be moving to Sprint in 2013). You can use FreedomPop's equipment in any area that Clear currently services. You choose from three plans: Free 500 MB - US$0/month for the first 500 MB and then $0.02/MB after. That's $20.00/GB. This is the bottom feeder plan that many consumers will choose. Casual 2 GB - $18/month ("for a limited time") for the first 2 GB, and then $0.01/MB after, or $10/GB. Premiere 4 GB - $29/month ("for a limited time") for the first 4 GB, and then $0.01/MB after, the same $10/GB as Casual. Leaving family plan sharing aside, the Casual and Premiere data compare well to major carriers. AT&T's 250 MB/month plan costs $15 and $30 for 3 GB. Sprint offers 300 MB/month for $15 and 3 GB for $35. Verizon's offerings include 1 GB for $20 and 2 GB for $30. As you can see, FreedomPop's paid plans are competitive. What's more you can share this data among multiple devices if you select the Freedom Spot hotspot. It supports up to 8 devices at once, and offers up to 6 hours of use according to FreedomPop's marketing text. Penny Pinching Data Usage My concerns surround the Free 500MB plan. I suspect most users will choose this plan. I don't see how this loss-leader approach readily extends towards a revenue stream to ensure the company's health and longevity. That's because frugal users will likely disable FreedomPop's automatic top-off feature. In its default configuration, user accounts for the free plan auto-renew to paid $20 top-offs after 400 MB of bandwidth is used. Users can easily switch this feature off. (Set Billing > Billing Settings > Automatic Top Up > Enabled to No.) So where else can FreedomPop earn from its free users? It provides a low-rent data-for-completed-offers program. Sign up for clubs, mailing lists, surveys, etc. and FreedomPop extends your free data with one-time boosts. I honestly think users would probably prefer to pay $5 or $10 a month for the same 500 MB data plan and ensure the company's long-term health than see it try to make a go of it with this kind of low-end "sell your consumer information" approach. That's because unbundled data is a precious commodity, and one that's hard to find frugal solutions for. Ever since AT&T killed their data feature plans back in April, it's been something that many users have done without. As a point of comparison, Clear's unlimited data plans cost $35 and $50 for basic home and mobile use. These provide excellent alternatives for the high-end data consumer. It's the low-use, on-the-go consumer, who lives in areas with plentiful Wi-Fi who struggles to find an affordable solution for filling coverage gaps. Tony Miller, FreedomPop's marketing VP, has given hints that the company will try to build additional revenue streams by adding services like VoIP. I'm not convinced that this will work. Performance It's not hard to beat AT&T's 3G (aka "4G") data service if you live in Denver. As you can see from the SpeedTest.net screencap that follows, AT&T's service is just awful. And yes, I live in a supported area. Interestingly enough, I live outside the supported Clear zone. I'm in one of their "partially covered" rather than fully covered locations. (This translates to light green vs dark green on their service map.) FreedomPop's Clear-powered WiMAX data absolutely smokes AT&T, both at home and around town. Here's a typical test from my iPad, when connected through the Freedom Spot. Be aware that each test consumes a fair portion of your monthly allowance, so you don't want to be running many of these tests unless you're doing a write-up for a blog. Steve Sande, who lives about 10 miles south of me, uses Verizon on his 3G iPad. He regularly sees data numbers equal to or better than these while around Denver. Steve is in the middle of changing his iPhone AT&T service to Verizon for exactly these reasons. I may follow next year, when my current AT&T contract is up. FreedomPop will be switching from Clear's WiMAX network to Sprint's LTE next year. Conclusions As much as I love the budget data FreedomPop is offering, I do have concerns about the company's long-term health. Their low-end Free plan doesn't seem fully thought out to me. If you sign up, keep that in mind. At the same time, I've developed respect for Clear -- a service I never had an opportunity to test before. A quick Google search revealed mixed experiences with Clear customer support, but after this test, it's a service I'd consider using. I think it might work particularly as an alternative to my current iPhone-as-primary-data-consumer lifestyle, especially now that Apple offers the iPad mini. I'm holding onto the FreedomPop for a while, to continue testing. Here's hoping the company can make it work. I'm just not convinced it can.
T-Mobile drops 200MB smartphone data plan, 2GB now the new standard
T-Mobile silently killed off its $10 per month 200MB data plans, a leaked document reveals. A company spokesperson verified the news with Fierce Wireless. This decision is most likely due to the growing demand for mobile data as smartphone applications continue to evolve. Grandfathered customers will not be affected by this new policy, but will need to pay full price for a device and sign up for a "Value" plan when upgrading in order to maintain their existing service plan. T-Mobile now requires its smartphone customers to have a minimum data plan of 2GB or higher, which starts at $20 per month. While this change may make sense for most smartphone users, existing customers who are light on data and heavy on savings might have a different perspective when it's time to buy a new phone. Check out an extreme closeup of T-Mobile's document after the break.
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 20th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week was a bit slow, but we've managed to dig up a couple interesting MeeGo tidbits, along with an excellent utility for Nexus 7 / OS X users -- something to help you in the pursuit of slack. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of August 20th, 2012.
AT&T Mobile Share plans to be available beginning August 23rd
AT&T announced Mobile Share, its shared data plans, a couple weeks ago with the promise that they would arrive sometime in August. The carrier has finally confirmed the specific date: August 23rd. To catch up on exactly what these plans entail, read our lengthy analysis and see if it makes sense for you to move over.
AT&T and Verizon shared data plans compared
With the introduction of AT&T's Mobile Share this morning, the two largest mobile operators in the US (the other one, of course, being Verizon) have officially embraced the idea of pooled data plans. The concept is simple: bundle talk, text and data together in the same family plan, instead of forcing each individual member to pay a separate fee if they want internet access. With the announcement of these plans, we were instantly curious to find out if these new options will save customers money on a monthly basis -- and which company offers the best value. Determined to get some answers, we've broken down AT&T and Verizon's plans and will highlight the pros and cons for you after the break.
C-Spire debuts pre-paid tablet and hotspot plans
As far as regional carriers go, C-Spire is a pretty big deal. Which makes it all the more surprising that the company hasn't offered standalone pre-paid data plans until now. The southern cellphone network now has three tiers of pre-paid access for your tablet or Mi-Fi, beginning with a $15 100MB package that expires after a week. $30 nets you 300MB over two weeks, while the top tier grants you a whole month's access and 1GB of data -- but will set you back a rather steep $50. Of course, there's always post-paid solutions for the more demanding, that start at $20 for 1GB per-month and go up to $50 for 5GB. For more, check out the PR after the break.
T-Mobile brings out new mobile data plans mainly for the suits and ties, makes overage optional
T-Mobile just updated its prepaid data plans a month ago, and now it's the corporate crowd's turn for a shakeup. The new (and quite frankly daunting) array of primarily business-minded plans is based around whether or not you'd rather face throttling or overage fees if you push past a set cap. Overage Free plans for subsidized (Classic) and unsubsidized (Value) devices are largely self-explanatory and slow down that bandwidth cap-busting hotspot, modem or tablet until the next month. The High-speed plan range costs lower as a matter of course, but you'll be dinged to the order of two to 10 cents for every megabyte over the limit. That said, there's some bargains to be had versus other carriers, especially with the 5GB and 10GB plans. Provided you're happy with T-Mobile's coverage, it may be worth signing up to eke out a few extra dollars in savings every month.
Verizon's Share Everything data plans go live June 28th, let you add family (or a tablet) for a little extra
Verizon has been promising shared data plans for awhile, so it's with some relief (and trepidation) we can say they're here. Share Everything, as it's called, starts off with the assumption you'll want unlimited voice and messages and then bolts on shared data along with a maximum of 10 individual devices: a core plan starts at $50 per month for 1GB of data and requires that you tack on $40 a month for every smartphone, $30 for basic phones, $20 for hotspots and $10 for tablets. Of course, Verizon will gladly let you pay for more data if your family loves to stream Netflix on 4G all day, up to $100 for a common pool of 10GB. A stiff price, but it also includes tethering or hotspot creation support on any device in the mix. The new plans will be ready to tempt you away from your unlimited data on June 28th.
T-Mobile launches new contract-free, data-only plans
Not all of us want to be locked into a long term contract with a wireless carrier. Especially when it comes to data-only devices that might not get used on a regular basis. For those that want to grab a 4G dongle or a mobile hotspot and go, without the need sign their life over, T-Mobile is launching four new pre-paid data options. The 4G passes start at $15 for 300MB over the course of a week, all the way up to 5GB for $50 over the course of a month. The plans are available on the Sonic 4G and plain ol' T-Mobile 4G mobile hotspots as well as the Rocket 3.0 laptop stick, but tablet users can also hop on the bandwagon. The Galaxy Tab 10.1, 7,0 Plus and SpringBoard are all eligible for the No Annual Contract mobile broadband passes. You can start topping off your megabytes instead of your minutes on May 20th. For more details check out the PR after the break.
Verizon CFO says grandfathered unlimited plans on the way out
Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo shattered many a hopes and dreams today speaking at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference. During his address, Shammo indicated that customers who have been grandfathered in to the unlimited data plan may soon find themselves pushed into tiered territory, with the debut of the carrier's shared data plans. "Everyone will be on data share," Shammo said, clarifying that, "a lot of our 3G base is on unlimited... [and] when they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share." Obviously, with many customers clinging desperately to their truly unlimited usage in the shift to LTE, such a move would ruffle more than a few feathers. It's not clear if this will affect customers who have already made the leap to LTE devices or if it will be limited to customers migrating from 3G phones after a particular cut off date. We've reached out to Verizon for comment, but so far Big Red is keeping mum. We'll just have to take Shammo at his word for now. We hope you like data caps. To hear the comments in full hit up the source link. Update: We just finished listening through the entire webcast (we're still waiting for the transcript) and found the quote that is going to make most customers shake their fists in anger: "LTE is our anchor point for data share. So, as you come through an upgrade cycle and you upgrade in the future, you will have to go on to the data share plan. And moving away from, if you will, the unlimited world and moving everyone into a tiered structure data share plan." Doesn't get much clearer than that, but we're still hoping Verizon will come back and say Shammo was speaking out of turn... fingers crossed.
Two-thirds of Americans unwilling to spend over $50 a month on mobile data, says Parks Associates
In a recent report titled Mobile Data and Applications, research outfit Parks Associates found that a large chunk of Stateside consumers aren't willing to pay more than $50 per month for a mobile data plan. What's also interesting here -- but not surprising -- is the study shows nearly 50 percent of smartphone users are completely oblivious to the amount of data they're consuming every month. Parks Associates says this highlights the "risk" networks like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are taking by making the transition from all-you-can-have to those tiered data plans we're so fond of. The firm's Mobile Research Director, Harry Wang, sees this as a necessity for carriers, though, expressing that "moving mobile users to usage-based plans will be difficult and painful, but changes are necessary for operators to maintain revenues." So, are you part of the two-thirds keeping bits under 50 bucks? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.
AT&T announces new GoPhone data packages are coming on April 22nd
Earlier today, AT&T announced it's bringing new data packages to its pay-as-you-go plans starting on April 22nd. These packages will be available to folks using either the $50 Unlimited Talk & Text or the cheaper, text-only $25 offering. With the recent changes GoPhone's data bundles will now give you 1GB, 200MB and 50MB for $25, $15 and $5, respectively. Essentially, you'll be enjoying twice the amount of data while keeping your wallet usage to a minimum. You can check the full PR just past the break.
MetroPCS raises unlimited LTE data plan to $70, starts throttling others
Enjoying those quick, all-you-can-browse speeds on your LG Connect 4G? Well, it looks like soon you'll have to shell out a bit more cash to hold onto that beloved unlimited service. Earlier today, MetroPCS laid out the scheme to hike the pricing on its no-limits LTE offering, adding an extra $10 to the monthly fee. As for the others, the new $60 plan will now see a "soft" cap at 5GB of LTE data, while the lesser $50 and $40 deals are set at 2.5GB and 250MB, respectively. MetroPCS says you shouldn't worry, though, and that things "like Facebook, web surfing, etc., should continue to be solid." Good thing "solid" is unambiguous, right?
Leaked doc indicates T-Mobile could raise 5GB and 10GB data prices on April 4th
An alleged Magenta-branded memo's managed to find its way out of store lockup and land at the TmoNews offices, revealing some not-so-good news for potential future customers. Per the leaked document, T-Mobile's about to hike the price on its 5GB and 10GB Promotional Bundles data plans, starting as soon as April 4th. The changes would slap an extra $5 monthly fee on each Classic plan, boosting the 5GB to $35 / $40 and the 10GB to $65 / $70, however it'd only apply to customers signing up after the aforementioned April date. Perhaps, it's all part of T-Mo's "restructuring" plan...
Verizon CFO says shared data plans coming mid-year
We've already heard from Verizon's CEO Lowell McAdam that the carrier was planning to offer shared data plans. And leaks have indicated that the carrier is already prepping its backend system for the change. Now CFO Fran Shammo has narrowed down the time frame a bit for us, telling a group of investors that family data plans should debut towards the middle of the year. But, he was quick to clarify this isn't as simple as setting a launch date. The shift to the new billing system will take time and not everyone will be migrated on day one. Still, Shammo indicated it will be an important part of the ongoing transition to 4G and its future plans for mobile dominance.Update: We mistakenly identified Fran Shammo as the CTO when, in fact, he is the CFO.
Verizon shared data plans show up in employee training materials, still on track?
Verizon said it was working on a shared data solution for 2012, and according to an anonymous tipster, the new packages could be rolling out soon. We've been told that training material for an update to the outfit's internal account management application includes screenshots (one of which you can see above) that show a new section labeled "account level data plans." The new section apparently shows an account level charge for data allowance and a 9.99 charge per line. There's no word on exactly when these backend tweaks might translate into a new family data plan, but if it pans out the way we hope, AT&T's Ralph de la Vega may have to reconsider his oath of silence on Ma Bell's own data sharing plans.[Thanks, Anon]
