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AT&T has just changed Unlimited Internet Usages terms, can I cancel without fees now?
At&t has changed their internet usage terms to include the banning of audio/video streaming and data tethering. This means Skype, Slingbox, and other video streaming services possibly youtube...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/...s-terms-of-service-to-forbid-video-streaming/
While I do like their coverage I find all these limiting factors extremely frustrating. I did not agree to these terms when i signed up, the only thing i agreed to was 5GB cap which I was not happy with either... I use skype a lot to call my family who live in Canada and enjoy the occasional slingbox stream but if i can't do these things anymore what the point of 3G, crappy web browing on a 2.8" screen? What I do with my bandwidth is my buisness as long as I don't break that cap i agreed to right?
Since they changed the terms of usage am I allowed cancel my service without early cancelation fees? If so I will be taking my buisness to T-Mobile and getting the new Touch Pro 2 when that comes out but until then I will be using a non 3G month to month payment plan
Tekka said:
At&t has changed their internet usage terms to include the banning of audio/video streaming and data tethering. This means Skype, Slingbox, and other video streaming services possibly youtube...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/...s-terms-of-service-to-forbid-video-streaming/
While I do like their coverage I find all these limiting factors extremely frustrating. I did not agree to these terms when i signed up, the only thing i agreed to was 5GB cap which I was not happy with either... I use skype a lot to call my family who live in Canada and enjoy the occasional slingbox stream but if i can't do these things anymore what the point of 3G, crappy web browing on a 2.8" screen? What I do with my bandwidth is my buisness as long as I don't break that cap i agreed to right?
Since they changed the terms of usage am I allowed cancel my service without early cancelation fees? If so I will be taking my buisness to T-Mobile and getting the new Touch Pro 2 when that comes out but until then I will be using a non 3G month to month payment plan
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Honestly, I believe a lot of TOS agreements are like this, no matter who the carrier is.
As long as you stay under the 5gb cap you should be fine. I think the reason they put this in there is because those are the things that use the most bandwidth.
You can always call their retentions department and tell them why you want to cancel and talk to them. I believe if they changed the TOS and the TOS was a part of your contract then they're voiding the contract, but I'm not sure about that since they're not changing rates on you.
Well I realized that there isn't really a way for them to track what i'm actually doing but I think this is just rediculous, ATT should really take out Unlimited wording in their advertising.
Another reason I want to cancel is month after month I have to deal with bills that absolutely make no sense, I was happy with T-mobile for over 4 years with no problems and the only reason I went back to ATT was because of the FUZE.
My area has a lot of competition for wireless contracts and that how I scored a free ATT Fuze, I bet with a little patience I can get a free Rhodium if I look hard enough...
ok when u meant unlimted internet usages are you talking bout the "personal PDA plan?" or the "tethering plan"??? cuz i got personal PDA plan on mine and i go on youtube through my fuze alot i dont see any changes whatsoever...plz someone tell me
Just a thought..... they are NOT going to enforce that because they have 3 services that they offer that include it... Cellular Video (CV), Mobi TV, and whatever the Mobi XM radio service is...
Just don't go over 5GB and if you do, chances are you can get out of it. If you get charged, PM me and I can tell you how to get out of that one.... ALSO, for those of you who don't know, a change in your TOS is a way to get out of your contract and cancel service without paying the cancellation fee... just a thought... Google it for specifics on what to say on the phone... their TOS has a loophole for you that will allow you out if they change something....
Read the latest news: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/atandt-retracts-new-terms-of-service-apologizes/
At&T realized that this change in policy was absurd and have retracted the changes.
XERO_Racer said:
ok when u meant unlimted internet usages are you talking bout the "personal PDA plan?" or the "tethering plan"??? cuz i got personal PDA plan on mine and i go on youtube through my fuze alot i dont see any changes whatsoever...plz someone tell me
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You won't see any difference until you go over the 5 GB per month limit.
Well it doesn't really matter what plan your on since this pretty much affects all 3g wireless connections and the 5GB limit applies to everything including broadband usb connect thingy.
Nowadays it easy to stream large videos, like yesterday while i was waiting at the doctor's office i decided to watch a short 30 minute episode of "Better off Ted" and that easily went over 130mb. I never used more than 2GB a month but there are alot of people who use their phone's 3g much more than me so i imagine they get pretty close to that 5GB.
The way I see it is since they revised their TOS it will make it harder to argue your way out of a large bill.
DrzNight said:
Read the latest news: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/atandt-retracts-new-terms-of-service-apologizes/
At&T realized that this change in policy was absurd and have retracted the changes.
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LOL WOW that came in only after a couple hours of the original announcement...I bet they were getting so many calls from bandwidth hungry iphone users lol...guess i gotta wait till Dec 2010 to cancel my contract now lol
Tekka said:
You won't see any difference until you go over the 5 GB per month limit.
Well it doesn't really matter what plan your on since this pretty much affects all 3g wireless connections and the 5GB limit applies to everything including broadband usb connect thingy.
Nowadays it easy to stream large videos, like yesterday while i was waiting at the doctor's office i decided to watch a short 30 minute episode of "Better off Ted" and that easily went over 130mb. I never used more than 2GB a month but there are alot of people who use their phone's 3g much more than me so i imagine they get pretty close to that 5GB.
The way I see it is since they revised their TOS it will make it harder to argue your way out of a large bill.
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seems like at&t has a problem now...but im always on MSN messenger, and surfing on opera, myspace, here, youtube at times etc....u think i might reach pass my limit by the time my billing cycle ends? i mean i wont be surfing 24/7 on it but ill be on msn messenger constantly oh and also i listen to the internet radio like 2-3 hours a day...i need ur advice thanks
UPDATE: ok soo i called in AT&T about this and well they only said its gonna against the Tethering and USB broadband services NOT the Unlimted PDA Personal plan that u can get for $30 a month, soo i guess its all good...for now
My friend just got out of his contract because they changed the TOS and he wanted the g1 (android) phone so he called them up told them he didn't agree and if they didn't let him go without the fee he would sue. They dropped him like a hot potato lol
Last mont I went way over 5GB tethering, torrenting and watching hulu all the time. No word from att yet. already paid my bill. No extra charges.
I have unlimited PDA personal+200 txts. No tethering. I reviewed on att website and as far as I understand that lingo, 5GB limit pertains only to PDA+tethering plan and to Dataconnect (for laptop cards).
See it yourself here: http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-plans/pda-personal-plans.jsp
Here is my data usage directly from my bill page:
Internet/MEdia Net
UNLIMITED
Used 11054.71MB of Unlimited
Smart money says this is why att has been stalling the release of 2.2 for the captivate. To all those who speculate that the cappy won't get official 2.2 i offer counter speculation that they will announce the push sometime between the 13th after the bloatware ATT apmobile launch and the end of February.
AT&T Details Pricing, Launch of AT&T Mobile Hotspot App Coming February 13
Application Provides Additional 2GB of Data, Bundled with AT&T Data Pro
Dallas, Texas, February 02, 2011
newsrelease
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AT&T* today announced select smartphone customers will soon be able to connect multiple devices from their smartphone – via Wi-Fi – thanks to the new AT&T Mobile Hotspot application. The feature will first be available February 13, beginning with the in-store launch of the HTC Inspire™ 4G. Bundled with the AT&T Data Pro plan, customers will benefit from a total of 4GB for $45 per month.
In addition, also on February 13th, to bring AT&T’s smartphone tethering plan in line with the AT&T Mobile Hotspot offer, AT&T will automatically add the additional 2GB of monthly data usage to smartphone customers already on a tethering plan – at no extra charge. Customers will incur the same $20 monthly fee they’re accustomed to paying, only now they’ll receive an extra 2GB of data each month.
AT&T Mobile Hotspot details include:
* Connectivity for multiple wireless devices to AT&T’s mobile broadband network
* 2 GB of data usage for $20 a month, bundled with AT&T’s Data Pro plan ($25 / 2GB)
* The combined AT&T Data Pro plus AT&T Mobile Hotspot will provide 4GB for $45 per month
* 4GB applies to collective use among all devices
* Overage fee of $10 per gigabyte
“Our customers want to connect as many devices as possible to the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, which is getting faster with 4G,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We want to extend the benefits of an additional 2GB to smartphone customers on our tethering plan. This delivers more value today for the price they’re already paying – and that’s what our customers want.”
Customers will receive a text message from AT&T – as soon as February 13 – once the additional 2GB has been auto-added to their plan.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
4G speeds delivered by HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul. Available in limited areas. Availability increasing with ongoing backhaul deployment. Learn more at att.com/network
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine.
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.
© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
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As far as I know, they have not yet announced which devices would be supported by this, and the requirements.
It's certainly a logical conclusion to make, but given the complete silence both companies have maintained, who knows what else is causing the delay (and of course, it does not help to explain why the Fascinate and Evo haven't seen their overdue upgrades either).
Already speculated in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=939114
stoobie-doo said:
As far as I know, they have not yet announced which devices would be supported by this, and the requirements.
It's certainly a logical conclusion to make, but given the complete silence both companies have maintained, who knows what else is causing the delay (and of course, it does not help to explain why the Fascinate and Evo haven't seen their overdue upgrades either).
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any device that has 2.2 or higher should be supported.
If you have a custom Rom, then it's already in there without paying....
sixstringsg said:
If you have a custom Rom, then it's already in there without paying....
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most everyone here would be aware of that.
But that could be the reason for the delay. The official leaked firmware also has it FREE. ATT has likely been developing this to have a way to lock it down in the official release and force those using the official update to pay for the ability.
To me that is ignorant (especially in the case of someone with a capped data plan). For instance, if you have a 2gb data cap why should it matter whether you burned through your 2gb on your phone or through a laptop tethered to it?
Would roms built on the at&t 2.2 have free tethering? Basically would it be possible to combine codes and get around at&t?
Samsung Captivate
Firefly 2.0.5
SpeedMod Q Big Mem
JK4 Modem
dang3r1917 said:
Would roms built on the at&t 2.2 have free tethering? Basically would it be possible to combine codes and get around at&t?
Samsung Captivate
Firefly 2.0.5
SpeedMod Q Big Mem
JK4 Modem
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should be people have gotten around it on tmobile. there is a file that has to be removed i think from system or framework then it works.
bames said:
should be people have gotten around it on tmobile. there is a file that has to be removed i think from system or framework then it works.
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Awesome. I haven't used it yet but I haven't been where I needed my laptop instead of my phone. It's good to know it's there though.
Also, are they going to lock down wifi access point through the phone? It's basically the same thing right, a computer using the 3g network to go online?
Samsung Captivate
Firefly 2.0.5
SpeedMod Q Big Mem
JK4 Modem
dang3r1917 said:
Also, are they going to lock down wifi access point through the phone?
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That's the tethering we're talking about here. WiFi AP = Mobile HotSpot. I know in the case of Rogers 2.2, wifi APP will tunnel through a hidden app to verify your account before it alow you to connect. However, if you root your phone and delete that specific apk file from system/app folder, the wifi AP will work like normal. I believe Vibrant ROM is the same thing.
Although, when AT&T said it will offer a Mobile HotSpot app, I'm not sure if it will require another separate AT&T app so that you can not easily bypass it. If that's the case, it will involve devs here to update the kernel to add the wifi AP back.
Fox Mulder to Dana Scully
This all sounds like The X-Files to me
foxbat121 said:
Although, when AT&T said it will offer a Mobile HotSpot app, I'm not sure if it will require another separate AT&T app so that you can not easily bypass it. If that's the case, it will involve devs here to update the kernel to add the wifi AP back.
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Any wonder why AT$T is slow to release updates? Because thinking like this leads to abuses of their products and systems thus making them have to redesign the software to prevent the abuse. If you're tethering without a plan, you're part of the problem the rest of us users are having to deal with. Not to mention the network slowdowns all that unfettered tethering is causing.
Miami_Son said:
Any wonder why AT$T is slow to release updates? Because thinking like this leads to abuses of their products and systems thus making them have to redesign the software to prevent the abuse. If you're tethering without a plan, you're part of the problem the rest of us users are having to deal with. Not to mention the network slowdowns all that unfettered tethering is causing.
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thats non-sense for 2 reasons.
1. If you are on a capped data plan. They shouldn't care whether you tether/mobile ap or not. You use your 2GB and go over you get billed regardless of whether the data was used specifically on your phone or a laptop via tethering. You tell me the difference.
2. I DONT ABUSE the service. I have had my phone since June and i have used mobile/AP twice. Both instances were severe storms where my home internet was knocked out and i got on via tether or mobileAP long enough to get updated news on the weather. I never go over the cap and over the course of 12 months might have 3-4 times when tether/mobile AP would be needed in the event of home internet being down in which case i am not doing any significant data usage.
3. The part of the problem with slowdowns is a provider not a user problem. Its called investing in your infrastructure to meet the needs of your customers. There is a need and desire for unlimited data plans (not to mention the only legitimate reason to have a paid plan for tethering is if someone has unlimited data which they no longer offer). You get charged $10 for each GB of data you go over your limit so why not let people on capped plans police their own tethering and pay for the overages when/if they use it. (for instance....if your capped @ 2gb and you use 4GB your billed and addition $20 ..so $25 data plan + $20 overage data fee...or $45 total the same price as tethering. So now what if some months you only used 3GB.....if it was all on your phone your data was $35....why should it cost $10 more or $45 if the data was moved via tethering. In summation the way the data is used is not relevant....it is the amount of data. I think even for those with "unlimited" data there is a soft cap @ around 5GB so your argument doesn't make much sense coupled with the fact that alot of the heavy data usage has come from iphone users with unlimited plans who are using a large amount of data via their iphone NOT TETHERING.
Miami_Son said:
Any wonder why AT$T is slow to release updates? Because thinking like this leads to abuses of their products and systems thus making them have to redesign the software to prevent the abuse. If you're tethering without a plan, you're part of the problem the rest of us users are having to deal with. Not to mention the network slowdowns all that unfettered tethering is causing.
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So, tell me this: when AT&T deliberately disabled HSUPA on Captivate (you're capped at 300kbps upload max while iPhone can go over 1mbps upload), what kind of abuse AT&T tries to prevent us doing?
I use tethering very rarely but I want to keep my options open. My monthly average data usage is about 300MB. Compared to some others posted here that uses 1 or 2GB a day even without tethering, it is safe to say I'm not the one cause AT&T's network problem.
foxbat121 said:
So, tell me this: when AT&T deliberately disabled HSUPA on Captivate (you're capped at 300kbps upload max while iPhone can go over 1mbps upload), what kind of abuse AT&T tries to prevent us doing?
I use tethering very rarely but I want to keep my options open. My monthly average data usage is about 300MB. Compared to some others posted here that uses 1 or 2GB a day even without tethering, it is safe to say I'm not the one cause AT&T's network problem.
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Nevermind him...he doesn't have clue 1 what he is talking about.
Att themselves admitted that they data congestion and slowness was due to the iphone users and underestimating how much data they would be and were using. (most of which had nothing to do with tethering).
bames said:
There is a need and desire for unlimited data plans (not to mention the only legitimate reason to have a paid plan for tethering is if someone has unlimited data which they no longer offer). You get charged $10 for each GB of data you go over your limit so why not let people on capped plans police their own tethering and pay for the overages when/if they use it. (for instance....if your capped @ 2gb and you use 4GB your billed and addition $20 ..so $25 data plan + $20 overage data fee...or $45 total the same price as tethering. So now what if some months you only used 3GB.....if it was all on your phone your data was $35....why should it cost $10 more or $45 if the data was moved via tethering. In summation the way the data is used is not relevant....it is the amount of data. I think even for those with "unlimited" data there is a soft cap @ around 5GB so your argument doesn't make much sense coupled with the fact that alot of the heavy data usage has come from iphone users with unlimited plans who are using a large amount of data via their iphone NOT TETHERING.
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Each of the major carriers are facing similar problems with the top 5-10% of people consuming a large portion of the data and causing load on the network. T-mobile addressed the problem by throttling data once you pass a certain point. Verizon just changed their terms of service today and is addressing the problem by throttling the top 5% of data users for up to 61 days (depending on where you are in your billing cycle): http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/verizon-can-now-throttle-top-five-percent-of-bandwidth-hogs-down/ . AT&T is addressing the problem with tiered data plans and charging per 1GB overage.
Personally, I wish the carriers would give you an option. Option 1, unlimited data with a $20 tethering charge and throttling if you exceed a certain amount. Or Option 2, a tiered data plan for a set price and no tethering charge, pay as you go per 1 GB overage.
While I know people will be upset if they can't get unlimited data + tethering for $15 per month because that is what they had with their old mediamax plan, I think it is an acceptable compromise for the carriers to charge heavy data users more money so they can invest it in making the infrastructure faster and adding more coverage. I'd just like to have more choice in how it works.
bames said:
...To me that is ignorant (especially in the case of someone with a capped data plan). For instance, if you have a 2gb data cap why should it matter whether you burned through your 2gb on your phone or through a laptop tethered to it?
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Because to AT&T that is all money in their pockets.
If you have a 2GB data plan, that doe snot mean you will use 2GB that month, or any month. AT&T knows this. They also know that if you have multiple avenues to tap into that 2GB, you will be more likely to use more of it.
I have the unlimited plan, and while I was on a blackberry I think my highest utilization in a month was 200 MB. Multiply that by a few million customers and you can see there is a huge potential for overloading AT&T's network if they all decided to start using even half of their cap in a month.
I am not defending AT&T's move here, but I can see their reasoning behind making tethering difficult for the average customer to get.
Miami_Son said:
Any wonder why AT$T is slow to release updates? Because thinking like this leads to abuses of their products and systems thus making them have to redesign the software to prevent the abuse. If you're tethering without a plan, you're part of the problem the rest of us users are having to deal with. Not to mention the network slowdowns all that unfettered tethering is causing.
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The other carriers dont seem to have this issue. I dont believe they should legally be able to charge for tethering or doing anything else IP related on a data plan. They're free to charge whatever they want per kilobyte used or they can cut people off if they go over and they really can't handle the excess usage. If you aren't familiar with net neutrality then I'm sure that sounds like a scary assertion. It's far from a simple topic though and there is more at stake than ATT's rights as a company.
If you're tethering without a plan, you're part of the problem the rest of us users are having to deal with.
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If you're on the opposing side of net neutrality then you're part of a much, much larger problem.
joeybear23 said:
Because to AT&T that is all money in their pockets.
If you have a 2GB data plan, that doe snot mean you will use 2GB that month, or any month. AT&T knows this. They also know that if you have multiple avenues to tap into that 2GB, you will be more likely to use more of it.
I have the unlimited plan, and while I was on a blackberry I think my highest utilization in a month was 200 MB. Multiply that by a few million customers and you can see there is a huge potential for overloading AT&T's network if they all decided to start using even half of their cap in a month.
I am not defending AT&T's move here, but I can see their reasoning behind making tethering difficult for the average customer to get.
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2gb's is 2gb's. Charging for tethering is like charging me more for 2 gallons of gasoline in a rectangular shaped gas can than you charge for 2 gallons of gasoline in a cylindrical shaped can.
Even in your scenario....longterm taking advantage of your customers in a scam doesn't make sense and it still negates that fact that many of the high data users aren't tethering they are iphone users who do all of their internet use on their phone (including people streaming netflix to their iphones). If a user uses 2gb all tethering they shouldn't be charged more than an iphone user who uses 2gb all on their phone.
I totally agree. Charge for tethering has more to do with extra $$ in carrier's pocket than anything else. If your network can't handle the load, throttling on everyone is an acceptable solution, not just the top data hog. Top data hog can be dealt with a cap.
What I don't like is they offer so called 'unlimited' plan then if you use over a few GBs, they start to apply soft caps, either cut you off or throttle you down significantly (T-Mo). This kind of practice should be illegal.
I'd propose following data plan schema:
1. Two tiered: premium vs economic. Premium tier offer a 2 or 4GB hard cap at full speed. Over the cap, you can opt to pay $$$ per GB or simply cut off data connection. Economic tier offer 250 to 350 MB hard cap with much lower speed. Over the cap, you can opt to pay $$$ per MB or simply cut off data connection.
2. Throttling: if network congestion happens, everyone on the network at that moment get throttled down equally until the network traffic eases. Basically, offer a minimum QoS guarantee.
3. Get rid of tethering charge. It can be totally covered by #1 and #2.
Of course, it makes too much sense. No carrier will do it.
Is it possible to change the tethering application built into most roms so that it won't deincrement the ttl value?
where did you get this info at?
http://osxdaily.com/2011/03/17/att-cracking-down-on-unofficial-iphone-tethering-mywi-users/
http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/03/18/att.clamps.down.on.unofficial.tethering.users/
If you dig through the comments on those articles, it appears that the people who receive the letters are using in excess of 5GB on their unlimited data plan.
Case in point: One of the comments was from a guy who said that his wife was sent the notice from AT&T. From what he says, she hasn't ever tethered, but she's always listening to streaming audio or watching streaming video.
This is nothing new for AT&T. They have long held that 5GB is 'effectively unlimited' for a smartphone, and that anyone who uses more must be using a computer tethered to the phone. With the phones we have now, that simply is not the case anymore. But AT&T is using that as an excuse to try and get people off of the unlimited plans and on to something where they can charge customers more money.
Krynn! said:
If you dig through the comments on those articles, it appears that the people who receive the letters are using in excess of 5GB on their unlimited data plan.
Case in point: One of the comments was from a guy who said that his wife was sent the notice from AT&T. From what he says, she hasn't ever tethered, but she's always listening to streaming audio or watching streaming video.
This is nothing new for AT&T. They have long held that 5GB is 'effectively unlimited' for a smartphone, and that anyone who uses more must be using a computer tethered to the phone. With the phones we have now, that simply is not the case anymore. But AT&T is using that as an excuse to try and get people off of the unlimited plans and on to something where they can charge customers more money.
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I hope you're right.
Also just saw this......I personally dont tether much but have used mobile AP. Might be worth looking into for those that do tether.
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2011/03/18/att-shutting-down-unauthorized-tetherers/
cnigro1279 said:
Also just saw this......I personally dont tether much but have used mobile AP. Might be worth looking into for those that do tether.
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2011/03/18/att-shutting-down-unauthorized-tetherers/
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If they are using ttl to detect tethering, then mobile ap would be effected. I'm not sure if usb tethering does deincrement ttl. All the reports seem to be mentioning WiFi tethering.
i think its a scare tactic.
I don't think they are detecting tethering. I think they are targeting people going beyond a certain threshold of usage as suspected tethereres (4gb or 5gb or more likely)
bames said:
i think its a scare tactic.
I don't think they are detecting tethering. I think they are targeting people going beyond a certain threshold of usage as suspected tethereres (4gb or 5gb or more likely)
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+1
Just a scare tactic. I'm on my 11th day of this months cycle, and between tethering, mobile ap, and downloads, I'm sitting at 9gb of data usage and haven't heard anything from AT&T. Yet
vunuts said:
+1
Just a scare tactic. I'm on my 11th day of this months cycle, and between tethering, mobile ap, and downloads, I'm sitting at 9gb of data usage and haven't heard anything from AT&T. Yet
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WOW what are you doing to use 9gb of data lol.
Even though i think its more of a scare tactic i think it can be done...its just not cost efficient to do it wide scale unless their is a huge red flag...like oh say 9gb of data usage . I won't be surprised if you get a letter if your usage rates continually reach anywhere near that later as i suspect that is the type of red flag that may cause them to actually take the time to audit the account and look at the ttl/packet data more closely.
if you have a 2gb or even unlimited and tether never going over 2gb i seriously doubt you would received letter or raise an eyebrow.
This goes back to my initial thought on how stupid their marketing team and management decisions are.
ALLOW FREE TETHERING
Pay for the extra data you need. It breaks down to the same cost...they are just being short sighted and greedy hoping people will think oh...2gb more data for 20bucks and then continue to not even fully use the 2gb they already had paid for on their smartphones plan (they are playing on peoples ignorance of how much data they are actually using). Part of good business and sales is fitting the client with their needs so they can afford it and continue to be a good longterm customer rather than bilking them for services they don't need or use (much like requiring all smartphones to have data plans when some smartphone users could be completely happy with a smartphone and wifi only usage).
If i have $25 2gb plan and want to tether and don't go over 2gb DON'T CHARGE EXTRA or REQUIRE TETHERING. If i go over charge me by the GB just like you would if i used all the data on my smartphones. 2gb Plan + 2gb overage =$45 for that months data (shouldn't matter whether it was used tethered or untethered). If i have a 2gb plan and tether and only use 3gb for the plan why not allow my to pay for 3gb data instead of forcing me to pay for 4gb/tethering. Let people police and pay for their usage. DATA IS DATA and it doesn't cost more for att to deliver 4gb to a tethered user than it does to someone using the 4gb downloading torrents or streaming movies on their smartphone.
Seems like it would be great customer relations, marketing, and a blow to verizon if ATT and came out with a marketing campaign that said Free Mobile AP/Tethering. Use as much data as you need....pay for the data you use. If those still grandfathered under unlimited plans are the concern you could easily audit those accounts if the usage is excessive and either throttle or require tethering for unlimited plans only which might encourage more people to give up the unlimited and take one of the tiered plans. They talk about tethers using all the data while i suspect those doing a combination of significant streaming and downloading torrent using in an untethered state.
A good question is why is one industry being allowed wipe their A** with net neutrality (with so little backlash)
bames said:
WOW what are you doing to use 9gb of data lol.
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Lol, I just opened my own auto shop, and we have yet to get internet hooked up in there, so I'm tethered to my desktop there for about 5-8 hours a day. I wouldn't be surprised if I do hear from AT&T, but they can't do anything to me. They've tried before and I fought them and won. I have unlimited text and data and I'm going to use it to my advantage. If they want to try and blow smoke up my ass, go for it. I'll blow it right back
Funny how this coincided with the new bandwidth cap for cable customers... AT&T is slowly trying to eliminate all unlimited customers. I wish they spent as much time working on increasing signal strength across the US as they do finding ways to squeeze more money from their customers.
vunuts said:
+1
Just a scare tactic. I'm on my 11th day of this months cycle, and between tethering, mobile ap, and downloads, I'm sitting at 9gb of data usage and haven't heard anything from AT&T. Yet
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I thought my 3 -4 gb / month was a lot.
Isn't a byte of data still a byte of data no matter how you view your porn.
what they are doing with tethering would be akin charging us $10 per month to use google navigation.
They could say "hey our navigation per att nav with your device is $10 per month.....if you want to use navigation on your phone you must have a navigation plan add on and if you try to use another free navigation program we can tell and will change your plan without your permission"
I don't get any letters, but I get a "friendly call" from AT&T about every other month asking why I use so much data. I've been on unlimited since it first came out and I'm taking full advantage of it. When I get the call about my usage, I start downloading on my phone, just to eat more data. I've downloaded several ISOs of Linux distros and MS ISOs from the MSDN. Is it my fault I signed up for 'unlimited data' or is it there fault they didn't look into the future? ComCast tried to complain when I pulled down over 300gb in a month and wanted to charge me for it. Sent off a copy of the original contract and there was no bandwidth cap in it. It becomes a breach of contract if you haven't physically signed anything new accepting and agreeing to the new changes.
If you don't mind switching carriers (which isn't that attractive because they all suck and use the same ploys pretty much)
but if they change your plan (for example adding a tethering plan to your account) you have 30 days to cancel your contract WITHOUT penalty no matter how many months you have remaining.
bames said:
If you don't mind switching carriers (which isn't that attractive because they all suck and use the same ploys pretty much)
but if they change your plan (for example adding a tethering plan to your account) you have 30 days to cancel your contract WITHOUT penalty no matter how many months you have remaining.
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This is true. You can avoid any early termination fees and essentially end your contract in good standing credit wise.
pbclst said:
I don't get any letters, but I get a "friendly call" from AT&T about every other month asking why I use so much data. I've been on unlimited since it first came out and I'm taking full advantage of it. When I get the call about my usage, I start downloading on my phone, just to eat more data. I've downloaded several ISOs of Linux distros and MS ISOs from the MSDN. Is it my fault I signed up for 'unlimited data' or is it there fault they didn't look into the future? ComCast tried to complain when I pulled down over 300gb in a month and wanted to charge me for it. Sent off a copy of the original contract and there was no bandwidth cap in it. It becomes a breach of contract if you haven't physically signed anything new accepting and agreeing to the new changes.
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For every time they call and ask you you should place 20 calls to their customer support line asking them why someone called you again and telling them you just wanted to make sure they knew you had an unlimited data plan because someone keeps calling.
vunuts said:
Lol, I just opened my own auto shop, and we have yet to get internet hooked up in there, so I'm tethered to my desktop there for about 5-8 hours a day. I wouldn't be surprised if I do hear from AT&T, but they can't do anything to me. They've tried before and I fought them and won. I have unlimited text and data and I'm going to use it to my advantage. If they want to try and blow smoke up my ass, go for it. I'll blow it right back
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I'm sorry, but this attitude just rubs me raw. Cell phones were never designed to be ISPs. It's abusers like you that have made it hard for the rest of us by forcing AT$T to eliminate unlimited plans and by slowing down the network with your extreme usage. Why do so many feel the need to squeeze whatever they can however they can out of a company? If you think they're screwing you then simply take your business elsewhere.
People receiving the letter today are iphone users? am i correct? Did any android user receive it?
Hi,
I've been looking through GS4G threads and haven't seen any posts on the GS4G threads about this. I'm pretty disappointed with this phone, but I have a lot of confidence that with the mods that can come out it'll be a good investment. I originally was informed that the phone can be rooted and rommed to make it its own wifi without needing to pay for internet access through the carriers and that's why I bought it. (I think it was by using Busybox? I don't remember) - but has anyone done this and is it really possible to do this? So many sales points made by the TM guys have proven to be wrong, I am now questioning this point also.
My phone was unlocked by a local service for $30 after 3 minutes work. I now have Simple Mobile and I'm happier than I was with TM. It does still seem that everything has to be routed through Goog, nearly every function must pass through the cloud and that's why so much data use is sucked up so quickly and my experience so far is that the Android platform is either surprisingly unstable or so far advanced that a simple mind such my own cannot quite grasp it's nuances...yet.
But I digress - can this phone be made into it's own internet AP without having to pay TM, ATT, etc?
All helpful comments welcomed and acknowleged.
Cheers,
Moved to proper forum
I search a wiget hotspot on market n work very good for wifi tether
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA App
built in wifi
The Mobile AP works without being charged.
Hmm...
So are you saying that you want to be able to use data service on your phone without paying for the data service...or are you saying that you have data service and want to tether or use your phone as a hotspot to use your data plan on another device without paying the AP fee?
If it's the former...I really don't think that that is possible...because everyone would be doing it. The data part of my family plan is something like 60 bucks...I'd love to be saving that every month. The fact is, none of the carriers would allow that. The data is tracked and I can't imagine it would be possible to sneak it under their radars without getting a nasty letter.
If it's the latter, yes. Root your phone (In most cases) and download a free tethering or wifi app (I use EasyTether, but there are several out there). Follow instructions. Easy Peasy. Tethering and/or Mobile AP without paying the $15 or whatever fee. But (And someone correct me if I'm wrong here) I do not think that you can use tethering or mobile AP without having a paid for data service from a carrier. Sorry.
There are also people saying that if you use the built in tethering/mobile AP ability on your device without having paid for the service through T-mo, that as long as use it lightly, T-mo will ignore it. I have heard accounts of people using it too much and getting an email from T-mo basically saying "Hey quit that...pay for it, you greedy bastard" (Paraphrased).
Also...What exactly is your disappointment with this device? If you let us know exactly what your issues with it are...there is a chance that we can give you advice or a workaround to get the most of your device...that's what we're for. At very least we can point you to a thread that already exists to help you out.
Pretty simple... the mobile ap included within the phone works fine.... use it as an AP as much as you like.. tmobile's fine with it cuz they know as soon as you hit the 5gb thresh your gonna be throttled down. Doesn't matter if you root and download 3rd party AP software cuz as soon as you hit the 5gb your all done.
In my opinion I think this is totally fine for TMOBile to do.. although I wish they were clear about the 5gb cap when you sign the 2year agreement. I had Sprint 4g before this and Att before that and this is the first internet connection I would drop my home internet for.... of course if it had true unlimited bandwidth. At work and at home I get a steady 7+mbps down and 1.5mpbs up with a 65 to 100 ping... when I'm using it at home it hardly seems noticeably slower or less snappy than my 20mbps comcast connection.
I think ultimately if they are going to throttle they should raise the limitation to about 15gb or so and be very upfront to the customer when they sign... That would take away about 99 percent of the complaints they get and give us some headroom.. also would still guarantee no one's gonna be running their website or downloading 100's of gigs of torrents over a cell tower..
All carriers throttle...no carriers have "true" unlimited data. T-Mo is pretty upfront about the throttling. I mean...it's there...in black in white. I knew about it when I signed up for my service. There's no reason that anyone doing any form of research before just jumping into a two-year contract would not be able to find that information as well.
Also...the reason they throttle is to keep users from using it as their home internet. That's not what it is intended for and if everyone was doing that...it would prolly have cataclysmic effects on the network (Again...correct me if I'm wrong here).
I have a hard time believing that your mobile connection is faster than your home cable internet...But I can't prove my suspicion...so that aside, the 5gb limit is way more than enough if you are using your mobile internet for just browsing and downloading apps or streaming media. I would consider myself I pretty hard-core mobile internet user and I have never hit 5gb in a month...that being said...I'm also not trying to use it as my home internet. I don't use it to download torrents or stream entire movies or play online games. Besides...T-mo only throttles your bandwidth after hitting 5gb...at least they don't shut you down like other carriers.
The fact is...there is no Unlimited mobile data...but as far as it goes...T-Mo has the best plan out there. Great coverage, 4g, 5gb limit and only then they throttle you back a bit.
Sigh...I should be working in the mobile technology business...instead I'm working a mind-numbing production job for **** pay. Not applicable to the thread...but I really felt like pining.
wmikemoon said:
All carriers throttle...no carriers have "true" unlimited data. T-Mo is pretty upfront about the throttling. I mean...it's there...in black in white. I knew about it when I signed up for my service. There's no reason that anyone doing any form of research before just jumping into a two-year contract would not be able to find that information as well.
Also...the reason they throttle is to keep users from using it as their home internet. That's not what it is intended for and if everyone was doing that...it would prolly have cataclysmic effects on the network (Again...correct me if I'm wrong here).
I have a hard time believing that your mobile connection is faster than your home cable internet...But I can't prove my suspicion...so that aside, the 5gb limit is way more than enough if you are using your mobile internet for just browsing and downloading apps or streaming media. I would consider myself I pretty hard-core mobile internet user and I have never hit 5gb in a month...that being said...I'm also not trying to use it as my home internet. I don't use it to download torrents or stream entire movies or play online games. Besides...T-mo only throttles your bandwidth after hitting 5gb...at least they don't shut you down like other carriers.
The fact is...there is no Unlimited mobile data...but as far as it goes...T-Mo has the best plan out there. Great coverage, 4g, 5gb limit and only then they throttle you back a bit.
Sigh...I should be working in the mobile technology business...instead I'm working a mind-numbing production job for **** pay. Not applicable to the thread...but I really felt like pining.
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A lot of what you say is true but, I was not told about the throttling when I got my UNLIMITED DATA plan. I came from a company that had truly UNLIMITED DATA. I was with them since 2006 and never once had a letter about my data use nor was I EVER throttled. I had excellent Download speeds and could easily use streaming media. That company was Alltel. It is the BEST cell phone service I have ever had. Unfortunately, they sold out in my area first to Verizon in Maricopa county then AT&T in Pinal county Arizona. This is a great loss. With TMO I get 2G Edge speed at best unless I drive 40 miles into town. On my laptop it takes 3 to 5 minutes to load my gmail account. Where I am at I can get satellite or cell service only for internet. I am a truck driver so it doesn’t pay to get satellite because I am not home enough to use it. At best I get 16 t0 20KB/SEC down. I reached my 5GB limit this weekend and am being throttled for the next week or so. I talked to customer service and explained my situation to a supervisor and her comment was “It looks like we are throttling all the time and now throttling you even more. When I talk to the rep at the TMO store a week or so ago about the throttling he failed to tell me about he admitted that TMO would slow my service from 4G down to 2G. What TMO has done to me was slow me down to 1G. Right now it takes 3 to 4 minutes’ to download 1MB. I had faster download speeds with NETZERO dialup for $8.00 a month back in the 90’s. I was miss-lead by TMO both in their advertising and thru representation. I can’t say I blame my rep so much because I’m sure they are trained to only give you enough information to make the sale, which means they are trained to withhold the TRUTH or at least not disclose the meaning on “UNLIMITED” unless you pry it out of them. Truthfully, I like the people at my TMO store. They are very helpful. It’s just they are bound by the corporate Greed that makes their paycheck. I will likely not be with TMO much longer. I like my phone but the service sucks.
It works just fine.
Don't abuse it, use it only when needed and you will be fine. Otherwise, they will "recommend" you to add the whatever-is-called-tethering add on.
In fact, everyone: Don't abuse it and they will probably leave it as it is... Until the att takeover takes place (ouch)
fosormic said:
It works just fine.
Don't abuse it, use it only when needed and you will be fine. Otherwise, they will "recommend" you to add the whatever-is-called-tethering add on.
In fact, everyone: Don't abuse it and they will probably leave it as it is... Until the att takeover takes place (ouch)
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With that attitude you will conform to whatever these corporations want to shove down our throats. Every day corporations are charging us more and more and giving us less and less. Then they buy up the few companies left that are giving us value for our money. Soon we will back to one choice like back in the Ma Bell days and you will be standing right up front saluting the Beast.
Like I said...All carriers throttle. I'm glad that a company that is not around anymore didn't throttle...but that was also before mobile data really took off. I'm pretty sure what happened is people started using mobile data for their home internet and started clogging the tubes (or you know...airwaves or whatever) and the major carriers did what they had to do...which means throttling. If they didn't throttle...people would be using mobile data for their home use and making it so people, like myself who pay for cable internet but like to browse or whatever on the go, would suffer...which isn't fair considering me and people like me are using (and paying for) the mobile data for what it is intended for.
In your last post you berated a fellow poster for saying to use the tethering but not to abuse it. You basically said that his attitude was that of a conformer to major corporations...This boggles my mind. Really and truly...T-mo wants you to pay for the tethering and if you use it without paying for it...you are rebelling to corporate standards...so your comment makes no sense.
The fact that T-mo takes the stance that they do on the tethering without paying for tethering thing earns my respect. They're basically saying "You know what...we ****ed up and made it so you can use the tethering option without paying for it...just don't be a **** and we'll look the other way."
Also, If you root and or mod your phone in any way...and something happens and you have to send your phone in to T-mo...they tend to look the other way. Can Verizon or Att say that? Hell no...Att is trying to make it so their phones CAN'T be rooted or modded in anyway. Ask an Atrix user.
Sounds like to me you are just whining because T-mo didn't tell you about the throttling. Again, I stand by my earlier statement...Do your research before jumping into a Two-Year contract. It's there...everything is...you just have to READ it. That goes for ANYTHING that you sign a contract for. When you buy a new car...do you just skip everything the contract says and sign it? Of course not. You read that **** because you don't wanna be screwed. Companies exist to make money off of you...plain and simple...so if they make you sign a contract...you best do your research to know exactly what they are offering...and if you don't....I have absolutely no sympathy for you what-so-ever. It's you with the egg on your face...just because you didn't take the time to read.
I agree with tmobile on Throttling to a degree.. and I understand the reasoning BUT.. I still believe their advertising and plans are a bit misleading... For example I went to a tmobile store here in Eugene.. talked about plans and speeds with a tmo rep and was told nothing about the limits. Also I bought my galaxy 4g at Radio Shack and also was told nothing about it.. I looked on TMO's website and found in their agreement this>>>>>>> "Your data session, plan, or service may be slowed, suspended, terminated, or restricted if you use your service in a way that interferes with or impacts our network or ability to provide quality service to other users"
That is pretty vague when in reality there is a solid 5gb max.. whether it's on your 1st day of service or 2nd to last day...
I knew about the limits before only because of these message forums... but even after reading the fine print i wouldn't have known for sure
Protective Measures: To provide a good experience for the majority of our customers and minimize capacity issues and degradation in network performance, we may take measures including temporarily reducing data throughput for a subset of customers who use a disproportionate amount of bandwidth. If your total usage exceeds 5GB (amount is subject to change without notice; please check T-Mobile’s T&Cs on www.T-Mobile.com for updates) during a billing cycle, we may reduce your data speed for the remainder of that billing cycle. If you use your Data Plan in a manner that could interfere with other customers’ service, affect our ability to allocate network capacity among customers, or degrade service quality for other customers, we may suspend, terminate, or restrict your data session, or switch you to a more appropriate Data Plan.
Copied from the Terms and Conditions which has a link on literally every single page on T-Mo's website and is clearly marked in the section titled "Data Plans and Other Features".
Alternatively, on Verizon's site...You can only get to the details about their data package after adding a voice plan and phone to your cart...at which point it gives a vague description of their throttling rules that do not mention exact amounts. It just says that it can throttle your speed whenever it feels like.
So again...not seeing a problem here...
Using GS4G as hot spot
Thanks for all your replies. It took me a while to find where the thread went.
Yes, I did mean turning the phone into it's own router/internet AP without tethering. My BB used Tether and it was great and that of course used my data plan from SPrint. No problem with that - I'm a very light user. But Android is different - just about every app uses the web so it's a data hog, even though I'm a light user.
I know that TM and others permit tethering as a built in or as a work around with a third party app. But I was told - apparently incorrectly - that the GS4G could do the same thing as a router without any cap set by the carrier. Hmm. Maybe there's a way to develop and independent app to do just that... but that's way beyond my pay grade.
Misc - 1). I guess I filed this thread under the wrong heading. Sorry, Mr. C and thanks for the course correction; 2). What issues do I have with the phone? Well, the biggest one is that suddenly - after I changed to Simple Mobile from TM, I can no longer access the login page to my third party office scheduler. Previously, I could at least access the login page, login and view the appointments, but it crashed every time I tried to make an app using the phone (but not using a laptop). Support told me that a mobile Android app has to be customized in order to work because of the page loading limitations of the Android system - whatever that means - and that maybe in a few months they'll have an app. In the meantime, they recommend using a sync with GooCal. But GC seems to flub the time zone differences between when you post an appointment online and when it is synced to the phone. I thought that Goo had fixed that, but I still see West Coast time on the GooCal website and the correct East Coast time on the phone. I'm so confused! Does anyone know if GooCal is HIPAA compliant for a medical practice? If not; anyone use another service that IS compliant on their Annie device? Another problem I had - now resolved by my ISP provider - was that Android didn't support the wav file for my voice mails. Now it does. If not, that would've been a deal breaker. Also, I was told - apparently ALSO incorrectly by TM - that visual voice mail was a speech to text app. Nope. It just plays an audio and you can see the date and time and phone number and pause it. Big whoop. I'm told that Google Voice IS a real, but perhaps flawed, speech to text voice mail conversion, but I don't think it will work for business purposes. I thought about Line two, but was told their visual voice mail is only like TM's visual voice, not speech to text. Lastly, TM said you could dictate reports with a pre-loaded, stock dictation/speech to text app. Nope again. Um, I think that covers it. Any experience with any of these glitches?
I think that his site rocks and everyone thinking of buying any cell or service should come here first and just not even bother with any of the carriers' sales personnel. But the carriers aren't interested in selling to folks like us, are they? They want the masses who just plug and play. OK. No quarrel with that. I'm just glad we're not ALL forced to PnP and this site, we don't have to. I do think that adding Mods and rooting are the way to go, but I'm a Mac guy and everything here seems PCentric. so I may have to wait till I get my hands on a Win 7 machine for half an hour. (No, I don't run Parallels - had a bad experience with a couple of early versions).
I'm still a GS4G booster to date and I'm going to try new things with it. But so far it makes me wish it was more intuitive.
Cheers,
wmikemoon said:
Protective Measures: To provide a good experience for the majority of our customers and minimize capacity issues and degradation in network performance, we may take measures including temporarily reducing data throughput for a subset of customers who use a disproportionate amount of bandwidth. If your total usage exceeds 5GB (amount is subject to change without notice; please check T-Mobile’s T&Cs on www.T-Mobile.com for updates) during a billing cycle, we may reduce your data speed for the remainder of that billing cycle. If you use your Data Plan in a manner that could interfere with other customers’ service, affect our ability to allocate network capacity among customers, or degrade service quality for other customers, we may suspend, terminate, or restrict your data session, or switch you to a more appropriate Data Plan.
Copied from the Terms and Conditions which has a link on literally every single page on T-Mo's website and is clearly marked in the section titled "Data Plans and Other Features".
Alternatively, on Verizon's site...You can only get to the details about their data package after adding a voice plan and phone to your cart...at which point it gives a vague description of their throttling rules that do not mention exact amounts. It just says that it can throttle your speed whenever it feels like.
So again...not seeing a problem here...
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When I asked the TMO rep “This data plan has UNLIMITED DATA”? He said YES. He made no mention of the 5GB “LIMIT”. Therefore he misrepresented the product. These companies falsely advertise their products with misleading information to make it look bigger than life in an attempt to lock us in to a two year contract. You are saying that because they hide the gory details somewhere in their web pages that makes it OK. You speculate that the reason Alltel went out of business is because of over usage by their customers clogging their lines. I don’t know where you did your research but I never had any issues with service failure due to over usage or any other issues for that matter. You said “All carriers throttle”. I was never throttled ONCE by Alltel. I guess that may be true now, since the only decent service provider has been acquired by their Big Brother Corporations. If they were still in business I would still be there. Would it not be a novel Idea to invest in their network so they can handle the added throughput, and provide a robust network that gives us the service they promised us in their advertising? I don’t have any problem with paying for a product or service I want. I do have a problem with companies that lie or mislead about their product. TMO puts it out there in LARGE WORDS “UNLIMITED DATA” then hides the gory details in other places. Your attitude is that’s just fine with you. If more people would not take the BULL-onie that these Corporations are shoving down our throats and demand HONISTY in advertising we would be getting a better value for our money. You are dam right when you say I am rebelling to corporate standards. Corporations do not have our best interests in mind. They are only concerned about profit. If they can do away with competition, there is more profit for the higher-ups. Then you lose your job and the public looses their choice and gets less value. You choose to justify what these corporations are doing to our nation and put on blindfolds to the truth.
I gladly respect and give fosormic his right to his opinion. I just think that attitude promotes the passive nature that has allowed this country to go down the tubes and be taken over by greedy corporate money barons. People in this country have to have the Balls to stand up and be heard if this nation is to survive.
If you want to get worked up about something look into "'net neutrality" -- that's a cause worth fighting.
Yes, it is "easy" to hit a 5 GB cap. Yes, it is very clearly called out in the T&C of the phone -- You had 14 days in most states (30 days in California) to read that and get a full refund if you didn't agree.
The T-Mobile data service is arguably "unlimited" -- once you hit the cap, you are free to continue.
As speeds increase and more people have a phone capable of sustained and reliable rates over 1 Mbps, then you will see consumer pressure for higher caps. Until then, welcome to the bleeding edge...
Dude...you are getting way too bent over this.
You keep making T-mo out to be a terrible carrier...I'm just trying to convince you that they are the lesser of the evils.
nwpro3 said:
When I asked the TMO rep “This data plan has UNLIMITED DATA”? He said YES. He made no mention of the 5GB “LIMIT”. Therefore he misrepresented the product.
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No...he told the truth. It is unlimited data. The alternative to unlimited data is what Att does which is set a limit and then charge you when you go over that limit. It is (or should be at this point) common knowledge that if you have a mobile data plan that is unlimited...your carrier will throttle you if you use too much.
nwpro3 said:
You are saying that because they hide the gory details somewhere in their web pages that makes it OK. You speculate that the reason Alltel went out of business is because of over usage by their customers clogging their lines.
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Um...no and no. I'm saying that it's there for you to read in the place that you should read before committing to a two-year contract. We're not talking about fine print locked away in a website that can only be found by searching one specific term...It's the TERMS & CONDITIONS and there is LITERALLY A LINK ON EVERY SINGLE PAGE ON THEIR WEBSITE. They are not hiding it...I really don't see why you think they are. Also...I never speculated why Alltel went out of business...I don't know why and I don't really care. They are not around anymore and have not been for a while so there really is no point in talking about it.
nwpro3 said:
Would it not be a novel Idea to invest in their network so they can handle the added throughput, and provide a robust network that gives us the service they promised us in their advertising? I don’t have any problem with paying for a product or service I want. I do have a problem with companies that lie or mislead about their product. TMO puts it out there in LARGE WORDS “UNLIMITED DATA” then hides the gory details in other places.
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It's for MOBILE DATA. That's what the network is intended for...NOT HOME INTERNET. The service you want is HOME BROADBAND. If that's what you want...get that. They offer unlimited downloads and never throttle your speed because their service is intended to be used on a massive scale. What you are doing is like...Going to McDonalds and wondering why they aren't serving high class food. It's a restaurant...They serve food...gotta be the same as a 5-star restaurant...WHY AREN'T THEY SERVING 5-STAR FOOD!? Because you're looking in the wrong place, dude. If you want home internet...get home internet...stop expecting all of the carriers to conform to what you want when they are clearly just not set up for it.
Stop dissing T-mo...T-mo is the best carrier out there for what people on this site want from a carrier. Basically...they love nerds and are very very fair. Yes...the T-mo Customer Service people in store aren't the brightest people in the world...But it's because they are hired based on customer service experience not technology knowledge (Techknowledgy!? COINED IT!)...if they were A) I wouldn't be working on a Production Line making 8 an hour and B) Mobile phone customer service reps would know what the **** they were talking about.
Word?
@Whiskey Tango - Go to Menu>settings>Wireless Network>Mobile AP> Activate Mobile AP. This is what works for me, idk if maybe simple mobile is any different then tmobile or not.
So if you already have a data plan, you should be able to make your phone a "router". I have let many friends (w/iphones & att) use my mobile AP and it was 10 x's faster than there data connection.
I also tether my pc to my phone and have been able to load any page I went to.
Maybe I'm totally missing the question. Wouldn't be the first time.
wmikemoon said:
Dude...you are getting way too bent over this.
You keep making T-mo out to be a terrible carrier...I'm just trying to convince you that they are the lesser of the evils.
No...he told the truth. It is unlimited data. The alternative to unlimited data is what Att does which is set a limit and then charge you when you go over that limit. It is (or should be at this point) common knowledge that if you have a mobile data plan that is unlimited...your carrier will throttle you if you use too much.
Um...no and no. I'm saying that it's there for you to read in the place that you should read before committing to a two-year contract. We're not talking about fine print locked away in a website that can only be found by searching one specific term...It's the TERMS & CONDITIONS and there is LITERALLY A LINK ON EVERY SINGLE PAGE ON THEIR WEBSITE. They are not hiding it...I really don't see why you think they are. Also...I never speculated why Alltel went out of business...I don't know why and I don't really care. They are not around anymore and have not been for a while so there really is no point in talking about it.
It's for MOBILE DATA. That's what the network is intended for...NOT HOME INTERNET. The service you want is HOME BROADBAND. If that's what you want...get that. They offer unlimited downloads and never throttle your speed because their service is intended to be used on a massive scale. What you are doing is like...Going to McDonalds and wondering why they aren't serving high class food. It's a restaurant...They serve food...gotta be the same as a 5-star restaurant...WHY AREN'T THEY SERVING 5-STAR FOOD!? Because you're looking in the wrong place, dude. If you want home internet...get home internet...stop expecting all of the carriers to conform to what you want when they are clearly just not set up for it.
Stop dissing T-mo...T-mo is the best carrier out there for what people on this site want from a carrier. Basically...they love nerds and are very very fair. Yes...the T-mo Customer Service people in store aren't the brightest people in the world...But it's because they are hired based on customer service experience not technology knowledge (Techknowledgy!? COINED IT!)...if they were A) I wouldn't be working on a Production Line making 8 an hour and B) Mobile phone customer service reps would know what the **** they were talking about.
Word?
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I agree with the statement TMO is the lesser of two evils. I have had cell service with all the majors: Verizon, Sprint, Cingular/ATT, Alltel and now TMO. Unfortunately the only one that gave me decent service is no longer around. I went to TMO because they advertise unlimited data and when I talked to the rep he said they also have an unlimited voice plan. I am looking for the best value I can get. I’ve been around a long time and have watched this corporate mentality lower the standards of living for most Americans. Part of why this is happening is the passive nature of people in America. We have become complacent. We are not demanding enough on these companies that deceive us with their advertising and then don’t give us what they promise.
I am using this as my primary internet as I said because I drive truck and not home enough to warrant getting satellite service, which is my only other option where I live. Realistically when I am on the road I probably will not hit the 5GB limit very often. What sucks is while I am at home I get this lousy EDGE speed. After further checking, Sprint, ATT and Verizon all have 3G from the same tower that TMO gives me 2G and then TMO throttles that to 1G or less. So yes, I’m pissed off. But then I have taken action and voiced my concern to TMO. The result is I’ve been released from my contract. I have the option of going to another provider. The problem is I’m already with the lesser of the evils and next year there will be even less choice. I haven’t been out on the road yet to see what TMO will provide for service then. I will probably keep the service for a while until I see what kind of service I get on the road, and then decide my next move.
Hey guys, anybody else having problem once they activate the AP settings on there phone? I can get my computer to connect to the phone, and yet i can't get access to the internet on my laptop (vista).
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/06/2...-verizon-july-7-packages-start-at-30-for-2gb/
zax10 said:
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/06/2...-verizon-july-7-packages-start-at-30-for-2gb/
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Data plans:
2GB – $30/month
5GB – $50/month
10GB – $80/month
God...so effing ridiculous. :/
I work for Verizon and the referenced post on Droid-life is confirmed. This is by far the most ridicolous thing I have had to deal with (well other than the 4g outages).... AT&T are you hiring???
zax10 said:
I work for Verizon and the referenced post on Droid-life is confirmed. This is by far the most ridicolous thing I have had to deal with (well other than the 4g outages).... AT&T are you hiring???
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AT&T prices are just $5 less, and they don't have LTE.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
DirgeExtinction said:
AT&T prices are just $5 less, and they don't have LTE.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
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Agreed.... To this day I don't understand the uproar. It is no different then AT&T really and they have had tiered for a yr now almost. IE VZW & AT&T have the same pricing across the board with $5 of each other. I guess my thing is everyone talks about leaving VZW over this but where are you going to go and save that much money really. T-Mobile limits full data speed after 2Gb anyways. Sprint has terrible coverage on a whole. And hell they were stupid and went WiMax so what go is that going to do you over the long haul.
And I'm not going to even go into the fact TM and AT&T scam with there claiming of 4g service
I just signed up with Verizon for a two year plan. I should receive my Droid Charge later today. Naturally, I will activate the phone the moment I get it. So, how does the new pricing rules affect me? Will I have unlimited data at $30 for the next two years, or on July 7th will I have to suffer with the crazy tier pricing?
-Greymarch
I write about technology, especially android smartphones, at my website.
http://www.greymarch.com
According to the article I read on engadget, "These new plans wouldn't affect anyone currently under contract, though it's still unknown if customers can hang onto them when it's time to renew."
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/verizon-tiered-data-plans-coming-july-7-starting-at-30/
I've always thought it was lame to force people into tiered data plans, regardless of the provider. This is going to place the providers in a wonderfully profitable position once we start getting applications that can truly start utilizing increased bandwidth, but it's going to cost a fortune for us to use those applications. So I understand why they're doing it, but I think it's messed up to charge that much from a user's perspective.
I think having tiered pricing for your low-need subscribers is great, so they have the option of not paying for full-on data, but having an unlimited choice for high-need subscribers is necessary to me.
$30/mth for 2GB is kind of mind-boggling to me. I got in on the unlimited for $30 plan, but I'll be none too happy when I have to switch over.
I called verizon and they said this only affects the tablets
If this causes them to ditch the MS Exchange data surcharge, then I am all for it.
greymarch said:
I just signed up with Verizon for a two year plan. I should receive my Droid Charge later today. Naturally, I will activate the phone the moment I get it. So, how does the new pricing rules affect me? Will I have unlimited data at $30 for the next two years, or on July 7th will I have to suffer with the crazy tier pricing?
-Greymarch
I write about technology, especially android smartphones, at my website.
http://www.greymarch.com
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you are find as long as you do not change your current plan. As an example until a couple of weeks ago when I upgraded to my Charge I had not bought a device threw VZW since 2005. That said for the past 4 years at least I have been using a smartphone on my line with the old school unlimited vPak. Mind you this included using my D1, D2, D2g, Driod Pro, Droid X, and Napoleon on the same account/line. The key is I never bought threw VZW I just left the line/account as it and swapped my phones out.
well I am just glad I got my phone before this happened...I worry though that at some point they will make us change....I know they are reporting they wont but I feel like they will do it anyways just to make that extra money
brandonaspencer said:
I called verizon and they said this only affects the tablets
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What the hell? Really?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
zax10 said:
I work for Verizon and the referenced post on Droid-life is confirmed. This is by far the most ridicolous thing I have had to deal with (well other than the 4g outages).... AT&T are you hiring???
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Trust me as a former employee of that company (worked there for 6 years) I left because their business practices are crud. They treat you like crud, don't care about the their employees and have very questionable ethics. Think twice about asking that question
brandonaspencer said:
I called verizon and they said this only affects the tablets
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Lol I work in a call center for Verizon Tech Support and you really cant trust much that you hear from them. I've heard reps telling customers information that is totally wrong(not on purpose) around me before. like someone telling you its just for tablets cause they probably don't even know what your talking about with tiered data coming soon and just told you about our current data plans for tablets to get you off the phone. We don't hear about stuff until you do. So you usually have just as much training as we have.
woohoo! lets hear it for being "grandfathered in" !!!!! unlimited all the way. and if they think they can make me change it and pay 80 bucks for 10gbs, im gonna put a brick through their store window with a big **** your tiered **** sticker on it mwahahahahahahaaaaaaa
Well you may be grandfathered in for unlimited data, but if you signed up after Feb 2011 Verizon reserves the right to throttle your speed once you go over a certain amount much like Tmobile does now once you go over 2gb.
I have read scattered reports of Verizon throttling back heavy uses between 5gb - 9gb, but to date I don't think they are implementing this that much until they get the 4g network a bit more stable and they implement the tiered pricing.
I would expect in a couple more months they will be enforcing throttling to a much greater extent. Below is a article from CNET explaining the change.
Verizon Wireless will begin throttling the data speeds of customers who use an "extraordinary amount" of data, according to a document posted on the company's Web site.
First reported by BGR.com, the PDF on the Verizon site says the new rules will not affect the majority of the company's customers. However, if you are a heavy data user, you should be aware that your speeds will drop.
"If you use an extraordinary amount of data and fall within the top 5 percent of Verizon Wireless data users we may reduce your data throughput speeds periodically for the remainder of your then current and immediately following billing cycle to ensure high quality network performance for other users at locations and times of peak demand," states the document.
Verizon said it is taking the steps "to ensure that the remaining 95% of data customers aren't negatively affected by the inordinate data consumption of just a few users."
The company doesn't say how much data constitutes an "extraordinary amount," only that the new rules will affect the top 5 percent. Theoretically, that means you could be affected one month, but not the next even though you consume the same amount of data.
hrdc69 said:
Well you may be grandfathered in for unlimited data, but if you signed up after Feb 2011 Verizon reserves the right to throttle your speed once you go over a certain amount much like Tmobile does now once you go over 2gb.
I have read scattered reports of Verizon throttling back heavy uses between 5gb - 9gb, but to date I don't think they are implementing this that much until they get the 4g network a bit more stable and they implement the tiered pricing.
I would expect in a couple more months they will be enforcing throttling to a much greater extent. Below is a article from CNET explaining the change.
Verizon Wireless will begin throttling the data speeds of customers who use an "extraordinary amount" of data, according to a document posted on the company's Web site.
First reported by BGR.com, the PDF on the Verizon site says the new rules will not affect the majority of the company's customers. However, if you are a heavy data user, you should be aware that your speeds will drop.
"If you use an extraordinary amount of data and fall within the top 5 percent of Verizon Wireless data users we may reduce your data throughput speeds periodically for the remainder of your then current and immediately following billing cycle to ensure high quality network performance for other users at locations and times of peak demand," states the document.
Verizon said it is taking the steps "to ensure that the remaining 95% of data customers aren't negatively affected by the inordinate data consumption of just a few users."
The company doesn't say how much data constitutes an "extraordinary amount," only that the new rules will affect the top 5 percent. Theoretically, that means you could be affected one month, but not the next even though you consume the same amount of data.
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Here are the numbers of how they base the choices on throttling. So unless you are using over 15Gb a month it is highly highly unlikely you'd ever get throttled.
1] 2gb+ average user
2] 7gb-15gb travel user
3] 15gb+ heavy user [monitored by vzw]
4] 20gb+ excessive user [monitored by vzw fraud]
I use 10+gb a month
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA Premium App
Tiered will kill me
I went through 1 GB yesterday using my Charge as a hotspot to run my computer playing DC Universe Online and doing my normal computer stuff all day.