The end of unlimited data?

[Bateluer]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/11/verizon-promises-first-4g-handset-for-next-summer-foretells-end/

AT&T wants metered data plans, Verizon wants metered data plans. Not sure about Sprint and T-Mobile.

Not a practice I particularly like, but I want to see the pricing structure before I make any final judgment. The psuedo-unlimited data plans we have now have been major boons for the sales of smart phones though, and carriers would be unwise to ignore that fact.

 

[corkyg]

Carriers don't live on phone sales, smart or otherwise. Their continued existence depends on wireless service. As folks start using more data than voice, the market has to change. My Sprint data plan has not changed in 4 years.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Sounds great if that means I can get a data plan for $5/month for the limited use it would see. But we all know that won't happen.

 

[Phobic9]

Data really isn't unlimited for a few carriers for the most part. I know that Verizon has a 5GB cap per month yet they call the plan unlimited anyway.

 

[Bateluer]

Data really isn't unlimited for a few carriers for the most part. I know that Verizon has a 5GB cap per month yet they call the plan unlimited anyway.

Thats why I said 'psuedo-unlimited'. Since I bought my Droid in November, I haven't even come close to hitting that 5Gb barrier.

The current plans have stimulated profits, and I'm not referring to the sales of handsets. When someone looks at a smartphone and all the things that it can do, they naturally want a plan to enable those functions. Otherwise, I think many people would just keep the standard dumb phone and the cheapest plan possible. With a smart phone, you want the data package, the voice package, and the unlimited texting.

 

[Tristicus]

I don't think with browsing on a phone anyone could come close to the 5gb limit. Unless of course they watched endless YouTube videos, again which still probably wouldn't amount to 5gb unless you watched an uncanny amount.

I saw this the other day also however, and didn't really like the sound of it.

 

[Trell]

Since 2/21 I have used about 1 GB of data on my Droid. This is mostly from using Pandora to stream music on my commute. If I were to use my phone to listen to Pandora streaming while at work or home I could easily hit the 5GB mark in a month.

 

[zerogear]

Since I got my phone I've used about 3.4GB of data and sent out 320MB.. this is since last year September -- And I tether occasionally. Even though I don't use a huge amount, I still do not like the sound of metered

 

[Bateluer]

Since 2/21 I have used about 1 GB of data on my Droid. This is mostly from using Pandora to stream music on my commute. If I were to use my phone to listen to Pandora streaming while at work or home I could easily hit the 5GB mark in a month.

While at home, stream from your PC?

 

[robphelan]

can anyone tell me the difference between "voice" and "data"?

isn't everything converted to bits and bytes and transmitted over the same radio waves?