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T-Mobile Joins the Capped Data Bandwagon
NicknamesAreStupid writes "It looks like T-Mobile is following the lead of Verizon and AT&T in shifting from unlimited data plans to tiered pricing. It starts with their family plans which may be cheaper than unlimited depending on your family's usage. Was this done for its customers' families or for its future parent, AT&T?"
Is that while "capped", you're not shut off on the 2GB/mo or higher plans, simply throttled to "2G" speeds once you reach your monthly allotment.
$ man woman *
-bash:
Was this done for its customers' families or for its future parent, AT&T?
You really need to ask? This was done for profits whether AT&T acquires them or not.
After caps, comes filtering.
Often wrong but never in doubt.
I am Jack9.
Everyone knows me.
What would ever lead you to believe that any large business has customer well being included in the calculus of its decisions?
It will Nice to have mix of what AT&T has and T-Mobile has with a choice slow down when you hit the cap or full speed at cost per MB/GB.
no limits on a limited resource, as bandwidth over the air is, is bound to fail at some point
They are bought by AT&T. It was going to happen sooner or later. It just turns out that it is sooner rather than later.
You got the touch!
Or some competition? You know, like Sprint?
They always had a 5GB Cap, so all this "They are not longer unlimited, they are now 2/5/10GB caps" is misleading -- you're actually getting a middle-man choice now...
Before most carriers went from 100/200MB to 5GB(aka ""Unlimited""), nothing in the middle. You paid either $15 or $30/month for ~200MB/5GB respectively. At least now the options are more like 200MB/1GB/2GB/5GB/++ with a better price structure.. And I do like that T-Mobile doesn't charge extra for going over.
But the plans were not really unlimited to begin with.
Yes, it's "giving up", but I think it's better to have T-Mobile's kind of capping (where speed gets reduced) than a nice little surprise on your bill with per-GB (or whatever the "over the bucket" bucket size is). It means your bill stays predictable, which is what most users want. If it's slow, it's not a problem for most users, annoying, but not a problem
Hyperom.com
Why would companies want us to use our new fangled devices?
It was all a scam, get people used to living off data, then start jacking the prices up. Just like a drug dealer.
Next you will see the caps start getting lower and lower ( on home wired connections too ), to the point that your bill goes up and up on overage just for 'normal' use. And you can forget about all that streaming media from the 'cloud'.
Who else around here remembers the $ for x dollars a month and HUGE overages without a warning? One was afraid to even connect.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
I am willing to bet a lot of people would prefer to replace their Cable, DSL, Fiber with a Cell connection, if it were affordable enough. 3G is fast enough for most browsing.
Cell phones got popular when they removed the extra fees like roaming costs and free long distance calling. Now it seems like they forgot about this with overly expensive data plans with caps. Even if it is cheaper people don't like caps,
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
You misspelled collusion...
There is no competition in this business...
For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
If you go over your "unlimited" voice minutes, you just get bad reception afterwards.
so much for their "Truly Unlimited" ad campaign....
it's like a car rental company saying..."yea...unlimited miles" except they forget to tell you they meant "unlimited miles of walking"
You're an idiot
IF and only IF the caps actually CHANGED. As it sits now, AT&T's "Tiered" plans haven't changed in four god damned years. The 250MB bottom tier should be at least 1GB now for transfer.
The real criminal act is they aren't updating what you get, they simply keep the limits static. If they want to adopt this shit business model then they need to keep up with upping the bandwidth limits.
Fuck AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
is not collusion, but a desire to force the issue with content providers over who pays for high bandwidth services. As services, such as video streaming, become more common networks will become more heavily loaded and the cell phone companies will need to invest things that can keep data flowing. They, off course, don't want to make that investment just to keep money flowing to content providers. So, they need to find a way to shift the costs to the content providers and eventually the users.
By capping data, they can lessen the uptake of these services since people won't what to pay overages. By lessoning the uptake, they slow the growth of the content companies which means they are worth less, giving them a vested interest in figuring out a way to share revenue to pay for the pipe. They'll charge the consumer more, pay an access fee and the cell phone companies are happy. You might think the content providers would be mad - but that also creates a barrier to entry since new companies would need to pony up cash before they have subscribers, making it hard to offer free or low cost services since they customer would find them to use bandwidth were the big players are "free from usage charges."
In the end, it comes down to money. The cell phone companies don't what to be freeway on which content providers gore rich - they want a slice of the pie and by controlling the last mile, they have some leverage.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
This is a con job. These are the same companies that want to charge you a fortune for limited texting.
This would be juicy anti-trust and DoJ fodder, something the Obama Administration would get lots of points for. Oh, wait.....
---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
n/t
Sprint is still unlimited AFAIK.
Nothing screams "reptile brained monkeys" like human greed. Our system takes greed and puts it on steroids and attempts to hose every living creature for every drop of worth they can for the least amount in exchange. Yes, I remember being burned for 25 cents on up per minute to use POTS. It was like we were all dumb enough to pay them for the "magic call box", they did it as long as they could. And everyone cheers them on and wants to be just like them. It's like being born and raised in Hell, you don't know any better.
My idea is NetFlicks is putting the major burn to every cable company and their cronies want the hammer dropped on them in any avenue possible. Imagine how great it is to be able to just watch your awesome little phone like a TV? Better than "TV" because you can watch WTF you want, when you want it. But this isn't about you getting what you want or even pay for. This is about you being a good little zombie and being farmed for all that you are worth. They want to continue making a fortune off of you from their old tech that has already made them fortunes. That's the bitch about corporations, they can be owned and orchestrated from higher up. This means the entire landscape can be orchestrated to farm us all. This is where the irony is so fucking thick it would kill if it was comedy. All of this happens in "land of the free". Hey, fuckers, you are anything but free.
The only problems we ever see is the want-to-be hive mind of the corporate hydra having internal conflict with its own stupidity. Once it sorts things out, it sics its toady pet governments into action to enforce their will. There is no legitimate excuse for WTF they do with this issue, they are just testing the waters to see how far they can plunge it into us. Its like gasoline prices. They find out just how far they can press the issue before the lemmings become restless.
IT is a tricky crowd to nail down in economic oppression and totalitarianism, you put the squeeze to them, they invent new ways to burn you back. Its best to wait for them to make products that the lemmings can't live without and nail the zombies. They will squeeze the zombies until they cry, then squeeze them until they shut up.
These caps are just the beginning, don't expect to change it, except for the worse. It time to milk the zombies.
Don't think so? Gasoline shouldn't be more than 25 cents a gallon. Seriously, I watched this happen over the years. Who the fuck do they think they are trying to fool? You can't fool everyone all the time. Gas was 25 cents a gallon and there wasn't a shortage. There never was a fucking shortage, nor probably ever will there be a real shortage in even our grandkid's lives. Its all about manipulation of idiot lemmings. They found out we are all dependent enough, and stupid enough to pay whatever they charge for gas, so here we are at $4 a gallon instead of 25 cents.
Take the Red Pill.
You should go see a doctor, there's a cure for that by today. Don't be ashamed, you have no idea how many people suffer from the same condition, it's just that nobody wants to talk about it because it's a bit embarrassing.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I hate the term Data Hog!! You pay for the service and you use it. Why is that a Data Hog?
I drive my car on the highway more than you. So am I a Highway Hog then? Do we limit how much I can drive?
I wonder what is going to happen when Google gets their Giga Network up and running in Kansas City?
Less service for you, More profit for the corporation.
Isn't quad-poly (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile) great? My money is on Sprint introducing data cap soon, and it'll only get worse if AT&T is allowed to swallow T-Mobile.
ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
They're not really capping your bandwidth, even the 200mb per month plan technically allows for unlimited data transfer. What they're doing is throttling your speed down to EDGE instead of HSPA+ once you hit your 'cap'. If you happen to actually need higher data speeds than edge for more than 200mb per month, then t-mobile offers higher tiered data options. Frankly I wish most cellular companies offered that sort of flexibility in their data offerings.
In a bit of shameless internet panhandling, I accept Litecoin Donations at Lbd2oH9QsthD1GfuUXPyka12YxvWJYnBVf
Although I am not a lawyer, there would seem to be an issue concerning the sale of "unlimited" plans, if there is a data cap on them. I know when I signed up with T-Mobile I went for the unlimited option and was assured that unlimited meant just that, unlimited. There was no mention of a data cap. By quietly imposing a data cap on so-called 'unlimited' plans, it would appear that T-Mobile are playing rather fast and lose with Federal law. In particular, The Uniform Commercial Code, Section 2-313 (2) states that,
"(a) Any affirmation of fact or promise made by the seller which relates to the goods and becomes part of the basis of the bargain creates an express warranty that the goods shall conform to the affirmation or promise.
(b) Any description of the goods which is made part of the basis of the bargain creates an express warranty that the goods shall conform to the description."
So, why are T-Mobile not in violation of these provisions?Are there any legal types who can explain how this can be legitimate?
As a side note, I've played City of Heroes on my tethered Optimus T with no problems. Pings got a bit haphazard, but still very playable.
Rather than just passively saying "Oops, you went over your data limit, we'll automatically give you more and charge you for it", they just switch you to 2G data speeds if you hit your limit. Cell companies have been looking for "we'll give you enough rope to hang yourself" opportunities at every turn ("oh, gee, you didn't know your kid was sending hundreds of messages and downloading porn at $1.00 per kilobyte until the gigantic bill showed up at the end of the month?") and it's nice to see one of them giving you a NICE way out instead of using data overages as another way to screw you.
Now, if carriers would just quit charging me once for the bits, and again for sending them to another device (tethering), I'd be REALLY happy.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
stop making devices that can do stuff then crippling what they can do. if it can stream internet video, then it should be expected, that over a month, many days worth of content will be consumed. it is also expected to be at the hi speeds that are advertised.
...
They always had a 5GB Cap
It's a weird sort of cap. Once you hit it, they throttle your connection to stupidly slow speeds.
Which is funny, since on my "4G" phone in Boston, most of the time I'm lucky to get 10-20KB/sec because all the backhauls are grossly underspec'd.
In Davis Square in Somerville, I'll get several megabits a second. In Roslindale (Boston)? I'm lucky to break 100kbit, yet my phone proudly displays a "4G" icon and full signal strength.
Please help metamoderate.
on TV saying T-Mibiles unlimited is truly unlimited
You PAY based on how much you use for
A. Groceries
B. Electricity
C. Gas
D. Clothes
E. Pretty much everything else other than bandwidth and all you can eat buffets
I for one, strongly support pay as you use type services. It is ridiculous that everything should be a buffet.
At one time they had great customer service, competitive pricing, and cutting edge phones. They don't have any of that now. This is just another manifestation. My contract is up later this year, and I am leaving FOR CERTAIN!
I hold very few opinions. I hold information based on observation and fact. If you wish to disagree, please use facts.
Having previously worked for a US national cell phone company that went through mergers/buyouts, I can tell you this. Until the date that the purchase is approved and announced, there is a "wall" between these two carriers. I guarantee T-Mobile's marketing dept is not making business decisions with any thought or concern about whether AT&T will like it or not, because the people who make those decisions are not allowed to talk to each other. Marketing and engineering teams are not allowed to start talking about integrating systems and product lines until that magic date passes. Employees have undoubtedly already been cautioned to be careful what information they pass along on any normal business calls between the two organizations. After all, it's possible the deal could still fall through.
Great! Competition will fix it! Oh look Verizon and AT&T are really making everybody step up their games! Wait... what's this I hear? Every major company is eliminating their unlimited plans, so now no company feels compelled to do so? Competition is driving features backwards? As long as all companies maintain the status quo, they can wring more money out of us for less features? You're right, the free market is surely sorting this out.
Belief? Hope? Preference?The Existential Vortex
You know, like Sprint?
Is he? Try coming to America and going cell phone shopping. You'll see how 'competitive' it is. It's like watching TV and having to pick between ABC, CBS, and the WB.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Two weeks ago, while streaming "The Riches" via Netflix (great show, untimely demise), my T-Mobile 4G broadband connection dropped out and, almost simultaneously, I received a text message from T-Mobile that reads, "Free T-Mobile MSG: You have used over 5GB of data this month. Your data speed has been reduced for the rest of your billing cycle per the terms of your plan." They throttled me down to 50 Kb/s, dial-up modem speed. The internet suddenly became unusable.
The salesrep who had signed me up told me that the data plan was unlimited. So I called them and complained. The service rep to whom I was talking said it is in fact "unlimited" because despite the throttling I could still use the service. I tried to argue that I could not in fact use the service because it took forever to load any of my favorite web sites (even with ABP enabled, mind you). She continued to argue her definition of "unlimited". When I threatened to sue them, she promptly hung up. Apparently that's roughly equivalent to using foul language.
Another lie was when the T-Mobile salesrep told me that I would get 10-15 Mb/s in my zip code. He was "absolutely certain". I never got anywhere near those speeds. Most days I got 1.5 Mb/s, and sometimes less than half a megabit. So I plan to cancel my T-Mobile 4G broadband service.
I trialed Sprint's 4G broadband. It was superfast (10+ Mb/s), but super unstable. It would quite frequently drop my connection, and quite often would drop down to very slow speed, around 100-200 Kb/s. I canceled and returned the phone.
What I need is a mobile 4G broadband provider that I can use both at home for Netflix and on the road for work. I need a service that does not throttle, delivers quality service, and charges me a fair price.
I'm trying Clear now. So far it's not bad. Not great, but just barely this side of not sucking. I get about 1.5 Mb/s, sometimes better. Sometimes it drops me while streaming Netflix, but a simple reload of the web page restores my viewing experience. Sometimes it horks my office VPN connection, and that can be more than a little annoying if I'm in the middle of a production issue.
"Crude and slow, clansman. Your attack was no better than that of a clumsy child."
What's the real bottleneck for 4G broadband? I've heard that the cell towers have only so much bandwidth, and that any one cluster of towers is usually shared by all providers of that area. If that's the case then they have to do some sort of throttling or shaping or whatever you call it.
"Crude and slow, clansman. Your attack was no better than that of a clumsy child."