Ask Slashdot: Best Option For a Touring Band With Mobile Data?

New submitter SEMLogistics writes: I'm working with a well-known rock band, that is not based in the U.S., and has an upcoming U.S. tour this fall. The issue they always run into, however, is when renting a tour bus and traveling with 12 to 14 people, they consistently blow through data allowances set by the bus company. This leads to tremendously expensive overages, and greatly throttled data. "When chartering a Nightliner tour bus, travel companies only typically allow for 10GB data a month. With 12 people, downloading music and streaming movies, we can easily exceed 12GB a day! This leads to thousands of dollars every month in overages!"

Slashdot, help! Are there any good mobile hotspot options with unlimited data, and monthly contracts (I haven't found any), or other alternatives than to simply be held a data-hostage?

Comments

Re:"simply be held a data-hostage"

[Obfuscant]

If that bus company doesn't offer it,

Since when is a bus company in the business of providing mobile data? They aren't. Why are they capping it? Why are you buying it from them in the first place?

For those thousands of dollars, you can get a lot of basic unlimited cellphone lines. Who cares if each member has his own account and his own "unlimited"?

I see T-Mobile has 4 lines for $40 each, and the only "cap" they show is if you go above 32Gb when they de-prioritize. Verizon has "unlimited" for a phone and two devices for $80/mo, with the "cap" that anything above 22Gb is at a lower priority.

I'm wondering, why isn't this person just doing the same thing I am doing: google for cellular services and see what is available? It's a question of how much you want to pay, so we can't tell you what will work because we don't know how skinflint you are.

Re:"simply be held a data-hostage"

[Narcocide]

Fun fact: Finding things rich people don't want to waste their time figuring out and letting them just throw money at it instead is a great way to get paid way more than you're worth.

Re: "simply be held a data-hostage"

[uvajed_ekil]

Why in gods name do you need continual, high-speed internet? Can you not pull yourself away from the computer? That's a problem all by itself.

Have you tried touring for extended periods? In a bus? It isn't like these bands just go out for a day then go home at night, or even every week or two. Many spend months at a time on the road, with lots of long drives (hence the bus) and a sizable crew (the 12-14 mentioned). In 2017 it is not realistic for a group like this to NOT use 10GB+ per day. It isn't like they are just sitting around watching Netflix all day, and you obviously have no clue how this works. Few people on Slashdot would go days or weeks by choice without streaming anything.

Mobile data consumption is not the problem, the problem I see is people like you trying to tell the OP what his problem is rather than bothering to offer a solution. Folks on the road don't have their home internet connection to fall back on, or even slow hotel wifi, much of the time. Believe it or not, many bands also do a lot of work while travelling too, which requires internet use.