Sprint to Clamp Down on Laptop Roaming Data Hogs, Will Suspend Accounts
Sprint to Clamp Down on Laptop Roaming Data Hogs, Will Suspend Accounts
Posted 06/15/2010 at 7:19am
| by Paul Lilly
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Citing a Sprint-Nextel spokesman, The Wall Street Journal reports that laptop users who find themselves frequently roaming will soon have to contend with a strict data cap. Smartphone users will still be able to consume the same amount of bandwidth as before, but those with mobile broadband cards or USB modems are going to see some changes, the spokesman said.
Road warriors lugging around their laptops already face a 5GB monthly cap when within the network and 300MB while roaming, but starting July 11, excessive data roaming could result in suspended accounts until the next billing cycle. That is, unless a customer antes up for a data plan that includes extra charges for off-network data consumption.
Sprint isn't alone in looking to limit data usage. AT&T recently changed its unlimited data plan into a tiered pricing model with defined limits, and T-Mobile also is limiting excessive use on its network. That leaves Verizon as the sole major U.S. carrier without an altered data policy, though company execs said they're open to tiered pricing based on usage, WSJ reports.
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I Jedi
June 15, 2010 at 11:11am
I think what we forget here is that these companies are businesses first and friends second. Yes, screwing over your customer, when they already pay extravagent prices, is a pretty mean thing to do from our perspective; however, we have to remember that these companies are simply in it "for the money."
If we don't like the way a company does business, we can either "A" - opt out of their company, "B" - join another network, or "C" - continue to get screwed in the ass by said current company. Again, these companies are in it to make money, and to make their shareholders rich. None of us have to use their data plans, but cosnidering there is no where else to run in this service industry, what are you going to do?
Keith E. Whisman
June 15, 2010 at 8:50am
These companies are greedy. Instead of making it possible to offer unlimited data plans to all of their data customers they just install the bare minimum and then as a show of shitty customer service they treat you like your a criminal or your doing something wrong for using the service that you are paying for. I say Fuck you to all the fucking tel co's. They don't give a rats ass about their customers. These companies look at customers as a snake looks at a mouse. Dinner. These companies can lay down the ground work to offer complete unlimited wireless broad band but they don't because people are willing to pay for crappy service.
This is the United States yet our internet infrastructure is pure third world. Worse yet it's like communist China when it comes to wireless internet.
How about this, Obama should pass a bill to offer tax payer subsidies to help lay down a nation wide 4G wireless network that utilize new cell towers and repeaters that sit atop city light posts. It's all about infrastructure and the phone companies just want the minimum. They want you to pay up but they don't really want to offer very much service. And ton't tell me they can't afford it because I know they are making money hand over fist with millions of people paying monthly bills in excess of a hundred bucks. A cell phone carrier with 10 million customers paying an average of $100 bucks a month for service can't afford to improve it's service? Bull shit. If my carrier sends me nasty grams I'll send them fucking nasty grams. How dare they tell me I'm being a fucking bandwidth hog if I paying my monthly bill.
This is just outrageous.
ushim6
June 15, 2010 at 8:15am
This is my issue with companies promising one(magical) thing while actually giving a realistic one. Why not just have a real data cap with reasonable overages, then don't pull the rug out from your customers?
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