FARK.com: (6763400) Sprint: We are the ONLY carrier to give you unlimited data. Until we upgrade our network. Then you're farked

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		Sprint: We are the ONLY carrier to give you unlimited data. Until we upgrade our network. Then you're farked (reuters.com)		42
		More: Asinine, Clearwire Corp., T-Mobile USA, Craig Moffett, AT&T Inc., Wimax, LTE, research analysts

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42 Comments (+0 »)

Winktologist

2011-11-25 07:22:12 PM

If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

liverleef

2011-11-25 09:59:33 PM

Winktologist: If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

Yeah, I was gonna ask about this. I have unlimited data on Verizon. When I get my next phone do I get grandfathered in or do I have to get a contract with the new data package in order to get the new phone discount?

Kelbel

2011-11-25 10:38:32 PM

I have Verizon and upgraded my phone. My plan did not change is still includes the unlimited data.

loonatic112358

2011-11-25 10:40:46 PM

Exactly how many phones are LTE capable on sprint at the moment anyhow?

Jaws_Victim

2011-11-25 10:46:36 PM

Winktologist: If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

Once you change your phone model, you have to change your price plan. All hotspots are capped at 5gb no matter what now too.

Chabash

2011-11-25 10:50:08 PM

I have a 4g HTC Inspire with AT&T and I have unlimited data. Which I can barely use.

Warlordtrooper

2011-11-25 10:58:36 PM

Seriously can we please enforce stricter anti-trust laws so we can have some actual competition in the telecomm industry for once.

RobertBruce

2011-11-25 11:12:23 PM

Subby and the author work for verizon apparently.

Ring Kichard

2011-11-25 11:20:16 PM

A whole lot of concern trolling in that article.

evilboyevil

2011-11-25 11:39:03 PM

I went with Sprint because of unlimited data, but their 3G speeds are so slow in my area (I've seen Sprint 3G noticeably faster elsewhere) that I barely used 300 MB the first month.

I was planning on replacing my Sirius XM subscription with spotify to stream in the car, so that could use a huge chunk of data, but I haven't done that yet.

Slackfumasta

2011-11-25 11:40:23 PM

Jaws_Victim: Winktologist: If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

Once you change your phone model, you have to change your price plan. All hotspots are capped at 5gb no matter what now too.

I dunno about that, I just upgraded to the 4S and still have the unlimited plan. Or do you mean the next time I upgrade?

jake3988

2011-11-26 12:36:46 AM

The only people affected by caps are people that are, no doubt, doing very illegal things anyway.

There's absolutely no way on earth you could get to 2gb on a freaking phone in a month unless you're downloading movies or porn.

If the former, stop. It's freaking illegal.
If the latter, watch on a computer.

adenosine

2011-11-26 12:46:04 AM

jake3988: There's absolutely no way on earth you could get to 2gb on a freaking phone in a month unless you're downloading movies or porn.

Or Amazon cloud drive. I managed to use nearly 3GB in a month listening it to it walking around town.

cameroncrazy1984

2011-11-26 01:26:58 AM

jake3988: There's absolutely no way on earth you could get to 2gb on a freaking phone in a month unless you're downloading movies or porn.

I got to 4gb by using Netflix and Watch ESPN. Also RedZone for a little bit. God, I love 22mbps LTE.

Benni K Rok

2011-11-26 02:16:25 AM

jake3988: The only people affected by caps are people that are, no doubt, doing very illegal things anyway.

There's absolutely no way on earth you could get to 2gb on a freaking phone in a month unless you're downloading movies or porn.

If the former, stop. It's freaking illegal.
If the latter, watch on a computer.

I managed to put over 20Gb on my phone in the last couple of weeks, and there's only one reason for that. I couldnt' do it on the computers I had available.

Evil Kirk vs Bad Ash

2011-11-26 02:38:37 AM

Got a Galaxy S II with the Sprint unlimited plan. I like it.

ekdikeo4

2011-11-26 08:34:46 AM

I just picked up unlimited data with T-Mobile for $30/mo .. however, I'm stuck with a 3 second (not millisecond) ping time, and my best data transfer rate so far has been around 80kbps.

wwwade

2011-11-26 08:41:01 AM

The Sprint "unlimited" data plan has a 300MB limit on roaming 3G, 5GB limit on regular 3G, and unlimited on 4G. Check the fine print.

Cynical 0

2011-11-26 08:56:56 AM

liverleef: Yeah, I was gonna ask about this. I have unlimited data on Verizon. When I get my next phone do I get grandfathered in or do I have to get a contract with the new data package in order to get the new phone discount?

I had this question a few years back, they informed me that if I get a new phone I get a new contract. Sorry, bud, you'll be buying unlocked phones from now on unless you want to lose unlimited.

stiletto_the_wise

2011-11-26 10:06:28 AM

jake3988: The only people affected by caps are people that are, no doubt, doing very illegal things anyway.

There's absolutely no way on earth you could get to 2gb on a freaking phone in a month unless you're downloading movies or porn.

There are a lot of people who live in the middle of nowhere, where the only high-speed internet option for their home is a tethered 3G mobile phone. A few Netflix streams will go over 2gb.

Dr J Zoidberg

2011-11-26 10:19:44 AM

liverleef: Winktologist: If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

Yeah, I was gonna ask about this. I have unlimited data on Verizon. When I get my next phone do I get grandfathered in or do I have to get a contract with the new data package in order to get the new phone discount?

You have to get a new package. Which is why I bought a Thunderbolt off Craigslist for $200. Verizon can't make me pay more for data. And even if you spend 300-400 on a 4G phone it will pay for itself when you realize that Verizon will make you pay at least $200 for a 4G phone and you now have to pay twice as much for a "decent" amount of data.

/CSB?
//CSB

Dr J Zoidberg

2011-11-26 10:21:35 AM

stiletto_the_wise: jake3988: The only people affected by caps are people that are, no doubt, doing very illegal things anyway.

There's absolutely no way on earth you could get to 2gb on a freaking phone in a month unless you're downloading movies or porn.

There are a lot of people who live in the middle of nowhere, where the only high-speed internet option for their home is a tethered 3G mobile phone. A few Netflix streams will go over 2gb.

Also, if the guy you quoted was right then there would be no reason for carriers to have tiered data plans because their biggest claim is that unlimited data isn't cost effective.

fang06554

2011-11-26 11:21:51 AM

Dr J Zoidberg: liverleef: Winktologist: If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

Yeah, I was gonna ask about this. I have unlimited data on Verizon. When I get my next phone do I get grandfathered in or do I have to get a contract with the new data package in order to get the new phone discount?

You have to get a new package. Which is why I bought a Thunderbolt off Craigslist for $200. Verizon can't make me pay more for data. And even if you spend 300-400 on a 4G phone it will pay for itself when you realize that Verizon will make you pay at least $200 for a 4G phone and you now have to pay twice as much for a "decent" amount of data.

/CSB?
//CSB

Umm, upgraded from an incredible to a thunderbolt about 5 months ago, and kept unlimited. Someone lied to you.

Dr J Zoidberg

2011-11-26 11:26:18 AM

fang06554: Dr J Zoidberg: liverleef: Winktologist: If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

Yeah, I was gonna ask about this. I have unlimited data on Verizon. When I get my next phone do I get grandfathered in or do I have to get a contract with the new data package in order to get the new phone discount?

You have to get a new package. Which is why I bought a Thunderbolt off Craigslist for $200. Verizon can't make me pay more for data. And even if you spend 300-400 on a 4G phone it will pay for itself when you realize that Verizon will make you pay at least $200 for a 4G phone and you now have to pay twice as much for a "decent" amount of data.

/CSB?
//CSB

Umm, upgraded from an incredible to a thunderbolt about 5 months ago, and kept unlimited. Someone lied to you.

Hmm, maybe you're right. Oh well. I'm 24, about to get my degree in May, get a full time job and have a house all set up to move into. I need my own wireless plan anyway. Bye bye Verizon. Heard too many bad stories about AT&T, T-Mobile apparently isn't interested in going into Omaha. So my choices are Cox Wireless, Cricket (not seriously considering it), Sprint, or Virgin or Boost Mobile, which I know one of them is Sprint owned. As long as I can get a good quality android device for a reasonable monthly cost I don't really care.

Snuffybud

2011-11-26 11:57:27 AM

fang06554: Dr J Zoidberg: liverleef: Winktologist: If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

Yeah, I was gonna ask about this. I have unlimited data on Verizon. When I get my next phone do I get grandfathered in or do I have to get a contract with the new data package in order to get the new phone discount?

You have to get a new package. Which is why I bought a Thunderbolt off Craigslist for $200. Verizon can't make me pay more for data. And even if you spend 300-400 on a 4G phone it will pay for itself when you realize that Verizon will make you pay at least $200 for a 4G phone and you now have to pay twice as much for a "decent" amount of data.

/CSB?
//CSB

Umm, upgraded from an incredible to a thunderbolt about 5 months ago, and kept unlimited. Someone lied to you.

Agreed. My sweetie's son-in-law works for a Verizon reseller. He's able to upgrade your phone without you having to change your plan. He just did it last month for one of my friends, and my sweetie's going to do the same thing in a few months. It's one of the reasons I got my Incredible 2 in June rather than in July, I wanted the unlimited data plan more than the phone, and I'm going to hold onto that unlimited plan as long as I can.

Dr J Zoidberg

2011-11-26 12:02:05 PM

Snuffybud: fang06554: Dr J Zoidberg: liverleef: Winktologist: If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

Yeah, I was gonna ask about this. I have unlimited data on Verizon. When I get my next phone do I get grandfathered in or do I have to get a contract with the new data package in order to get the new phone discount?

You have to get a new package. Which is why I bought a Thunderbolt off Craigslist for $200. Verizon can't make me pay more for data. And even if you spend 300-400 on a 4G phone it will pay for itself when you realize that Verizon will make you pay at least $200 for a 4G phone and you now have to pay twice as much for a "decent" amount of data.

/CSB?
//CSB

Umm, upgraded from an incredible to a thunderbolt about 5 months ago, and kept unlimited. Someone lied to you.

Agreed. My sweetie's son-in-law works for a Verizon reseller. He's able to upgrade your phone without you having to change your plan. He just did it last month for one of my friends, and my sweetie's going to do the same thing in a few months. It's one of the reasons I got my Incredible 2 in June rather than in July, I wanted the unlimited data plan more than the phone, and I'm going to hold onto that unlimited plan as long as I can.

Why didn't you get a 4G phone? 4G is blazing fast.

Snuffybud

2011-11-26 12:21:50 PM

Dr J Zoidberg: Snuffybud: fang06554: Dr J Zoidberg: liverleef: Winktologist: If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

Yeah, I was gonna ask about this. I have unlimited data on Verizon. When I get my next phone do I get grandfathered in or do I have to get a contract with the new data package in order to get the new phone discount?

You have to get a new package. Which is why I bought a Thunderbolt off Craigslist for $200. Verizon can't make me pay more for data. And even if you spend 300-400 on a 4G phone it will pay for itself when you realize that Verizon will make you pay at least $200 for a 4G phone and you now have to pay twice as much for a "decent" amount of data.

/CSB?
//CSB

Umm, upgraded from an incredible to a thunderbolt about 5 months ago, and kept unlimited. Someone lied to you.

Agreed. My sweetie's son-in-law works for a Verizon reseller. He's able to upgrade your phone without you having to change your plan. He just did it last month for one of my friends, and my sweetie's going to do the same thing in a few months. It's one of the reasons I got my Incredible 2 in June rather than in July, I wanted the unlimited data plan more than the phone, and I'm going to hold onto that unlimited plan as long as I can.

Why didn't you get a 4G phone? 4G is blazing fast.

Because the Incredible 2 met my budget. I don't have a need for blazing speed, I have a need for as much data as I want. I've also seen my buddy's 4G phone fall back to 3G more often than not.

Barakku

2011-11-26 12:50:26 PM

Winktologist: If they don't grandfather me in to my unlimited data, I'm going to build a small, cheap, portable device that broadcasts noise on the cell phone spectrum and we're going to Occupy the Airwaves.

/LTE is shiat

Note that this is what analysts are saying Sprint is likely to do, which is very different from Sprint acually implementing anything in particular.

GardenWeasel

2011-11-26 01:27:16 PM

wwwade: The Sprint "unlimited" data plan has a 300MB limit on roaming 3G, 5GB limit on regular 3G, and unlimited on 4G. Check the fine print.

That is only for mobile broadband adapters and hotspots. Phone data on sprints network is unlimited. Sprint has never claimed unlimited data for roaming.

Tax Boy

2011-11-26 02:04:04 PM

Virgin Mobile US: 300 minutes, unlimited data, unlimited texts, grandfathered into $25/mo plan.

your contract sucks.

szyska

2011-11-26 02:28:34 PM

Just upgraded to a new phone on Verizon and was grandfathered in on the unlimited data....

/CSB

mcmnky

2011-11-26 03:43:26 PM

jake3988: The only people affected by caps are people that are, no doubt, doing very illegal things anyway.

There's absolutely no way on earth you could get to 2gb on a freaking phone in a month unless you're downloading movies or porn.

If the former, stop. It's freaking illegal.
If the latter, watch on a computer.

Why would downloading movies to a phone be illegal?

/get your head out of MPAA's ass

hej

2011-11-26 04:13:15 PM

This makes sense. The main reason Sprint can offer unlimited data is because they're speeds are too low to exceed a 2GB/month cap even if they had one.

Fark_Guy_Rob

2011-11-26 05:22:02 PM

I know it's cool to hate on service providers but, at some point, we have to acknowledge there are physical limitations.

BolloxReader

2011-11-26 05:32:29 PM

I'm about to go over the road as a trucker, currently have a phone on AT&T's network through a local reseller. This same reseller also works with Verizon for smartphones, and still has unlimited data at $40 a month through Verizon's network. They only offer no-contract service, so who knows how long Verizon will let that fly. The reseller is a local, family-owned phone company, and there probably aren't too many of those remaining east of the Mississippi.

beer4breakfast

2011-11-26 10:37:10 PM

Tax Boy: Virgin Mobile US: 300 minutes, unlimited data, unlimited texts, grandfathered into $25/mo plan.

your contract sucks.

Unfortunately so do VM's phones...

Tax Boy

2011-11-26 10:43:53 PM

beer4breakfast: Tax Boy: Virgin Mobile US: 300 minutes, unlimited data, unlimited texts, grandfathered into $25/mo plan.

your contract sucks.

Unfortunately so do VM's phones...

Yup. but saving $50/mo over my old att iphone plan dulls the pain a lot.

eatin' fetus

2011-11-27 07:46:05 AM

Tax Boy: beer4breakfast: Tax Boy: Virgin Mobile US: 300 minutes, unlimited data, unlimited texts, grandfathered into $25/mo plan.

your contract sucks.

Unfortunately so do VM's phones...

Yup. but saving $50/mo over my old att iphone plan dulls the pain a lot.

Same plan here... but holy cow does VM's website suuuuuck.

RockChalkH1N1

2011-11-27 08:52:38 AM

RockChalkH1N1

2011-11-27 08:57:53 AM

Cynical 0: liverleef: Yeah, I was gonna ask about this. I have unlimited data on Verizon. When I get my next phone do I get grandfathered in or do I have to get a contract with the new data package in order to get the new phone discount?

I had this question a few years back, they informed me that if I get a new phone I get a new contract. Sorry, bud, you'll be buying unlocked phones from now on unless you want to lose unlimited.

Yeah... that's not true. If you buy a new phone you can keep the unlimited plan. The only changes to the account is the 2 year date starts over.

VZW Tech Rep

b04155

2011-11-27 12:53:31 PM