I'm on a family plan with 3 other people and long story short, it's $35'ish a month for unlimited everything.
People really should leverage the family plans as much as possible. I lucked out awhile back and pay $10 for 2 more phones on my account. It's worked out well.
The cost per minute/text might be cheaper but that's because here you are charged for both making and receiving them, in much of the rest of the world only the caller/texter is charged. So, you might be paying less per minute but you are spending a lot more minutes. #wireless
@Digo: The reason Americans pay both to make and receive calls (whereas the rest of the world only pay to make calls) is because, in America, wireless phone numbers are mixed in with landline numbers (eg. 212-462-5622 could just as easily be a landline or wireless number.)
In the rest of the world, wireless numbers are allocated into their own special area code, usually 080 or some variation thereof. So the telco can say "all calls to 080 get charged more than calls to other area codes." And the caller winds up paying for wireless calls.
In America, they can't do that. So instead of charging the caller, they charge the receiver. #wireless
@dragon: ONE: Because what you said isn't true and hasn't been true for a long time. First, NXX exhaust led to below 1000 number block allocation. And, you can port your number, so what might originally have been a Verizon landline might now be a T-Mobile wireless number. #wireless
@AmphetamineCrown: But that still does not explain why you are charged for incoming messages. To my knowledge, sending a message to a landline phone is impossible, therefore the sender should be charged 100% of the service. #wireless
@JAlexoid: @rwalford79: I don't think there is any question that carriers could implement calling party pays as a technical matter. The problem is that consumers in the US has always lived with mobile called party pays and no one seems to be asking for that to be changed. Part of the reason might have been addressed by the article, in fact, which is that Americans seem to prefer predictability. If you go calling party pays, there is a much greater variation in your telco bill depending upon whom you call.
With large minute bucket plans, larger and larger pools of non-charged minute (in-network, mobile-to-mobile), and niche carriers offering all-you-can-eat voice, it isn't going to be too long before voice isn't really a per minute service anyway. #wireless
@dragon: ONE: I was a 315-er for the majority of my life. I just became a 585-er about three years ago (not much of an "upgrade" if you ask me). It's nice to see some fairly local Giz readers! #wireless
This argument makes the assumption that telecoms can only have either a fixed price plans OR a variable plans. That is not the case, Sprint could offer multiple types of plans without much difficulty and let the consumer decide. The telecoms seem like they are colluding. #wireless
Fortunately, Sprint grandfathered its "Fair and Flexible" plans (the one referenced in the write-up) if you had one before they discontinued them. Don't know if it's indefinite, but I still have mine after two handset upgrades since the discontinuation. Unfortunately, there's no way to get their "Power Vision," which includes Sprint Navigation, without signing up for one of the newer plans. Sprint Nav is $10/month extra (or $3/day) if you want to get it on their regular data plan.
Slightly off-topic, but Sprint is now offering $150 upgrade discount annually, instead of biennially as they used to do. Or maybe they're only doing it for customers that have been around for awhile, but either way I appreciate the change. Even if I do have to commit to another two-year contract every time I upgrade. #wireless
America this, America that. I take it, Chris, that when you refer to America you're doing so in comparison with other countries, namely the ones in Europe and Asia. What I took away from that NYT article is completely different from what you did: yes, we pay a bit more in the U.S. but it's far less when compared to the rest of the world because we get more minutes and more text messages. And we have unlimited, all-you-can-eat data plans. Those points were explicitly mentioned in the Times. #wireless
@diesel828: Umm... I dunno if I agree if you got more minutes, because you get charged on the minutes of outgoing and ALSO incoming calls, so you are wasting all those many minutes on calls you are not making but receiving. In Costa Rica we pay just for outgoing and 60min costs about $8. Yes I know we have one of the world's cheapeast telecom, but I don't think about paying for calls that are paid by the person that is calling me, sounds pretty ridiculous. We got now 3G and here runs just 1 telecom company. #wireless
@diesel828: Chris isn't ignoring the NYT article's points on the relative cheap plans in the U.S. I think Chris's point is that while you get a great deal in the U.S. on the price per minute and data, most people just don't use their minutes or data to the extent that they actually see any savings.
I had plans with Cingular/AT&T for years. Nothing fancy, but it cost me about $60 per month after taxes. I never used my minutes or text messages. All I got out of it was a crappy dumb phone for $30.
Now, I'm in Asia. I bought my Nokia E71 for $350. I pay for my minutes and texts as I use them. I don't use data plans since I have Wi-Fi at work and most places I travel. On average, I spend less than $10 per month for everything I use.
Now if you take the total cost of the phone and monthly fees, I will have spent $590 on my phone and connection here in Asia over the course of 2 years. In the States, I spent $1510 over the course of 2 years.
I actually cringe when I think that when I move back to the U.S., I will be forced back into monthly plans. I really just want to be able to buy my phone independent of the plan if I could get the option of a discounted montly rate. Yet, that option really doesn't exist since pay-as-you-go users are punished with inflated per minute costs. #wireless
Ugh. And prepaid still bends you over. For example... Page Plus, a Verizon MVNO.
1200 minutes, 1200 text messages, $29/mo. Sounds reasonable. But they only give you all of 50 megabytes of data. OR pay $39/mo for unlimited voice/text... and 20 MB. WTF, prepaid companies?
I'd die for just straight-up prepaid data - be able to plunk down, say, $25/mo for unlimited data barring voice. I can sure as hell do it on a 2-year with AT&T via a Premier discount ($26/mo before taxes), but I'm locked in with the rest of my family for an out-of-date smartphone I got in June. That is... until June of 2011. (Thanks for coming out with the TP2, AT&T, right after I bought my FUZE!)#wireless
@dragon: ONE: Wow. Pageplus has some crappy phones but that 1200 minutes deal is amazing. I'm kind of torn. I want a Pixi but at the same time I don't like cell contracts and this is waaay cheaper. Hmm... I don't really NEED a smartphone.
There's no incentive to charge less. Everyone "needs" a cell phone, and there's only 4 1/2 companies than can reasonably do so. Therein lies the problem. Blaming the consumer is a classic deflection tactic, but it was on the NYT so it must be true, right? #wireless
@crackel: RIGHT . People didn't like sprint's plan because it was with SPRINT not because of some idiotic need for a consistently high bill. It seems like there is no reason a 20 something dollar plan shouldn't be available on the major carriers. #wireless
@parkur: yes there is. Companies seek to raise prices, and resist lowering them. Until there is significant downward pressure on pricing, it will continue to rise. And often, pressure is not enough, since companies often believe they have something that differentiates them from others that's worth the premium. For example, AT&T dropping prices by 10% would cause VZW to retain their structure and claim that 10% is worth having a 3G signal everywhere. #wireless
here is my other test tha's not mobilespeedtest.com
it definitely doesnt seem fast when im browsing. i dled the speedtest off of the market and here is what i got. just search for speedtest in the market.
test # 1
max dl speed 713.0 kbit/s
max ul speed 159.4 kbit/s
test#2
the program decides to stop working even after a reboot of the phone. dont know if its the program or its tmobile.
11/16/09
11/15/09
People really should leverage the family plans as much as possible. I lucked out awhile back and pay $10 for 2 more phones on my account. It's worked out well.
11/15/09
11/15/09
In the rest of the world, wireless numbers are allocated into their own special area code, usually 080 or some variation thereof. So the telco can say "all calls to 080 get charged more than calls to other area codes." And the caller winds up paying for wireless calls.
In America, they can't do that. So instead of charging the caller, they charge the receiver. #wireless
11/15/09
For examples...
315-854-XXXX is Verizon Wireless. 315-528-XXXX is AT&T. And so on.
So, why don't we just charge the caller? :P #wireless
11/15/09
11/15/09
11/16/09
With large minute bucket plans, larger and larger pools of non-charged minute (in-network, mobile-to-mobile), and niche carriers offering all-you-can-eat voice, it isn't going to be too long before voice isn't really a per minute service anyway. #wireless
11/16/09
11/16/09
11/16/09
11/16/09
11/16/09
11/14/09
11/14/09
Slightly off-topic, but Sprint is now offering $150 upgrade discount annually, instead of biennially as they used to do. Or maybe they're only doing it for customers that have been around for awhile, but either way I appreciate the change. Even if I do have to commit to another two-year contract every time I upgrade. #wireless
11/14/09
11/14/09
11/14/09
I had plans with Cingular/AT&T for years. Nothing fancy, but it cost me about $60 per month after taxes. I never used my minutes or text messages. All I got out of it was a crappy dumb phone for $30.
Now, I'm in Asia. I bought my Nokia E71 for $350. I pay for my minutes and texts as I use them. I don't use data plans since I have Wi-Fi at work and most places I travel. On average, I spend less than $10 per month for everything I use.
Now if you take the total cost of the phone and monthly fees, I will have spent $590 on my phone and connection here in Asia over the course of 2 years. In the States, I spent $1510 over the course of 2 years.
I actually cringe when I think that when I move back to the U.S., I will be forced back into monthly plans. I really just want to be able to buy my phone independent of the plan if I could get the option of a discounted montly rate. Yet, that option really doesn't exist since pay-as-you-go users are punished with inflated per minute costs. #wireless
11/14/09
1200 minutes, 1200 text messages, $29/mo. Sounds reasonable. But they only give you all of 50 megabytes of data. OR pay $39/mo for unlimited voice/text... and 20 MB. WTF, prepaid companies?
I'd die for just straight-up prepaid data - be able to plunk down, say, $25/mo for unlimited data barring voice. I can sure as hell do it on a 2-year with AT&T via a Premier discount ($26/mo before taxes), but I'm locked in with the rest of my family for an out-of-date smartphone I got in June. That is... until June of 2011. (Thanks for coming out with the TP2, AT&T, right after I bought my FUZE!) #wireless
11/15/09
11/15/09
11/14/09
11/14/09
11/15/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
it definitely doesnt seem fast when im browsing. i dled the speedtest off of the market and here is what i got. just search for speedtest in the market.
test # 1
max dl speed 713.0 kbit/s
max ul speed 159.4 kbit/s
test#2
the program decides to stop working even after a reboot of the phone. dont know if its the program or its tmobile.
11/05/09
11/04/09
3960.4 kbps on the 2MB test
I'm in the metro Atlanta area. Pretty far outside the perimeter, so my speeds may not be an indication of the city as a whole.
Oh, and lest we forget, #RosaRocks #tmobilehspa72rollout
11/04/09
I got over 4.5mbps on the mobile site, [i36.tinypic.com] when using the 1000kb file, tried the other file sizes and all results were at least 3mbps.
When testing with speedtest app, got .3 mbps which is slower than what i get on my pc when tethering, usually get around 2mbps
I retethered, and only got 1mbps
[i36.tinypic.com]
but swear, yesterday was getting at least 2mbps tethering
I am in Austin, TX #tmobilehspa72rollout