Rich Brome of PhoneScoop on what they don’t tell you when you sign up for Sprint’s new “all-you-can-eat” data service:
Sprint has a weird policy on the “unlimited” 1xRTT data. They recently made it unlimited, to simplify pricing and drive adoption of new advanced phones (Java, cameras, etc.). But they intend the unlimited deal for phone use only – not laptops or PDAs, which obviously consume more data bandwidth.
But because they are now using WAP 2.0, (which eliminates gateways and makes phone browsers full clients with IP addresses,) they apparently have no way of knowing whether you are browsing from your phone, or are using a cable connected to your laptop. So of course customers are taking advantage and using $10 unlimited data on their laptops.
Sprint’s solution? Stop selling the data cables, and if they detect “abusive” bandwidth usage, they reserve the right to terminate your data service permanently.
If you want data for your laptop or PDA, you’re supposed to buy a PC Card, or the new Yiso compact flash card – and then because they know your ESN (electronic serial number) is associated with a data device, they can force you to use a data-only plan, which is $100/month for unlimited data.
