Goodbye illegal tethering

[Drosul]

My opinion on this:

They are offering unlimited data.

They are getting mad about power users actually utilizing their data, above the average person (Ignoring for the moment, whether they are tethered or not) to the point where their own networks are having trouble keeping up.

The elephant in the room isn't that tethered people are using too much data, it's that the carriers simply can't handle their own advertised UNLIMITED data rates for the speeds.

It's their own lack of infrastructure that leads them to add that qualifying line near their unlimited statement that they can basically cancel you at any time they think you are overusing it... And that same lack of infrastructure that causes them to nickle and dime tetherers with fairly ludicrous data charges and limitations.

Now personally, I have, and will continue to tether when needed. I am even willing to pay for this service per month. What I am not willing to do, is pay the ridiculously high comparative rates for the ridiculously low comparative data caps. If Verizon put tether as a $10 addon, for 5gb, with a reasonable auto-applied $1-$2 charge for every GB over that onto your bill, they'd probably make MORE money, since many people would pay for it out of convenience of the option, even if they barely/rarely used it.

 

[Vyvid]

My opinion on this:

They are offering unlimited data.

They are getting mad about power users actually utilizing their data, above the average person (Ignoring for the moment, whether they are tethered or not) to the point where their own networks are having trouble keeping up.

The elephant in the room isn't that tethered people are using too much data, it's that the carriers simply can't handle their own advertised UNLIMITED data rates for the speeds.

It's their own lack of infrastructure that leads them to add that qualifying line near their unlimited statement that they can basically cancel you at any time they think you are overusing it... And that same lack of infrastructure that causes them to nickle and dime tetherers with fairly ludicrous data charges and limitations.

Now personally, I have, and will continue to tether when needed. I am even willing to pay for this service per month. What I am not willing to do, is pay the ridiculously high comparative rates for the ridiculously low comparative data caps. If Verizon put tether as a $10 addon, for 5gb, with a reasonable auto-applied $1-$2 charge for every GB over that onto your bill, they'd probably make MORE money, since many people would pay for it out of convenience of the option, even if they barely/rarely used it.

<3



~*Sent from a Galaxy far, far away*~

 

[czerdrill]

My opinion on this:

They are offering unlimited data.

They are getting mad about power users actually utilizing their data, above the average person (Ignoring for the moment, whether they are tethered or not) to the point where their own networks are having trouble keeping up.

The elephant in the room isn't that tethered people are using too much data, it's that the carriers simply can't handle their own advertised UNLIMITED data rates for the speeds.

It's their own lack of infrastructure that leads them to add that qualifying line near their unlimited statement that they can basically cancel you at any time they think you are overusing it... And that same lack of infrastructure that causes them to nickle and dime tetherers with fairly ludicrous data charges and limitations.

Now personally, I have, and will continue to tether when needed. I am even willing to pay for this service per month. What I am not willing to do, is pay the ridiculously high comparative rates for the ridiculously low comparative data caps. If Verizon put tether as a $10 addon, for 5gb, with a reasonable auto-applied $1-$2 charge for every GB over that onto your bill, they'd probably make MORE money, since many people would pay for it out of convenience of the option, even if they barely/rarely used it.

oh come on...show me any terms of service that doesn't have some kind of escape clause....while what you're saying may be true, i doubt that language was put there because the bigwigs were sitting in a room going "there's no way we can do this, and this is a complete lie"....it's just normal legalese. companies have to protect their butts, because people, especially americans, are sue happy. i think its a little presumptuous to say they know their network sucks and needed this out to ensure that everything goes ok.

I do agree with your ideas on a tethering plan though. $20 for 2GB is ridiculous, they need to come up with something better then that.

 

[ilikemoneygreen]

My opinion on this:

They are offering unlimited data.

They are getting mad about power users actually utilizing their data, above the average person (Ignoring for the moment, whether they are tethered or not) to the point where their own networks are having trouble keeping up.

The elephant in the room isn't that tethered people are using too much data, it's that the carriers simply can't handle their own advertised UNLIMITED data rates for the speeds.

It's their own lack of infrastructure that leads them to add that qualifying line near their unlimited statement that they can basically cancel you at any time they think you are overusing it... And that same lack of infrastructure that causes them to nickle and dime tetherers with fairly ludicrous data charges and limitations.

Now personally, I have, and will continue to tether when needed. I am even willing to pay for this service per month. What I am not willing to do, is pay the ridiculously high comparative rates for the ridiculously low comparative data caps. If Verizon put tether as a $10 addon, for 5gb, with a reasonable auto-applied $1-$2 charge for every GB over that onto your bill, they'd probably make MORE money, since many people would pay for it out of convenience of the option, even if they barely/rarely used it.

oh come on...show me any terms of service that doesn't have some kind of escape clause....while what you're saying may be true, i doubt that language was put there because the bigwigs were sitting in a room going "there's no way we can do this, and this is a complete lie"....it's just normal legalese. companies have to protect their butts, because people, especially americans, are sue happy. i think its a little presumptuous to say they know their network sucks and needed this out to ensure that everything goes ok.

I do agree with your ideas on a tethering plan though. $20 for 2GB is ridiculous, they need to come up with something better then that.

Wow, 1cent a MB... $1 for 100mb ... $10 for a gig... At least 1 kb would be free. or below a cent. if only it worked that way. i say 50cents for 100mb... thats $5 a gig. $10 for 2.... think more peeps would bite. or at least make the mobile hot spot a pay as you use kind of thing. Sometimes you just dont need hotspot but sometimes and odd occasion like your on vacation or a trip and need internet to your pc to work on a school paper. i think my mom would pay for that more than a per month basis. I dont need 2gigs on vaction either. Pay as you go would customise it more like if i used 200mb, id pay $2 not have a monthly charge of $20.

 

[kodiak799]

They're not going to undercut their mobile broadband. It's $50 for 5gigs ($10 per gig, same as $20 for 2 gig tether) and $80 for 10gigs.

 

[ilikemoneygreen]

They're not going to undercut their mobile broadband. It's $50 for 5gigs ($10 per gig, same as $20 for 2 gig tether) and $80 for 10gigs.

Was this in reference to me? I already know the prices.... Thanks for googling it i guess though.

 

[ChelseaBlue]

Technically cingular/at&t has always had this rule. I used to work customer service technical support for business end users (at&t's Advanced Network Service or ANS) for PDA connectivity, email, tethering and wireless card issues. They have always had tethering plans that provided your account with ISP.Cingular.net or ISP.wirelessatt.net (or sometching like that) address needed to tether with their connection program or to just set up a DUN. Or you could use the wap.Cingular.com (or whatever) which wasn't supposed to be used for tethering, just mobile browsing. But it worked for tethering nevertheless Well, sometimes they monitor acct activity and if you were only provisioned for mobile browsing, WAP, and crazy high data usage that could only mean one thing - illegal tethering and they would bill you accordingly. I know this for a fact because one of my coworkers was caught for it - $3000.00 worth.

So pretty much know that while you are just one of millions of customers you can be caught. So unless you're provisioned, tether at your own risk.

 

[blackbelt27]

I pay for my data plan!!!! And ill use it however I please!!! What a shakedown, it makes NO differnece to them how I use my data, its just another $500 a year they can squeeze out of me

And so what if people are using 30gb a month, they're paying for it, just like every-freaking-body

[mod edit - no more warnings about swearing]

 

[ChelseaBlue]

I pay for 5 gigs a month!!!! And ill use it however I please!!! What a shakedown, it makes NO differnece to them how I use my data,

So what if people are using 30gb a month, they're paying for it!!

That's not the case. Its the people who use their mobile phone for internet on their computer. Data use on device < data use on computer. Contract fine print is an sob.

 

[ilikemoneygreen]

Technically cingular/at&t has always had this rule. I used to work customer service technical support for business end users (at&t's Advanced Network Service or ANS) for PDA connectivity, email, tethering and wireless card issues. They have always had tethering plans that provided your account with ISP.Cingular.net or ISP.wirelessatt.net (or sometching like that) address needed to tether with their connection program or to just set up a DUN. Or you could use the wap.Cingular.com (or whatever) which wasn't supposed to be used for tethering, just mobile browsing. But it worked for tethering nevertheless Well, sometimes they monitor acct activity and if you were only provisioned for mobile browsing, WAP, and crazy high data usage that could only mean one thing - illegal tethering and they would bill you accordingly. I know this for a fact because one of my coworkers was caught for it - $3000.00 worth.

So pretty much know that while you are just one of millions of customers you can be caught. So unless you're provisioned, tether at your own risk.

So if we use alot of our data they will assume we tether? How does that correlate. Haha if one buys unlimited phone data and uses a crapload with the phone but still gets charged for tethering (Without actually tethering) becuase you used for lots of data then i would be suing someone. Just saying.

 

[blackbelt27]

I pay for 5 gigs a month!!!! And ill use it however I please!!! What a f****ng shakedown, it makes NO differnece to them how I use my data,

So what if people are using 30gb a month, they're paying for it!!

That's not the case. Its the people who use their mobile phone for internet on their computer. Data use on device < data use on computer. Contract fine print is an sob.

What's not the case? Yeah, its all in the fine print, what's your point?

 

[ilikemoneygreen]

Just as a random question guys, who is really using over 10gb a month? like i can honestly say i have never come close to that on my 12mbps cable internet. That is way above streaming music and movies. idk what people are doing, i get a max of 1.2 mbps on 3g... Downloading a torrent would be painfully slow at that speed. It would take days. A lot of peeps have been using 30gb a month as an example. haha on a 30 day month thats a gig a day. I guess im no heavy user but thats just alot.

 

[ChelseaBlue]

Technically cingular/at&t has always had this rule. I used to work customer service technical support for business end users (at&t's Advanced Network Service or ANS) for PDA connectivity, email, tethering and wireless card issues. They have always had tethering plans that provided your account with ISP.Cingular.net or ISP.wirelessatt.net (or sometching like that) address needed to tether with their connection program or to just set up a DUN. Or you could use the wap.Cingular.com (or whatever) which wasn't supposed to be used for tethering, just mobile browsing. But it worked for tethering nevertheless Well, sometimes they monitor acct activity and if you were only provisioned for mobile browsing, WAP, and crazy high data usage that could only mean one thing - illegal tethering and they would bill you accordingly. I know this for a fact because one of my coworkers was caught for it - $3000.00 worth.

So pretty much know that while you are just one of millions of customers you can be caught. So unless you're provisioned, tether at your own risk.

So if we use alot of our data they will assume we tether? How does that correlate. Haha if one buys unlimited phone data and uses a crapload with the phone but still gets charged for tethering (Without actually tethering) becuase you used for lots of data then i would be suing someone. Just saying.

My info may be a little outdated as I workedthere in 08 when 3G was rolling out but the concept remains,... I thought the same thing but while you may use a 'crapload' of data on your phone, the amount of data that is downloaded by a computer is substantially larger. Forexample:

Month 1 used 6GB
Month 2 used 8GB
Month 3 used 7GB
Month 4 used 32GB
Month 5 used 30GB
and so on...

A sudden spike like that would more than likely mean you're tethering.

 

[ChelseaBlue]

I pay for 5 gigs a month!!!! And ill use it however I please!!! What a shakedown, it makes NO differnece to them how I use my data,

So what if people are using 30gb a month, they're paying for it!!

That's not the case. Its the people who use their mobile phone for internet on their computer. Data use on device < data use on computer. Contract fine print is an sob.

What's not the case? Yeah, its all in the fine print, what's your point?

Its not a case of how you use your data, its a case of youre not supposed to use your phone as a modem unless you have a plan that allows you to do so. Fine print that you agree to says something along the lines of "I will adhere to the terms of my plan and yada yada." In which case a $30 unlimited data plan is not a tethering plan, but the $60 unlimited data plus tethering plan does include tethering.

now believe me, ive done it and still do occasionally bur I understand why they do it.

 

[ilikemoneygreen]

I have tethered in the past. I have stopped though, haven't even done it since last June. My feelings are mixed about it. I see both sides, but i most likely wont tether anymore. Its simply not needed and their's no reason to kill a chicken just to kill a chicken... especially when you have rib eye steak.