Verizon LTE Chews Through Data at "Ludicrous Speed"!

[billjohnson]

That's pretty cool. So you get service most anywhere you go or does your ship have a repeater?

 

[Bilgediver]

Well when we're out at sea I can't get a signal...lol, but When we pull into port its a necessity for me to have a cell phone signal, then I can update all of my games/programs and windows. Especially its important now that so many games that I buy REQUIRE online activation/registration for me to even play them.

As to phone data plans, I am very much aware that they haven't come out with them yet, they have to have 4G phones to be able to have a pricing plan. It might be similar to Sprint, where its just an extra $10 for having a 4G phone.

I've considered a mifi (especially if I plan on using the Archos tablet I ordered recently) but honestly, my plan for my aircard is still unlimited. I know I shouldn't say this but when I signed up for my aircard my plan was unlimited. I've been told that that was supposed to be introductory only but so far they haven't changed it and it's still unlimited. However I still keep track of my data usage, just in case and I do often hit 5 gigs and in many cases go even higher.

I know that an unlimited plan should be priced higher, and I would have no problem paying for an unlimited rate, especially if I'm in an area to take advantage of 4G speeds. For someone like me whose air card is their primary means of getting online, we easily hit those data caps.

 

[PS3Gamer]

I don't understand why people think increasing their usage shouldn't cost them more. These plans are all designed with an expected usage in mind.

3G isn't really that slow - light browsing and things like Pandora make hitting 5 gigs pretty darn tough. But if it's faster people will shift usage from PC's, some even talking about dropping home broadband or tethering = saving money and then whine that the might be capped by VZW.

Probably 98% of users don't hit 5 gigs a month now, so faster shouldn't change you're usage unless you shift you're usage. Basic supply and demand says you should pay more for that.

If I'm VZW and have the capacity, this being a viable alternative to many for home broadband means there's some $50 a month they can capture in additional revenues from tethering. They can cap at 5 gigs and then, if you want to replace home broadband with tether, can charge $30-$40 more for unlimited and everyone wins.

I think where it becomes an issue is when mobile sites take advantage of increased speeds to deliver more data-rich content which increases data for the same given usage pattern.

You have a valid point there. If we are willing to tether our phones to our computers and save costs on our dreaded broadband bills, we can do this but have to pay more. That might not be the case for me, maybe, if I were to have a shared-plan with my wife and maybe only one line would be unlimited data. I could then allow my phone only to be tethered to have the Internet.. There has to be SOME WAY to save money using 4G, over having 4G and our seperate Inernet capabilities..

 

[thanos21183]

Interesting Current Event

In response to many posts in this thread I found an interesting current event that should mirror this discussion nicely.

Verizon CEO: 4G can be a 'substitute' for home internet and cable, will accelerate cord cutting -- Engadget

Source: Nasdaq and Engadget

 

[souljerr]

In response to many posts in this thread I found an interesting current event that should mirror this discussion nicely.

Verizon CEO: 4G can be a 'substitute' for home internet and cable, will accelerate cord cutting -- Engadget

Source: Nasdaq and Engadget

Key phrase here - over time...more people to cut the cord. Guess eventually it could happen but how much time are we talking here Mr. CEO?

 

[kodiak799]

Key phrase here - over time...more people to cut the cord. Guess eventually it could happen but how much time are we talking here Mr. CEO?

Wouldn't take long at all, only bit of a stumbling block I see is the inconvenience of having to turn tether on and off to do so. If VZW offered a second data-only device to do that job it could be interesting. Comparable broadband plans cost between $30-$50, key being that's unlimited data.

Reports on LTE going live are 6.5mbps down on an empty network. If we are talking average speeds of 5mbps I don't think that's enough to cut the cord. 10-12 like VZW said it would average on the high-end would be a different story.

 

[HamDog]

I'm paying about $40/month to Verizon DSL for 5-7Mb speeds. I'd glady cut the cord for even 3.5M. That's about what Sprint is getting tethered on their 4g in my area. And as I've said elsewhere on this thread, they charge $30/month for unlimited data tethering plans. Since I've been with Verizon for about a decade, I'd rather stick with them. There's gonna be a lot of good stuff coming soon. Just gotta hang tight.