A few days back, we told you the story of an AT&T customer whose data was throttled once he used a little more than 2GB on his unlimited plan. It’s no secret that AT&T has been throttling data for the top five percent of consumers since last year, but none of us were expecting that the [...]]]>

A few days back, we told you the story of an AT&T customer whose data was throttled once he used a little more than 2GB on his unlimited plan. It’s no secret that AT&T has been throttling data for the top five percent of consumers since last year, but none of us were expecting that the cutoff would begin at the 2GB threshold.

In order to explain the company’s actions, Mark Siegel, an AT&T spokesman has pointed out to the Wall Street Journal that AT&T’s top five percent data consuming customers use an average of 2GB per month. While AT&T reserves the right to throttle all customer who fall into that category, it’s not an automatic process. AT&T actually takes into account the user’s location and network capacity before enabling data throttling. Based on this system,  ”less than 1 percent of AT&T smartphone customers” were effected by data throttling policy last month.

There’s a very good chance you wouldn’t be slowed.Mark SiegelAT&T

While we’d like to take Mark Siegel at his word, the details are too vague.  We don’t know how many of AT&T’s customers are still grandfathered into AT&T’s unlimited data plan, but we can guarantee that the ”less than 1 percent of AT&T smartphone customers” calculation also accounts for all of AT&T’s customers with metered data plans.

We know that data throttling is here to stay. All we want is for carriers to be 100% transparent and tell consumers exactly when they will reach the throttling threshold.  What do you think AT&T should do to fix this issue?

Before AT&T tiered data plans started coming into effect, users were happy to be unlimited data subscribers. Once the changes went into place they would be grandfathered, allowing them to keep their unlimited plan. This was before AT&T started throttling its top 5% of data consumers. Grandfathered customers are now suffering from an [...]]]>

Before AT&T tiered data plans started coming into effect, users were happy to be unlimited data subscribers. Once the changes went into place they would be grandfathered, allowing them to keep their unlimited plan. This was before AT&T started throttling its top 5% of data consumers. Grandfathered customers are now suffering from an interesting effect in the system.

AT&T throttles the top 5% of data consumers in their network, but this is not just an estimate. They literally throttle the top 5%, regardless of where that limit happens to fall, that month. This would mean that if AT&T managed to keep convincing subscribers to use less and less data, the limit would go down, along with the users’ habits. If the top 5% miraculously managed to use only 200 MB a month (or 20 GB), that is where the limit would hit.

The situation is not as critical yet, but “unlimited” data users are certainly experiencing a lower throttling cap. And it seems like tiered data plan subscribers also come into the equation, even though only unlimited users are being throttled.

After going about his business as regular, AT&T user John Cozen was notified that he was being throttled for falling under the 5% top users window. He had only used 2.1 GB of data in that month. After a series of e-mails, AT&T confirmed that this was not a mistake, and the top 5% was being throttled after using just a bit over 2 GB of data.

AT&T’s new smartphone data plans include:

• AT&T Data Plus 300MB: $20 for 300MB
• AT&T Data Pro 3GB: $30 for 3GB
• AT&T Data Pro 5GB: $50 for 5GB, with mobile hotspot / tethering

It might no longer be convenient to be grandfathered into those unlimited data plans (unless you don’t mind the slower speeds). Of course, tiered data plans are not affected. If one pays the equally priced $30 plan, you get 3 GB of data, which is about an extra GB compared to unlimited data subscribers (before being throttled).

The tables have turned around, and unlimited data plans might not be as great as we thought. At least with AT&T. It just might be time for power users to start saying goodbye to their grandfathered plans. They could be getting a better deal with the 3 GB tiered data plan.

Have any of our readers experienced a similar problem? Would you rather leave your grandfathered plan to get that tiered 3 GB plan?

This Friday, Verizon is bringing back their popular double-data promotion that gives users double the data allowance for the same price. The deal, along with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, was the primary reason I switched over to Verizon from T-Mobile last year and I’ve been extremely happy with the service so far.

Verizon currently [...]]]>

This Friday, Verizon is bringing back their popular double-data promotion that gives users double the data allowance for the same price. The deal, along with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, was the primary reason I switched over to Verizon from T-Mobile last year and I’ve been extremely happy with the service so far.

Verizon currently offers three tiers of data - 2 gigabytes for $30, 5 gigabytes for $50 and 10 gigabytes for $80. With the special promotion, subscribers will get 4 gigabytes for $30, 10 gigabytes for $50 and 20 gigabytes for $80.

The Galaxy Nexus normally retails for $299 with 2-year agreement, but we just spotted a deal where Amazon once again has the Galaxy Nexus at $99 for new customers. I believe that Amazon Wireless honors Verizon’s promotions, so it would be an extra sweet deal to combine these two offers on Friday.

Roger Cheng of CNET is also reporting that Verizon will also offer buy-one-get-one free on the Droid RAZR ($99) and Droid RAZR MAXX ($199) this Friday. That’s the same day that the Droid 4 launches, so we might see that device as part of the promotion too.

Verizon is one of the most expensive carriers around, but I think the price is deserved since they offer the fastest and largest 4G LTE network. It’s not for everyone, but if you need a super-fast network connection then I’d give Verizon a look.

Their early LTE devices like the HTC Thunderbolt suffered from short battery life, but newer devices like the Droid RAZR MAXX (3,300 mAh battery) and Galaxy Nexus (2100 mAh extended battery for $25) offer battery life that can last all day. For those that are concerned with a metered data plan, Android 4.0 adds new controls for managing network data usage.

The majority of our fans tend to agree that Verizon offers the best Android experience, since they voted the carrier as their favorite in our first Android Bowl. If you have any concerns or questions about switching to Verizon, just ask in the comments below and our community will help answer them.

Now that the AT&T acquisition of T-Mobile ordeal has ended, many Magenta customers may be wondering what the future holds. We know T-Mobile is not doing too well; that was a major reason their parent company wanted to sell them.

It seems Deutsche Telekom will get pretty much all the money AT&T [...]]]>

Now that the AT&T acquisition of T-Mobile ordeal has ended, many Magenta customers may be wondering what the future holds. We know T-Mobile is not doing too well; that was a major reason their parent company wanted to sell them.

It seems Deutsche Telekom will get pretty much all the money AT&T owes T-Mobile for the breakup fee, and they will be using it for debt payments. Does this mean T-Mobile is out in the dust? Well, not exactly. Both carriers have reached a 7-year roaming agreement. This will allow T-Mobile customers to freely roam on AT&T’s UMTS network. T-Mobile has been future-proofing some devices to run on AT&T’s UMTS network (a bit odd, right?), so the next 7 years should be much better for T-Mo’ users.

According to Deutsche Telekom, this deal will expand T-Mobile USA’s coverage by about 50 million subscribers (from 230 to 280 million). This should give T-Mobile a good boost to get back on its feet, and it seems that is T-Mobile’s plan (unless they’re not telling us everything).

T-Mobile’s Chief Operations Officer Jim Alling has released a statement on the company’s official blog to informs us of what the future will be like for Magenta’s customers.

Dear T-Mobile Customers:

By now I am sure you have seen media reports that AT&T and Deutsche Telekom (DT) have mutually decided to terminate their agreement for AT&T to acquire T-Mobile USA. This announcement effectively ends the acquisition process launched March 20.

What does this mean for T-Mobile USA customers? Our focus is unchanged: make the latest mobile products and services affordable for everyone.

And there are many reasons to choose T-Mobile as your wireless provider:

Great Value. We’re offering our best plan ever – 2 lines for $49.99 each that includes voice, text and data (including 2GB at full-speed) on each line with a new 2-year agreement. We also now offer a Monthly4G no annual contract plan that gives you unlimited talk, text, and web (including 100MB at full-speed) for $50.

Compelling Products. We offer a great line-up of 4G smartphones. We continue to rapidly expand our selection of amazing and affordable 4G smartphones, tablets and other devices that make mobile internet service easy and affordable. This holiday, we have cutting edge smartphones including the 42 Mbps-capable HTC Amaze 4G and the Samsung Galaxy S II. In January, we will begin selling the Lumia 710, the first Windows Phone from Nokia for as low as $49.99 after mail-in rebate with a 2-year agreement on a qualifying plan.

America’s Largest 4G Network – now faster than ever. Whether you need driving instructions that are fast enough to keep up with your car, or want to stream a full-length movie uninterrupted, our 4G network delivers. We have expanded our 4G coverage to more than 200 million people in 208 markets and doubled speeds for nearly 180 million Americans in 163 markets.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you, we appreciate your business and we will continue to focus on earning your loyalty every day.

Regards,

Jim Alling
Chief Operations Officer
T-Mobile USA, Inc.

T-MobileJim AllingCOO of T-Mobile USA

With this, T-Mobile is basically saying “Move along guys, everything will stay the same.” If you have been worrying about the future of T-Mobile, things should stay the same. At least for the near future.

We never know what these companies might be planning in the background. Do you think T-Mobile has some sort of back up plan?

Update

We know Sprint has always been against the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. They made it very clear since the beginning. Such a deal would harm competition, resulting in a worst situation for the consumer.

Sprint has also issued a formal statement, and they are glad to see that this merger did not go through. ^[1]

Earlier today, AT&T terminated its definitive merger agreement with Deutsche Telekom to acquire T-Mobile USA. This is the right decision for consumers, competition and innovation in the wireless industry.

From the beginning, Sprint has stood with consumers who spoke loudly and clearly that AT&T’s proposed takeover of T-Mobile would create an undeniable duopoly that would have resulted in higher prices, less innovation and fewer choices for the American consumer.

Sprint commends the Department of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission and the bi-partisan group of state attorneys general who gave voice to the concerns of consumers across the country. We look forward to competing fiercely in the robust, competitive market that exists today and continuing to deliver the world class service and products that consumers have come to expect from Sprint.Vonya B. McCannSenior Vice President of Government Affairs for Sprint

AT&T‘s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile has been one of the hottest topics in the tech industry this year. AT&T claims to need T-Mobile’s spectrum to build out their LTE network, and T-Mobile is going bankrupt – best option would be a merge, right? We wouldn’t be ranting and worrying if things [...]]]>

AT&T‘s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile has been one of the hottest topics in the tech industry this year. AT&T claims to need T-Mobile’s spectrum to build out their LTE network, and T-Mobile is going bankrupt – best option would be a merge, right? We wouldn’t be ranting and worrying if things were that simple, though. Such acquisition would bring many consequences, with some being potentially harmful to the cellphone industry.

One of the main concerns is that this deal could substantially harm competition. Not only would one of the 4 biggest carriers be disappearing, but AT&T would easily become the largest carrier in the US, and would give them an essential monopoly on the GSM market. If competition goes down, this means that carriers would have the freedom to charge higher prices, since less companies would be taking away the customers. And we all know that carriers are big businesses, and if they can get away with charging more, they will.

What happens if this deal happens to be blocked, though? While Verizon is not very worried about this, Sprint happens to be one of the most important companies fighting against this merger. And while we are all trying to stop it (or support it), the companies still have their problems to deal with. AT&T needs spectrum for LTE, as they will not be able to handle the load of users, and T-Mobile is still broke and Deutsche Telekom doesn’t want to give them any money.

According to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, blocking this deal would be the worst outcome for customers. Claiming that AT&T is still in need of spectrum, he mentions that prices would have to rise in order to offer good service to its customers, a move AT&T customers would none too happy about.

Regulators can’t keep up with the changes in the industry.Randall StephensonAT&T CEO

Of course, if AT&T was to raise the prices too high, they would also lose many of their customers (hence why competition helps). Sprint did mention that they believe AT&T to be badly investing in their network, and that AT&T wouldn’t necessarily need T-Mobile to have LTE reach customers. Should be easier said than done, but it sure beats raising everyone’s bill, especially with, you know, competition out there.

Judge Huvelle will be holding a hearing today at the US District Court. This is in preparation for trial coming February 13th, 2012. We will have to wait and see how things unfold. What do you guys think? Do you believe Stephenson’s comment is necessarily right? Will AT&T really be forced to raise the prices, or are there better alternatives? Will you be switching carriers if this becomes true?

It seems to be happening again;Verizon’s 4G LTE network is experiencing issues nationwide. There’s no specific area or device with issues, though. People from all over the country, with all different devices, have been reporting that their 4G devices are not accessing the 4G network, leaving them stuck with 3G speeds — some even [...]]]>

It seems to be happening again;Verizon’s 4G LTE network is experiencing issues nationwide. There’s no specific area or device with issues, though. People from all over the country, with all different devices, have been reporting that their 4G devices are not accessing the 4G network, leaving them stuck with 3G speeds — some even with 1x.

This may be caused by a SIM card issue that arose last night. Users were getting SIM card error messages such as, “SIM card authorization error,” and “The SIM Card may not be authorized for LTE service. Please Power down the phone and contact Wireless Provider Customer Service.” ^[1]

Déjà vu hit our team. Do you guys remember the last 4G LTE outage, when the Samsung Droid Charge was delayed? It’s said that the delay was caused by the lack of 4G; Verizon didn’t want to make a bad first impression. We seem to be witnessing something similar. While all evidence pointed towards a December 9 release for the Galaxy Nexus, things have suddenly turned around.

Verizon has responded with this comment regarding the 4G LTE outage:

Verizon Wireless engineers have been working to resolve an issue with 4GLTE service that is affecting some customers’ 4G devices. 3G data and voice devices are unaffected. All customers’ voice calls and text messages continue to go through. In the past 24 hours, some 4GLTE customers have reported their devices are operating on 3G data service where they would normally get 4G. Some have reported no issues, others that data access is either intermittent or unavailable. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.Verizon

Could it be that, after getting everything ready and telling all representatives the release would be this Friday, Verizon has decided to delay the release due to connectivity problems? Maybe so. There is another theory running around the interwebs, though.

Verizon seems to be accused of violating a federal requirement, due to the fact that Verizon is not allowing Google Wallet to be used on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (yet). Verizon is prohibited from “denying, limiting, or restricting the ability of their customers to use the devices and applications of their choice.” ^[2]

There are accusations pointing towards the idea that Verizon might be doing this to bolster a service they will be offering, caled ISIS. Big Red has tried to defend itself by mentioning that they are not exactly blocking Google Wallet and feel it is more of a security issue, but the investigation/arrangement might be still going on. This could be another cause of delay.

Whatever the reason is, Verizon customers are not having a good day. That shiny Galaxy Nexus will not be in our hands as soon as we expected, and if you happen to own a 4G device, you might be having issues with the network. And it seems like it is quite a big percentage of users.

Are any of you experiencing problems with Verizon’s 4G LTE network? I have an HTC Thunderbolt running on 3G, in San Diego, CA. What about you?

One of the biggest concerns for smartphone early adopters is that extra data fee popping up in monthly bills. Smartphones have become easily accessible, with options varying from free to $300 devices, but those fees are what people do not like to see. A great alternative carriers have been looking at is shared family data [...]]]>

One of the biggest concerns for smartphone early adopters is that extra data fee popping up in monthly bills. Smartphones have become easily accessible, with options varying from free to $300 devices, but those fees are what people do not like to see. A great alternative carriers have been looking at is shared family data plans. Such offerings should break the boundaries that stop consumers from purchasing a smartphone, and Verizon seems to be planning shared data plans for next year.

Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam has spoken up at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference, mentioning that shared data plans is something Big Red has been considering. And these data plans might be showing up next year, in 2012.

I think in 2012 we will see it.

We have been working on this for a couple of years. Getting to one bill and getting to account-level pricing is our goal.Lowell McAdamVerizon Communications

Now that we have moved into tiered data plans, it only seems fair that the limited gigabytes be used as pleased. It is already possible to share family minutes, as well as texts for some carriers. As we move on to a smartphone friendly world, the same should apply to data. There is no doubt that extra fees have been stopping customers from purchasing devices.

Newcomers are not the only ones backing off. As technology consumers/enthusiasts, we are also interested in tablets, USB internet dongles, WiFi hotspot devices, and even laptops. Would we want to pay $30+ for each one of these devices, though? Of course not. Shared data plans would allow us to get rid of such limitations, allowing us to use our purchased gigabytes as we best see fit.

What do you guys think? Would you use more internet devices if family data plans were available? Do you think people would be less hesitant to purchase a smartphone/internet device?

November 20 will be a busy day for Android AT&T customers. The carrier just announced it will launch the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE, Samsung Captivate Glide, Samsung Doubletime and Pantech Pocket all on the same day. In addition, AT&T will also epxand its 4G LTE network to six new markets including Charlotte, Indianapolis, Kansas City,Las Vegas, [...]]]>

November 20 will be a busy day for Android AT&T customers. The carrier just announced it will launch the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE, Samsung Captivate Glide, Samsung Doubletime and Pantech Pocket all on the same day. In addition, AT&T will also epxand its 4G LTE network to six new markets including Charlotte, Indianapolis, Kansas City,Las Vegas, Oklahoma City and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is the smaller brother of the Tab 10.1 we’ve been playing with for months, and it will be AT&T’s second LTE tablet. (The other is the flop known as the HTC Jetstream). Samsung’s offering will sell for a hefty $479.99 with a two-year commitment, but AT&T is tossing in a free Galaxy S II Skyrocket or Galaxy S II at no cost for a limited time.

Next we have a pair of Android smartphones from Samsung that were first announced last month at CTIA. The Samsung Captivate Glider is the first Android phone to feature a QWERTY keyboard, Tegra 2 processor and support for 4G HSPA+ 21 Mbps. Then we have the Samsung DoubleTime, which you will probably want to avoid. It ships with the ancient Android 2.2 Froyo and a 600 MHz processor.

Finally we have the Pantech Pocket, another odd Android offering. It features a 4-inch display with 800×600 resolution, 5 megapixel camera and a single-core 1 GHz processor. I wasn’t really impressed with the Pantech Pocket at CTIA, and I can’t think of any reasons to recommend this phone over AT&T’s other offerings.

The already launched Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket and HTC Vivid are most likely the best high-end Android devices we will see on AT&T this year, so today’s announcements likely won’t impress the hardcore crowd. However, we are always glad to see AT&T expand their 4G LTE network.

UPDATE: Sprint dropped us an email to make sure you guys knew this new tiered data structure did not apply to smartphones, and there were no plans to remove unlimited data from their smartphone plans at this time. That being said, several Sprint users (myself included) have been reporting horrible 3G speeds since the iPhone was [...]]]>

UPDATE: Sprint dropped us an email to make sure you guys knew this new tiered data structure did not apply to smartphones, and there were no plans to remove unlimited data from their smartphone plans at this time. That being said, several Sprint users (myself included) have been reporting horrible 3G speeds since the iPhone was launched a few weeks back. For the heck of it, I ran a few 3G speed tests over the past half hour, and am averaging 100kbps down, 40 kbps up. Though they’re going to try to re-focus some of their spectrum on the old Nextel frequencies, we have a feeling the end of the unlimited data era is quickly going to be upon us. But again, that’s just our opinion. What do you think?

Oh Sprint, you really nailed it with those unlimited commercials when you launched them a few months back, but how quickly you take away your main differentiating factor.

Sprint has confirmed that they are moving away from offering unlimited plans for all non-smartphone devices except for smartphones starting today. Instead, Sprint will be offering the customary tiered data plans that customers of AT&T and Verizon have come to expect from their carriers. Sprint will be offering the following plans to all new and existing customers:

• Tablets-only: $20 per month for 1 GB of data
• Tablets + Hotspot: $35 per month for 3 GB
• Tablets + Hotspot: $50 per month for 6 GB
• Tablets + Hotspot: $80 per month for 12 GB

This move gives Sprint the cheapest tablet and hotspot data packages, providing users with the most GB bang for their buck. That being said, Sprint hasn’t exactly been offering the best in the way of data speeds, with users reporting 3G speeds that are similar to what I experienced on T-Mobile’s 2G Edge network (100kbps down/up).

This is quite a bold move for Sprint, though not unexpected. We reported a while back that Sprint was going to move their tablets, mobile hotspots and netbook devices away from unlimited data, and this is simply their move coming to fruition. Furthermore, we speculated that it was only a matter of time before they would move their smartphone data plans away from the world of the unlimited as well, something that’s more and more likely as Sprint’s network continues to deliver sub-optimal performance.

In our opinion, the era of truly unlimited mobile data is all but over. Though they have adamantly denied this notion, even a re-purposing of their Nextel Network and development of a 4G LTE network likely indicate the beginning of the end for Sprint’s unlimited plans. I guess time will tell.

Sprint is holding an invitation-only “strategy update” on October 7th in New York City, Engadget reports. Though we don’t know for sure what they will be announcing, we believe it’s safe to assume that the announcement will not be iPhone 5 related. Instead, it will probably focus on the future of Sprint’s next-generation mobile network.