Now that Sprint officially has the iPhone, the company confirmed today to All Things D that it will keep offering unlimited data plans when it starts selling the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, starting next week.
Although not sustainable in the long run, this move is aimed at standing up against AT&T and Verizon who both have stopped offering unlimited data plans a while ago...
As noted by Reddit user skelatwork, AT&T has already begun throttling data speeds for its wireless customers. We told you months ago that AT&T was going to implement data throttling this October, and it seems that the first messages have already been sent.
AT&T is only throttling the top 5% of data customers, but what qualifies for reaching such a threshold has still not been clarified.
It was only five days ago that I predicted Sprint would have to put an end to its unlimited data plan, and it seems that I was right. Following Verizon and AT&T's lead, a leaked internal document reveals that Sprint will start capping their unlimited tethering data plan to 5GB/month, starting October 2nd.
In views of all the recent hints that Sprint will get the iPhone, this move was most likely made to prevent future iPhone users from going over the top with data while using their device as a mobile hotspot...
Following their announcement made in February that the company would be throttling data for the top 5% of its users, Verizon has officially started what they call "Network Optimization Practices," just in time for the iPhone 5 launch sometime next month.
These "Network Optimization Practices" consist of reducing the data speed of the top 5% of Verizon users, a.k.a those who are on an unlimited data plan and use more than 2GB of data per month...
That's the question many will be pondering over the next month or so. It's widely expected that the iPhone will make the jump to its third official carrier when the iPhone 5 launches next month. With its launch, Sprint will finally gain access to what AT&T and Verizon have been enjoying for some time now.
Since it's Sprint, it pretty much goes without saying that their data plans will beat that of any plan offered on competing carriers. Sprint's main draw is the promise of real unlimited everything; that, of course, includes data. The question is, will it be enough to make you consider switching providers?
In this day in age it seems like carriers are more focused on "streamlining" their wireless plans rather than introducing new ones. In fact, AT&T followed up its unlimited data plan-ban by getting rid of its $10 SMS package.
Verizon, on the other hand, has just introduced a new wireless plan to serve up data for low-end customers. The $20 per month plan will give users 300MB of data per month, and is available now through September 30. Read on for more details...
A couple days ago, we reported that AT&T would automatically start moving jailbreakers using MyWi to an official tethering plan starting August 11.
It now seems that Verizon is following the same path, as it has started directing users who use unofficial tethering to this page, a kind warning that those users might want to get legit and start paying for the service...
Vonage has released an interesting application in the App Store that offers incredibly cheap rates on voice calling with access to over 100 countries for international calling. The app, called Time to Call, works like popular VoIP services (Skype) to deliver pay per calls and discounted rates for iPhone users.
With Time to Call, you'll be able to talk internationally for 15 minutes at no charge, and then be charged $1.99 for each 15 minute international call after the first.
Keeping track of your data consumption is becoming an increasingly important habit for smartphone users. Carriers have started enforcing tiered data plans, and data consumption is becoming more expensive for those that use their devices heavily.
AT&T recently announced that it would begin throttling unlimited data customers in October, so everyone will need to be monitoring their data consumption soon. On the iPhone, there's an excellent app for real-time data tracking called DataMan Pro...
Following the rumor that AT&T would beging throttling unlimited data customers for excessive use, AT&T has officially confirmed in a press release that such a procedure will fall into place this October. Starting October 1, AT&T will begin to implement data throttling for the top 5% of customers that remain on the unlimited data plan.
This move follows in the footsteps of Verizon, who is already throttling its unlimited customers in the same way.
Customers that are still on AT&T's unlimited data plan may soon see some of their grandfathered privileges revoked, as AT&T will reportedly begin throttling data hogs on its network come October.
Verizon has already started throttling 'unlimited' data customers, and AT&T looks to be adopting the same practice— all in time for the iPhone 5's launch in September. AT&T will be implementing this throttling to help speed up its slow 3G network that has plagued iPhone users for years.
Earlier this month, rumors were floating around the interwebs that Apple might be working on a 3G-capable iPod touch. Just like the iPad 3G, this iPod touch would have 3G data connectivity, allowing it to get internet access from virtually anywhere there is cell coverage.
Today we received a tip from an iDB reader pointing us to a page on Apple's website clearly showing an iPod touch with a 3G icon and signal strength in the status bar. Is this a hint from Apple that the company is indeed working on an iPod touch 3G?