U.S. Carriers Cracking Down on Android Hotspot Tethering Apps

[marksman]

Ok, I'm taking down the names of all the carrier defenders here.

The next time you people bitch about the cable companies or magazine publishers charging you twice for the "one" thing you paid for I'm gonna be all over you.

It is not a matter of being a carrier defender.

It is a matter of being a carrier customer who does not want to have to pay more for their service because people want to steal tethering service.

Nobody is charging you twice for one thing here.

You are paying to use data on your mobile device. If you want to use it to link up other devices, there is a separate service for that.

This is not exactly brain surgery here.

I'd agree with you that there may be consideration with unlimited data plans as you might be using your phone outside the scope of what they initially envisioned when they offered you unlimited data, but those are largely a thing of the past now.

With regards to tiered pricing, what you're suggesting is that you're not entitled to the data you paid for should you choose to use some of it for tethering. If you paid for 2 GB a month, you can damn well get 2 GB a month. 2 GB a month was the consideration they offered you. It's none of your concern if the carrier sold it to you with the assumption that you'd only use 500 MB a month. They can't charge you more because your tethering makes you more likely to approach the 2 GB cap they offered you.

Sure they can.. For one they can just raise the price. They never sold you the data to be used with tethering in the first place. They sold you data to be used strictly with your registered mobile device. That is clearly outlined in the contract you signed with them. It is crystal clear.

You aren't legally obligated to pay twice for that same 2 GB of consideration if you want to use a tethering app.

You aren't paying twice for anything. You are not legally allowed to tether on these devices from these carriers when you did not pay for the service to allow you to do so. You are stealing at that point.

Any concerns carriers have with bandwidth use can be addressed through their data plans, which they have full control of. They are not within their rights to start dictating what apps can or can't access data on your phone.

Actually yes they are... How you think they are not is beyond me. The service they provide you for regular data usage is specifically for data for that single device.

Even if tethering apps generate a lot of data use, charging specifically for tethering is just a stopgap for a larger problem with their data plan pricing structure.

No it is not. It is an improvement. It means that people who do not want to tether are not subsidizing those who do. Instead of having to raise the price for EVERYONE to $35-$40 a month to support those who tether, they instead can charge people who don't want to tether $25 a month and those who do $45 a month. I can see why someone that would stoop to stealing data services would also not have a problem with other customers subsidizing their usage, but to claim it is a bigger problem with their pricing structure is ignorant.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

Just like communism

i love it when people say stuff, i mean type stuff, without thinking.

android being free and open is more comparable to a capitalist system which ironically also doesn't work out too well in real life.

 

[Sedulous]

I don't really get this... You already pay fees for the data - why do they care for how you use it?

I have been wondering the same thing. How can providers dictate how data is utilized by a customer? The data block is bough and paid for, the phone does the routing, so then how is an additional fee justified?

 

[ToroidalZeus]

You are paying to use data on your mobile device. If you want to use it to link up other devices, there is a separate service for that.

This is not exactly brain surgery here.

thank god you are not a brain surgeon. This is no different then paying for internet @ home and getting a modem (cell phone) that only allows connection to one PC (cell phone). Then being forced to pay an extra fee just to split the signal to another PC (use a router in this example).

 

[0815]

Ok, I'm taking down the names of all the carrier defenders here.

The next time you people bitch about the cable companies or magazine publishers charging you twice for the "one" thing you paid for I'm gonna be all over you.

I will defend magazine publisher that track down people that steal their magazines from the news stand or anywhere and prevent them from stealing so that I don't have to pay a higher subscription fee caused by their crimes.

 

[localoid]

Android 2.3 (and I think 2.2) support wi/fi tethering in the OS, no app needed. If you have an android phone with 2.2 or 2.3 (I do because ATT service sucked where I live), just select SETTINGS then WIRELESS & Networks, then "Tethering & portable hotspot" to set the phone up as a wi/fi hub with data access.

I haven't used the iphone in a while (since moving to T-MO), so I don't know if IOS supports something similar.


(using a Nexus One)

Some carriers disable it, but there at an app (not "Wireless Tether") available via Market that restores the function on many phones. It works great on my (non rooted) 2.2 phone...

 

[inkswamp]

And why is this on mac rumors.

Does it really matter what the competition does.

Why is there always someone doing this? Does nobody go by the old netiquette rule of lurking on a site for a while to get a feel for things before posting?

I assume you haven't taken the time to fully absorb what this site is about. It goes beyond just Mac rumors. Go back through the archives of the site and you'll see. MR has always posted significant updates about direct competitors to Apple products as well as news concerning the tech industry that could impact Macs and iOS users. It's nothing new.

Oh, and welcome to the site.

 

[Azathoth]

Two answers come to mind:

1. Tetherers tend to use more bandwidth, to serve more devices. You pay for a certain amount of bandwidth but the carriers much prefer that you use less than the purchased allotment.
2. As long as the ability to tether is worth something to consumers the carriers can charge for it because many people will be willing to pay for the feature.

It's funny because nowhere in europe (well, from first hand experience in UK/ Scandanavia), do the carriers prevent tethering, nor do they charge an extra fee for it.

They have data caps (100MB, 500MB, 1GB etc) but they don't care what you use it for. And this makes sense. Thus I can work from cafes through my HTC Desire, and as long as I'm not streaming video or downloading many podcasts then the 1GB/month is more than enough for my phone and occasional tethered usage.

For once Europe seems to be ahead of the curve to the advantage of the consumer when compared to the USA.

 

[Erwin-Br]

So maybe, just maybe you fandroids out there, Apple had the foresight to design an ecosystem that just works and do it the right way.

Sorry to shatter your illusion, but my friend doesn't have Personal Hotspot on his iPhone because his Telco removed the feature. So how is this different and better from Android, huh? At least on Android you can still easily circumvent it without hacking or jail braking.

 

[MrNomNoms]

I don't really get this... You already pay fees for the data - why do they care for how you use it?

It's funny because nowhere in europe (well, from first hand experience in UK/ Scandanavia), do the carriers prevent tethering, nor do they charge an extra fee for it.

They have data caps (100MB, 500MB, 1GB etc) but they don't care what you use it for. And this makes sense. Thus I can work from cafes through my HTC Desire, and as long as I'm not streaming video or downloading many podcasts then the 1GB/month is more than enough for my phone and occasional tethered usage.

For once Europe seems to be ahead of the curve to the advantage of the consumer when compared to the USA.

Because in the US they differentiate between data from a smart phone and data - it is based on the idea that a pure smart phone user is going to use a whole lot less data (due to the nature of the device itself) when compared to someone tethering it on a computer. In most other countries, such as where I live, there is no differentiation, there is one set of prices for data and whether you do it via smart phone, tethering, or 3G stick the telco doesn't matter because the data is all priced the same.

 

[Erwin-Br]

It's funny because nowhere in europe (well, from first hand experience in UK/ Scandanavia), do the carriers prevent tethering, nor do they charge an extra fee for it.

They have data caps (100MB, 500MB, 1GB etc) but they don't care what you use it for. And this makes sense. Thus I can work from cafes through my HTC Desire, and as long as I'm not streaming video or downloading many podcasts then the 1GB/month is more than enough for my phone and occasional tethered usage.

For once Europe seems to be ahead of the curve to the advantage of the consumer when compared to the USA.

I'm sorry to say that in The Netherlands carriers do prevent tethering on the iPhone. They don't, however, impose a data cap... YET. Many have announced they will do that too in the future, though. My own carrier doesn't even OFFER tethering, if I wanted to pay extra for it.

 

[Erwin-Br]

Too many people think they are entitled to get everything for free. No matter if it is a new service for $20 a year or if it is tethering they didn't pay for ... Don't know where people get it from that they should get everything for free (or cheap).

I didn't hear anyone saying they have the right to use free tethering, or that they are entitled to get it cheap.

Since when can't people complain about the price being too high anyways? And who on Earth would prefer to pay extra for tethering instead of getting it for "free". And note that I put free in quotes, because you're still paying for your data and bandwidth, so it's really never been free anyways. You're just paying twice for the same thing now, which is consuming bandwidth.

 

[SiPat]

I wonder if this is net neutrality rearing its head again? Didn't Google jump ship and join the networks in opposing the FCC?

 

[AppleScruff1]

This sucks. I don't want to have to pay Verizon an extra $20 a month on top of an already expensive phone bill to do this crap. Will this affect using PDAnet on a jail broken iPhone?

Don't you want Verizon to have record profits?

 

[wovel]

Contract terms require "consideration" from both parties to be legally binding. Consideration is something you provide to the other party (i.e., money from you, data services from your carrier).

What consideration are the carriers offering you for tethering? You're already paying $X for Y GB of data used on your phone. It doesn't matter to the carrier if your Netflix app is using it, or your tethering app is sending the data to your laptop. Nothing changes on their end, they just send the data that you've already paid for to your phone, and your phone handles the rest.

You're right, it is black and white. It's a scam aimed at exploiting consumers like yourself who don't know any better, with an illegal contract term. I hope this goes to court soon, before the carriers in Canada (where I am) try to pull the same BS.

Obviously you have learned about contracts, but have no practical experience with what the terms you are using actually mean...

thank god you are not a brain surgeon. This is no different then paying for internet @ home and getting a modem (cell phone) that only allows connection to one PC (cell phone). Then being forced to pay an extra fee just to split the signal to another PC (use a router in this example).

It is quite a bit different actually. Your home Internet service does not likely limit you to a single device. It is however likely limiting you to your house. If you start hooking up the whole neighborhood through your home Internet connection, they would be well within their rights to charge you more money.

Good try though..

 

[ZipZap]

I don't really get this... You already pay fees for the data - why do they care for how you use it?

Because from the carrier perspective you pay to use data on a specific device. I am just not sure why people fail to understand this point.

When you tether using mywi or another app, you are mis-using data. Some might say you are stealing.

Lets not fain ignorance on this issue. I dont really care if folks tether outside of the T&C, but dont pretend that you are doing something that is permisable from the perspective of the carriers.

 

[Doctor Q]

It's funny because nowhere in europe (well, from first hand experience in UK/ Scandanavia), do the carriers prevent tethering, nor do they charge an extra fee for it.

They have data caps (100MB, 500MB, 1GB etc) but they don't care what you use it for. And this makes sense. Thus I can work from cafes through my HTC Desire, and as long as I'm not streaming video or downloading many podcasts then the 1GB/month is more than enough for my phone and occasional tethered usage.

For once Europe seems to be ahead of the curve to the advantage of the consumer when compared to the USA.

I'd like that arrangement better. I'd rather pay for one package and use it as I like without being nickel-and-dimed.

 

[tbrinkma]

Contract terms require "consideration" from both parties to be legally binding. Consideration is something you provide to the other party (i.e., money from you, data services from your carrier).

What consideration are the carriers offering you for tethering? You're already paying $X for Y GB of data used on your phone.

Ok, here's the thing. The contract, presented to you when you signed up for the service *explicitly* disallows tethering unless you sign up for that extra service. You pay them money for the service you signed up for *as defined in the contract*. There's the consideration from both sides. If you want to *add* something to that, they're going to want *you* to provide more consideration in exchange for giving you more capabilities under the service agreement *contract*.

(Wow, there's a lot of arm-chair lawyers here who think the contract they signed doesn't apply to *them*.)

 

[jzuena]

Android 2.3 (and I think 2.2) support wi/fi tethering in the OS, no app needed. If you have an android phone with 2.2 or 2.3 (I do because ATT service sucked where I live), just select SETTINGS then WIRELESS & Networks, then "Tethering & portable hotspot" to set the phone up as a wi/fi hub with data access.

I haven't used the iphone in a while (since moving to T-MO), so I don't know if IOS supports something similar.


(using a Nexus One)

Of course it does, right from Settings as well:

As soon as you try to use it (and I'm sure anything built-in on Android will have the same "feature"), the carrier has the option to charge extra before allowing it to work.

 

[KnightWRX]

I pay for 6 GB of data (30$/month) and thank god my carrier recognizes that this 6 GB of data is mine to do with as I please.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

Obviously you have learned about contracts, but have no practical experience with what the terms you are using actually mean...



It is quite a bit different actually. Your home Internet service does not likely limit you to a single device. It is however likely limiting you to your house. If you start hooking up the whole neighborhood through your home Internet connection, they would be well within their rights to charge you more money.

Good try though..

except in that example I would be giving the service I am paying for to someone else. In this case I am using the service I paid for on a different device, just like at home e.g. on an xbox.

good try though

 

[Sedulous]

Ok, here's the thing. The contract, presented to you when you signed up for the service *explicitly* disallows tethering unless you sign up for that extra service. You pay them money for the service you signed up for *as defined in the contract*. There's the consideration from both sides. If you want to *add* something to that, they're going to want *you* to provide more consideration in exchange for giving you more capabilities under the service agreement *contract*.

(Wow, there's a lot of arm-chair lawyers here who think the contract they signed doesn't apply to *them*.)

I don't give a damn. If I pay for a chunk of data, it isn't up to the provider to dictate how I use my data. If I want to syphon fuel out of my vehicle for use in another, that is my decision not Exxon's.

 

[MacGeek1993]

While I still like android a LOT better than iOS, I think it is a little unfair that carriers aren't allowing tethering apps to be installed on devices. I am paying more than I want to for my cellphone bill, and I think I should be allowed to install a tethering app.

 

[sennekuyl]

deleted

 

[maclaptop]

For once Europe seems to be ahead of the curve to the advantage of the consumer when compared to the USA.

I agree. Although I live in the USA, I spend at least 4 months each year in the UK. Overall my mobile experience abroad is superior to that in the US.