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

[Kent3205]

Bad Apps

This might be a little off topic but the following comment:

"One of the main promotional points of Android as its popularity has soared has been the unregulated nature of the app marketplaces for the platform."

reminded me that I have some degree of comfort that Apple screens apps so that I don't inadvertently download something which is actually a virus, steals passwords and other personal information, or does something else nasty.

Perhaps I am unduly comforted and there is some iTunes fine print that says they don't check for that sort of stuff. Otherwise I would have thought Apple could have used the "safety" aspect in it's marketing, and created some fear for Andriod users around they really know what they are getting.

In that way iTunes aspp store is sort of a big condom for your iPhone - pure protection.

 

[ChazUK]

Of course it does, right from Settings as well:
ttp://web.mac.com/jzuena/IMG_0020.PNG

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.

That isn't the case for the Nexus S/Nexus One AFAIK. You just tick the box, setup the SSID and if you want WPA activated and off you go.

This might be a little off topic but the following comment:

"One of the main promotional points of Android as its popularity has soared has been the unregulated nature of the app marketplaces for the platform."

reminded me that I have some degree of comfort that Apple screens apps so that I don't inadvertently download something which is actually a virus, steals passwords and other personal information, or does something else nasty.

Perhaps I am unduly comforted and there is some iTunes fine print that says they don't check for that sort of stuff. Otherwise I would have thought Apple could have used the "safety" aspect in it's marketing, and created some fear for Andriod users around they really know what they are getting.

In that way iTunes aspp store is sort of a big condom for your iPhone - pure protection.

The "permissions" screen upon installing an app is your friend. Upon installing any app, you know what it has access to.

If an app has more access then you are comfortable with, you can cancel installation. Say for instance a simple tic tac toe game that wanted location and contact access. You would be warned before installation that it is requesting such access and if that was the case, I would cancel installation and not bother with the app.

From what I remember, there is no warning of what an application has access to on iOS.

 

[rjohnstone]

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.

Read the contract you signed... you aren't paying for "a chunk of data".
You are paying for access to data via an approved device and method.
That access has limitations and restrictions.
Don't like the restrictions, choose another provider.

Your gas analogy is not relevant. The gas you buy has no such restrictions, so you are free to use it in whatever vehicle you choose.

 

[Met]

As Android has gained in popularity, however, things have begun to tighten up, with Google recently exerting control in an attempt to reduce fragmentation in what has long been billed as an open system available for tweaking and customization by any and all who wish to deploy hardware utilizing the platform.

I wish people would stop making a big deal about this rule that has existed from the beginning of Android. It has ALWAYS been there; it's not something new! Google implemented this for OEM's that want EARLY access to the code and OEM's that want access to Google's closed sources apps, such as the Market and other Google apps for Android.

 

[macnews]

Read the contract you signed... you aren't paying for "a chunk of data".
You are paying for access to data via an approved device and method.
That access has limitations and restrictions.
Don't like the restrictions, choose another provider.

Your gas analogy is not relevant. The gas you buy has no such restrictions, so you are free to use it in whatever vehicle you choose.

You are correct that the way it is setup we pay for access and it has limitations and restrictions. I think the point is this just feels wrong. We have to accept it in the USA because we don't have a lot of choice/options. But in general if I am paying for data then why can't I just use it on what ever device I want? It doesn't make sense from a consumer stand point aside from the fact if you want data (which you are forced to pay for if you get a smart phone) then you have to agree to the wireless company terms.

From their stand point, I think it is done to limit access while they build out the system. Watch though, once things get built out competition will come in and you will see data $$$ and limitations drop like minutes.

 

[sdugoten]

You are correct that the way it is setup we pay for access and it has limitations and restrictions. I think the point is this just feels wrong. We have to accept it in the USA because we don't have a lot of choice/options. But in general if I am paying for data then why can't I just use it on what ever device I want? It doesn't make sense from a consumer stand point aside from the fact if you want data (which you are forced to pay for if you get a smart phone) then you have to agree to the wireless company terms.

From their stand point, I think it is done to limit access while they build out the system. Watch though, once things get built out competition will come in and you will see data $$$ and limitations drop like minutes.

I don't know, but it seems you guys are paying way more than what I am paying here in Hong Kong.

Around $50 USD per month, it comes with 3900 minutes voice + unlimited data and free to use on tethering. And we are talking about the speed like this:

Comptition is good.

 

[eastercat]

The US telecoms are controlled by a small number of companies. If the corporations weren't buying influence, we could expect some relief from the FCC (federal communications commission). However, congress and the presidents have de-fanged the regulatory teeth due to prompting from companies like verizon and AT&T.
So we can't use our data as we wish, we can't add a block of tethering to an unlimited plan and we have to pay through the nose for what we do have.
Thank the dev team for the JB.

Around $50 USD per month, it comes with 3900 minutes voice + unlimited data and free to use on tethering.

 

[Winni]

Just like communism

Actually, this also includes American Capitalism -- only a fistful of rich people benefit from it at the expense of the rest of the population that has been led to believe by the media that anybody can eventually become rich if they only work hard enough for it, but the truth is that this almost never happens.

 

[Young Spade]

Meh, overall I dont' agree with them taking out applications that allow for tethering. Yes it is against the "rules" but I also don't agree that I should be charged to spend the data I'm already paying for a different way than they intend for me to use it.

I have the Nexus 1 and luckily ATT has no direct control over the phone as it's sold through Google and I'm allowed to use the built in tethering application at no charge to me. I don't wirelessly tether often but it does come in handy when I'm in class and there's no wifi or when I'm out or riding in the car.

 

[caspersoong]

I predict that some of my friends, Android-phone owners will want to throw their device away. Google is making things less fun for them, unless they want to root.

 

[Azathoth]

This might be a little off topic but the following comment:

"One of the main promotional points of Android as its popularity has soared has been the unregulated nature of the app marketplaces for the platform."

reminded me that I have some degree of comfort that Apple screens apps so that I don't inadvertently download something which is actually a virus, steals passwords and other personal information, or does something else nasty.

Perhaps I am unduly comforted and there is some iTunes fine print that says they don't check for that sort of stuff. Otherwise I would have thought Apple could have used the "safety" aspect in it's marketing, and created some fear for Andriod users around they really know what they are getting.

In that way iTunes aspp store is sort of a big condom for your iPhone - pure protection.

Apple don't look at the source code. One could make a trojan app that sends contacts information back to base after a certain date.

 

[cyclotron451]

I worked for a phone company

but this was 2 decades ago, just as Mobile Telecoms was taking-off. We had the situation that we were profitable (enormously profitable) with just 100 customers - the other 50 million customers were an annoyance. Any expensive hardware that we introduced - transatlantic fibre cables, digital cross-connect switches etcetera paid for themselves very quickly and after that the revenue was just pure profit. The 'phone companies seem to have developed a liking for this 'free money' business model?

I have iPhones and Android, I chose Nexus One for the *real* open Google philosophy. It does WiFi tethering under 2.3.3, my operator Italian Vodafone seems to allow tethering under my 500MB/week for 3 Euros (2Gig for $17US/mo), although if I signed up today for the same deal I'd only be offered 250MB/week for 3 Euros - and my colleagues who have put an I-Vodafone GSM sim in an iPad report that it refuses to connect and demands an individual iPad exclusive data contract. $$$

I think in a few years internet connectivity will be seen as an essential worldwide civil right, and hopefully there will be a balanced debate about access costs and pluralistic supply options?

 

[Azathoth]

I predict that some of my friends, Android-phone owners will want to throw their device away. Google is making things less fun for them, unless they want to root.

???

Get your facts straight

This is the carriers messing people over, not Google.

Google added wireless hotspot feature to all Android 2.2 (Froyo) devices last year (and Apple included a similar feature in to the iPhone 4 with IOS 4 AFAIK).

 

[MorphingDragon]

Just like communism

Just like Communism my arse.

This is why I don't do phone contracts. PrePay may not be as cheap in the long run but it lets you be agile with your mobile provider and they can't pull !@#$ like this as often. Currently with 2Degrees, cant see myself moving anytime soon. Work pays me $20/month for credit so I'm happy.

 

[skinned66]

North American cellular providers are anti-consumer, nickel & diming scumbags? Say it ain't so...

 

[ZipZap]

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.

Wrong.

So much emotional reasoning that leave out facts.

Your data is meant for use by your iphone. Your T&C prohibits tethering. So you cannot use your data for tethering in ANY form.

Those that use the analogy of their home internet connection not restricting use...well...that's just it... your T&C there does not restrict devices and use. Not the same thing. As for you gas analogy, again not the same thing. You have no contract with Exxon on how you use your gas. If Exxon made a contract with you to use the gas only in the car that purchased it..it would be the same. You could then decide to buy it or find another source (carrier).

To sum it up. You are tethering only by virtue of the fact that you have jailbroken your phone...and you want the carriers to agree that this is a normal usage of the phone and therefore that tethering is ok?

Are you serious?

You are free to do what you want but dont fault the carrier when then finally catch up to you and force you to stop or pay.

There is just no other way to view this...

 

[ZipZap]

North American cellular providers are anti-consumer, nickel & diming scumbags? Say it ain't so...

With this I agree...!

 

[ZipZap]

???

Get your facts straight

This is the carriers messing people over, not Google.

Google added wireless hotspot feature to all Android 2.2 (Froyo) devices last year (and Apple included a similar feature in to the iPhone 4 with IOS 4 AFAIK).

Actually, To be precise...this is the carrier enforcing the contract you made with them. You did sign a contract, right?

 

[Popeye206]

I love how these type of topics bring up all sorts of off the wall comments from politics, to legality of things.

The bottom line is, the carriers are not a fan of customers going around the system.. whatever that "system" is. Where Apple has played along with the carriers, Android devices have promoted going around the system and it looks like the carriers are not happy about this.

In the long run, everything finds it level.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

I don't know, but it seems you guys are paying way more than what I am paying here in Hong Kong.

Around $50 USD per month, it comes with 3900 minutes voice + unlimited data and free to use on tethering. And we are talking about the speed like this:

Comptition is good.

There is a big difference between paying more for service that costs the carriers more and paying for a service/feature that doesn't cost the carriers anything.

America is HUGE compared to Hong Kong to Europe so it costs the carriers far more to get coverage.

 

[Popeye206]

There is a big difference between paying more for service that costs the carriers more and paying for a service/feature that doesn't cost the carriers everything.

America is HUGE compared to Hong Kong to Europe so it costs the carriers far more to get coverage.

What people seem to not get is that the "greedy carriers" are always under pressure to expand. Give better coverage. Faster connections like 4G and so forth. And they need to do this in a market where competition keeps driving the revenue down. So, as consumers, we want them to spend more and make less to give us reliable, fast service everywhere we go. On top of this, technologies on the internet are quickly eating away at their market. So many ways to communicate now it's eating away at their bottom line.

So, the U.S.carriers are doing everything they can to get what they can to help support this. They are a business, and need to make money for their shareholders and so they can stay alive.

Not saying I think it's right that they charge more for tethering, but it is what it is. They've been doing it for years and they're soaking it. But it does not mean it should not change.

 

[pmz]

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.

In my opinion, and that of Websters dictionary, I have an unlimited data plan, therefor I already do pay for it.

Oh if only I had the dough, I would sue AT&T into the ground. A decent lawyer and fair judge would find against AT&T for the use of the word unlimited and their unfair anti-consumer practices that have followed.

AT&T can do whatever it wants, but it NEVER should have used the word unlimited, because theyve opened themselves up for failure in a future lawsuit. Someone will do it.

 

[gnasher729]

Those that use the analogy of their home internet connection not restricting use...well...that's just it... your T&C there does not restrict devices and use. Not the same thing. As for you gas analogy, again not the same thing. You have no contract with Exxon on how you use your gas. If Exxon made a contract with you to use the gas only in the car that purchased it..it would be the same. You could then decide to buy it or find another source (carrier).

Since you mention fuel, you can use the same fuel to heat your home or to drive a car with Diesel engine. In Europe, there will be a _huge_ difference in tax. In some European countries, farmers can get tax free or low tax diesel fuel for use in their tractors and other farming machines. You can safe a lot of money by using this low tax fuel to run your car. You will also get into an awful lot of trouble if you get caught doing it.

In my opinion, and that of Websters dictionary, I have an unlimited data plan, therefor I already do pay for it.

Oh if only I had the dough, I would sue AT&T into the ground. A decent lawyer and fair judge would find against AT&T for the use of the word unlimited and their unfair anti-consumer practices that have followed.

AT&T can do whatever it wants, but it NEVER should have used the word unlimited, because theyve opened themselves up for failure in a future lawsuit. Someone will do it.

Whatever plan you have, AT&T will calculate the average cost of users on that plan, add some profit, and that is what they will charge. People on "unlimited without tethering" use less data and cost less money on average than people on "unlimited with tethering", and therefore are charged less. You basically want to get rid of the two different plans, only one plan "unlimited with tethering" would exist. The average data usage would be higher than for those on the plan without tethering, the average cost is higher, so the charge will go higher. In other words, cost goes up for people who don't tether.

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.

If you go to an "all you can eat" buffet, you can't take food for your wife and six hungry children.

 

[pmz]

Actually, To be precise...this is the carrier enforcing the contract you made with them. You did sign a contract, right?

I can't tell you how stupid it sounds when someone brings up "TEH CONTRACT"

"don't tell me about contracts wonka, i use them myself, especially for suckers."

The contract is neither here nor there. We all know that when we sign up for service we sign a contract. We're not stupid. This doesn't change a damn thing. We can still point the finger at AT&T and call out the difference between normal profit-motivated business practice, and greedy anti-consumer monopolism.

 

[bushido]

lol at those "u signed the contract" blablabla, its not like u have a choice, it should be left out from the damn contract u sign from begin with just like here in germany