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Unlimited data to return in the future?

Spectrum Abuser said:
You do have to understand that the North America carriers have to support a much larger landmass then that of the United Kingdom and mainland European carriers. They're looking out for their big margins, though. I'm not an executive for any of the nationwide carriers, but I'd bet that the plans could be considerably cheaper while retaining an operating profit.
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The same could be applied to Apple, oil companies, etc. If they're very profitable, they could afford to trim their margins and retain profitability. It just doesn't work that way.

I wonder what they could do to make content delivery more efficient data wise on typical services. I don't mean the telecoms. I mean if the future involves data caps, the tendency may be toward efficient compression and fewer visuals delivered as raw graphics.
 
thekev said:
The same could be applied to Apple, oil companies, etc. If they're very profitable, they could afford to trim their margins and retain profitability. It just doesn't work that way.
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I was not stating that it did. Everyone is out to make money in a capitalistic environment. I'm simply saying if the nationwide carriers had enough competition between them the plans would be cheaper then they are now.
 
mrbutters said:
Not a chance. If you want unlimited data, switch to Sprint and deal with their throttled network thanks to the iPhone. May take you 3 minutes to open a website but hey, its unlimited data!
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No throttled data here. Did you have a bad experience?
 
VZW just said that you can keep unlimited data as long as you give up your subsidy and buy your new device at full retail price
 
I think the only way you will see unlimited data return is IF AT&T and Verizon start seeing a lot of churn.

If Sprint keeps unlimited - a big IF,mthen I think as contracts expire, you will see some customers jumping ship. Also, with Straight Talk and the other MVNOs out there, customers have more options.

Let's face it, the Only reason sprint pushed unlimited data was because until they got the iPhone, they were hemhorraging customers. Their service isn't as good as AT&T or Verizon. But people are still willing to put up with that to get unlimited data and potentially cheaper monthly bills.

Also, the iPhone is not very profitable for the carriers at the current subsidy level. There has been talk that the subsidy may decrease, meaning people will have to pay more for the iPhone.

If this happens and enough people are frustrated with the big two US carriers and they decide to jump ship - we MAY see unlimited data used as the carrot to get people back.

That is assuming a lot, however, and once the carriers start charging for something, rarely do they give it back for free.

Unfortunately, it's similar to gas prices in another way. A month ago, gas was over $4/gallon here in the US but people still filled up their vehicles. We are a society that is dependent on our cars. We are also dependent on our cell phones. The best way to protest the loss of unlimited data is to go back to a flip phone so that the carrier loses that additional RPU. But who can go back now? We're just going to keep paying what they charge us and get less and less in return.

I was actually encouraged when Verizon's customers protested the bill pay fee. Too bad we can't energize enough people to do the same for unlimited data.
 
rgarjr said:
As others have said, these carrier companies are going backwards instead of forward when it comes to data consuming.
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One side of the problem is all the millions of new smartphone owners, especially the ones that stream stuff all day.

Kids think it should all be free. Nice thought, but conflicts with reality.

Bandwidth is limited. The question that we're all struggling with (as are the carriers) is what's the best and fairest way to deal with that fact? You could:

- Have a lottery. Only X number of people in an area can have smartphones. Who wants that?

- Let people pay more for priority access (QoS). This would both attract and repel customers who like/hate the idea of the rich getting priority :)

- Charge in tiers. These kinds of plans are good for those who use the max in the tier, as those who use less are actually paying the most per byte.

- Charge per amount used. Fairest of course, but it doesn't help an overloaded cell tower.

Plus more combinations. I'd hate to be CEO of one of these carriers. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. That's exactly why Apple decided not to become a mobile carrier.
 
Interesting topic and I don't mean to derail, but my question has been for those of us on AT&T with an unlimited plan that has been grandfathered, what are the chances that they pull the rug out and force users onto a tiered plan? With LTE presumably approaching for iPhone users, it's crossed my mind that an upgrade may also be considered enough of a change to your contract to disqualify you from your grandfathered unlimited data plan.

Admittedly, I haven't studied my contract closely enough (or at all) to determine if I'm completely off base. Thoughts?
 
junkyard said:
Interesting topic and I don't mean to derail, but my question has been for those of us on AT&T with an unlimited plan that has been grandfathered, what are the chances that they pull the rug out and force users onto a tiered plan?
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No telling. Considering Verizon's latest move I'd say it's likely.
 
Personally I feel T-Mobile did the best approach to the problem. It is unlimited data but you pay for X amount of data at 3/4G speeds. After that you are throttle to edga speeds. They are very clear about that and I feel that is the way AT & T and Verizon should of gone.
 
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