Sprint will begin throttling its unlimited plans in June

[Bateluer]

http://www.dailytech.com/Sprint+Set...mited+Plans+Starting+in+June/article34882.htm

So how do you know if you’re in the “elite” group of data hogs? Sprint says those that typically use over 5GB of data per month will be the most likely targets. In a FAQ posted on its website, Sprint explains:

To more fairly allocate network resources in times of congestion, customers falling within the top 5% of data users may be prioritized below other customers attempting to access network resources, resulting in a reduction of throughput or speed as compared to performance on non-congested sites.

And this change doesn’t just affect Sprint customers; it also affects Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA subsidiaries, as witnessed by this text sent to Virgin Mobile USA customers this month:

Beginning 6/1/14, to provide more customers with a high quality data experience during heavy usage times, Virgin Mobile USA may manage prioritization of access to network resources in congested areas for customers within the top 5 percent of data users.

I wonder if it also applies to all MVNOs that are using Sprints network.

 

[bearxor]

Yeah, been expecting this news for a couple years now. It was inevitable.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Sprints needed to do this for a long time as there network ALWAYS sucks. I dropped them 2.5 years ago in part because the network was so bad.

Fast forward to the present and ATT is getting to be as bad. A year ago they were pretty decent but this last year there've been many times I can't check my email let alone do anything more data intensive because of congestion and data usage. BTW, I'm not talking NYC or LA...

Data usage has been growing faster than data capacity for years and sooner or later the crap hits the fan!


Brian

 

[Chocu1a]

Verizon has gotten pretty bad in the Memphis area. 4g speeds have dropped significantly and many times it kicks to 3g. This has happened over the past year.

 

[IeraseU]

I think this is a necessary move. When I was on Sprint their 4g speed was slower than I would expect for a 3G connection because of network congestion.

There are always a relatively small number of users that are constantly streaming video or tethering their entire home network to their 4G connection, and it really slows down the network for everyone else. That's why I think most of the major carriers have gotten rid of unlimitted plans.

 

[master_shake_]

don't fix your infrastructure that would cost money

just throttle your users for something they paid for.

capitalism!

in b4 mobile data fast lane.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Not like it'll make any difference, you could be running Sprint 3G constantly 24/7 and not hit 5 GB in a month.

 

[Kenmitch]

Not like it'll make any difference, you could be running Sprint 3G constantly 24/7 and not hit 5 GB in a month.

Yep....That's what I hear from Sprint users in my area.

 

[s44]

Verizon has gotten pretty bad in the Memphis area. 4g speeds have dropped significantly and many times it kicks to 3g. This has happened over the past year.

Have they rolled out AWS? Do you have an AWS device?

At least in NYC it was a bandwidth issue and not backhaul. Speeds have been great again ever since we got AWS.

 

[openwheel]

make sure I stay away from Sprint.

 

[techie81]

I have sprint and while we were driving somewhere, about an hour away, I lost connection about 4-5 times. Sometimes I will have full 3G/4G signal and I cannot browse the internet at all. Definitely will be moving to another provider when my contract is up.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I have sprint and while we were driving somewhere, about an hour away, I lost connection about 4-5 times. Sometimes I will have full 3G/4G signal and I cannot browse the internet at all. Definitely will be moving to another provider when my contract is up.

You'll probably want to avoid T-Mobile then too. I get really fast data with them, when I have signal. But they are pretty poor in rural areas. At least it's better than Sprint (poor coverage AND slow data when you do have coverage).

 

[AznAnarchy99]

You'll probably want to avoid T-Mobile then too. I get really fast data with them, when I have signal. But they are pretty poor in rural areas. At least it's better than Sprint (poor coverage AND slow data when you do have coverage).

T-Mobile is great in the city and not in buildings.

Sprint just sucks everywhere.

 

[BoberFett]

don't fix your infrastructure that would cost money

just throttle your users for something they paid for.

capitalism!

in b4 mobile data fast lane.

 

[openwheel]

don't fix your infrastructure that would cost money

just throttle your users for something they paid for.

capitalism!

in b4 mobile data fast lane.

:thumbsup:

 

[Brian Stirling]

:thumbsup:

The same folks denying the value of uSD cards as a way to limit data use and themselves eating 10+GB per month find it easy to blame the carriers for cheaping out on infrastructure. They also tend to blame backhaul so as to avoid the thorny issue of cellular wireless bandwidth when back haul is almost never the problem and in the very few cases that it is it is easily fixed.

My user experience has gone to hell in the last 18 months and as um with ATT and there network, like Verizon's, is about as saturated as it can be. There's not much the top two can do to increase bandwidth until something like micro cellular comes along. I doubt I'm the only ATT customer that's had there user experience go into the toilet in the last year or so and I have to believe they will be making changes to the terms of service to address the problem.

The bottom line is.

data hugs ARE f'ing the networks and something has to give. Deny all you want but the numbers don't lie.


Briab

 

[AstroManLuca]

I think Sprint is a special case, though, in that the backhaul actually is part of the problem. If you haven't been on Sprint before you can't understand how awful it is. Trying to use their "3G" data is more like using dial-up. Why anyone still uses Sprint is beyond me, literally anything is better. It also kills several affordable prepaid carriers like Ting, Republic Wireless, and Virgin Mobile. No matter how little you pay it's too much.

 

[tornadog]

My wife is still on sprint because of the Sero plan but she wants to get out bad. We get 4g at our house where we don't need it because of wifi but as soon as we leave our neighborhood it drops to to 3g which is as good as 1X. As soon as we get on the interstate it drops to 1x meaning data is useless at this point.

I am on Verizon and while I pay $20 more, at least I get reliable 4g in my area. Don't think I want to get her on Verizon though, it would be paying too much for what she needs.

 

[Brian Stirling]

I think Sprint is a special case, though, in that the backhaul actually is part of the problem. If you haven't been on Sprint before you can't understand how awful it is. Trying to use their "3G" data is more like using dial-up. Why anyone still uses Sprint is beyond me, literally anything is better. It also kills several affordable prepaid carriers like Ting, Republic Wireless, and Virgin Mobile. No matter how little you pay it's too much.

I was on Sprint for nearly two years and they were terrible except in a few places. ATT and Verizon were both pretty good to very good until about 18 months ago and with each passing day it gets worse.

Backhaul is easy to fix and is NOT the reason all the networks are skreetching to a hault.

The problem isn't that there are more users, they've been about saturated for a few years. And the problem isn't due to the network getting worse as they continue to upgrade where they can.

So if it isn't the number of users or the network why is my user experience in the toilet? You know the answer.


Brian

 

[s44]

My user experience has gone to hell in the last 18 months and
[snip]
data hugs ARE f'ing the networks and something has to give. Deny all you want but the numbers don't lie.

I don't know what you're smoking. No one has been able to get unlimited on AT&T or Verizon for rather longer than these 18 months, and yet, as you note, service has gotten worse. Hell, no one even *has* real unlimited on AT&T any more, and Verizon has shrunk its base considerably by zapping upgrades.

So what's caused the skyrocketing demand that's swamped the networks, which were working just fine when the last unlimited customer walked through the gate? Not some influx or multiplying data use by us unlimited "hugs". It's the exploding number of smartphone newcomers. Limited data per customer doesn't mean limited data use in the aggregate.

 

[Brian Stirling]

I don't know what you're smoking. No one has been able to get unlimited on AT&T or Verizon for rather longer than these 18 months, and yet, as you note, service has gotten worse. Hell, no one even *has* real unlimited on AT&T any more, and Verizon has shrunk its base considerably by zapping upgrades.

So what's caused the skyrocketing demand that's swamped the networks, which were working just fine when the last unlimited customer walked through the gate? Not some influx or multiplying data use by us unlimited "hugs". It's the exploding number of smartphone newcomers. Limited data per customer doesn't mean limited data use in the aggregate.

Not smoking anything.

ATT and Verizon were way better than Sprint but over the last year or so ATT is getting useless because data use is increasing. It isn't because they have a ton more users and it isn't because they're making the network worse. It's because data use is increasing. Simple as that.

Sprint has sucked forever because there network is no where near what ATT and Verizon have AND data use it is increasing.

The only people smoking something are the ones that think increasing data use is irrelevant.


Brian

 

[s44]

It's because data use is increasing.

But that has nothing to do with us endangered "data hogs" and everything to do with dumbphone owners going smartphone.

 

[Bateluer]

I think Sprint is a special case, though, in that the backhaul actually is part of the problem. If you haven't been on Sprint before you can't understand how awful it is. Trying to use their "3G" data is more like using dial-up. Why anyone still uses Sprint is beyond me, literally anything is better. It also kills several affordable prepaid carriers like Ting, Republic Wireless, and Virgin Mobile. No matter how little you pay it's too much.

I've been trying to wrap my head around this too. But, I'm thinking with T-Mobile's growth this past year, there's a good chance they'll knock Sprint out of the #3 spot before 2015 ends. Unless Softbank buys them and screws the pooch.

 

[Dulanic]

Sprint is horrible anyways. Their LTE gets best down even by hspa. Truly was pitiful when I had them and so glad to have dropped them.

 

[Apex]

I think Sprint is a special case, though, in that the backhaul actually is part of the problem. If you haven't been on Sprint before you can't understand how awful it is. Trying to use their "3G" data is more like using dial-up. Why anyone still uses Sprint is beyond me, literally anything is better. It also kills several affordable prepaid carriers like Ting, Republic Wireless, and Virgin Mobile. No matter how little you pay it's too much.

Their 3G here is absolutely horrid, but it's better than Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Boost, etc. At least you can actually use the phone, whereas the other networks get 0 bars. Sorry, horrible is better than useless.

Nearby, their 4G is livable though. 23-26Mbps down, 6-7Mbps up. I get around 60/10 a little further out where their Spark rollout is done.