Start saving for the “Unlimited Premium Data” add-on!
Posted by Brian - ExplainTheFee.com
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Sprint announced some possible changes regarding their data packages this last Wednesday at the EmTech conference at MIT. Dan Hesse said in his keynote speech that charging more for unlimited data might be something that happens in the future depending on user's data consumption.
Dan Hesse - "We can offer unlimited data, as long as usage on the network is reasonable," Dan said. "But if I have an all-you-can-eat buffet, and the entire New England Patriots football team shows up for dinner, it's going to run me out of business."
Really Dan, you think the Pats are gonna eat all of your Shrimp and Crab? Thanks for using my analogy, by the way! But really, you mean that even though you've said earlier this year that a 4G gigabyte costs less to produce, you're going to still think about charging more for it? Isn't this what the $10 Premium Data fee ultimately is for?
At 2010 CTIA earlier this year:
Dan Hesse - "4G, we can offer because we can produce a gigabyte cheaper, we actually offer more. A good analogy that has been used for 4G, and 3G, and 2G, is kind of moving from Dial-up data at home, to low speed DSL, to a cable modem and then to faster speeds. Or in TV terms, standard def versus high def, but if you looked at those models, you paid more for faster speeds. You paid more for the HD channels. In essence what we're doing with 4G is we're throwing in the HD channels for free, because we're not charging any more and we're giving customer's more."
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You've already established the fact that your data network has the capability of providing 4G data cheaper! Now you want to say that it's possible that we might have to pay for unlimited data?
Dan Hesse - "We will watch this very closely," he said. "As long as usage is reasonable, we can afford to offer unlimited service. But maybe we will have to charge more for unlimited data, if usage increases dramatically."
Increases dramatically? Kind of like how you describe the intended usage of the HTC EVO/Samsung Epic in emails to your customers?
With the HTC EVO 4G the data capabilities are so rich, customers may lose themselves in endless surfing. Users will typically consume more data due to the enhanced experience, and the Premium Data add-on assures they have the bandwidth to accomplish this.
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So, let's make sure we all understand this. We have to pay $10 for the 4G phones.. not because it's 4G, but because we might lose ourselves in endless surfing. But, if we lose ourselves in endless surfing, we might have to pay more for "unlimited" data.
Dan Hesse - "We think the unlimited plans work for consumers because most people don't want to think about their service being metered," he said. "So we'll likely keep it unlimited, but we aren't ruling out metered-pricing plans."
That last quote is important. Let's see what they'll do; again it's their choice. They can charge more, add fees, take away discounts from us, but WE have the option of voting with our wallets.
3G upload fix is coming for the Samsung Epic!
Posted by Brian - ExplainTheFee.com
Finally, Epic users can rejoice! It took over a week for an official response from Sprint/Samsung regarding this, but at least they're aware of the issue! Thanks to androidcentral.com for announcing the news!
From androidcentral.com:
Here's the official word from Sprint:
"We have heard reports of users experiencing less-than-expected 3G upload speeds with their Samsung Epic 4G. After extensive investigation, Sprint and Samsung have identified an enhancement that may improve upload speeds on the Epic. This fix will be made available in the next maintenance release. It’s important to note that network speeds are impacted by many factors when using commercially-available speed test applications and test results may or may not be true indicator of the actual network performance."
EVO and Epic side-by-side speed test
Posted by Brian - ExplainTheFee.com
Here's a video that I took today comparing the HTC EVO and Samsung Epic's speeds using the app from speedtest.net.
As you can see the HTC EVO has no problem reaching speeds way past 150kbps, but the Epic barely makes it over that mark.
If you have received a response from Sprint regarding this issue, please forward it over to me. I've reached out to Sprint for an official answer from this and will update my site with their response.
*note - I'm not saying that this is INTENTIONAL by Sprint. I want to make that clear; this is not, as far as we know, intentional by Sprint or Samsung. This appears to be a glitch in the software, hardware or their network.
Is 150kbps a “Premium” upload speed?
Posted by Brian - ExplainTheFee.com
Over the last couple of days I've been receiving multiple emails regarding the Samsung Epic's slow 3G upload speeds. It appears that the Epic's upload speed is shockingly slow. I was preparing to write up this article tonight when I noticed a huge spike in my hits! Over at slashdot they posted an article about this issue and many Sprint Epic owners are trying to figure out what's going on with this issue:
Miamicanes writes:
"Nearly everyone who owns a Sprint Samsung Epic 4G and has benchmarked its 3G performance has discovered that its 3G upload speeds are apparently limited to 150kbps. So far, Sprint has not officially acknowledged it as a problem, nor has it indicated whether this might be a firmware bug, a PRL issue, tower-related, or the result of a deliberate policy to cap 3G upload speeds. Regardless, the problem is causing widespread anger among Epic4G owners, many of whom have bitterly noted the irony of being charged a $10 surcharge so they can endure data transfers that are slower than they had 4 years ago (and a quarter of the speeds enjoyed by Evo owners on the same 3G network)."
Honestly, when you're paying for something labeled "Premium Data" and it's capped at a 150kpbs, there needs to be an explanation. This could very well be a network issue, software problem, or hardware related, but the bottom line is that there needs to be a solution.
I'll be waiting for an official word from Sprint, since as of this writing on 9/19/10 8:48PM EST, there hasn't been one as far as I'm aware.
Some consumers have stated that they have sent emails to Dan@Sprint.com. If you get a response from Dan's office, please forward it over to me so that I can put it up on the site - Email me @ explainthefee@gmail.com!
Check out these links about this issue and comment here and there about this!
Run your own speed test from speedtest.net's app in the market!
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