Re: Article re CELCOs clamping down on 'unlimited'
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Posted by John Navas on May 23, 2006, 2:02 pm
Please log in for more thread options [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE] >http://www.techweb.com/wire/mobile/187202664
Cellular operators may advertise that they are offering "unlimited" 3G cellular data service, but they apparently don't mean it. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Verizon Wireless has been sending out service cancellation notices to high-speed EV-DO cellular data customers who the operator claims over-use the service. The Journal also reported that Sprint and Cingular are assessing additional fees to heavy 3G users. The Journal quoted a Verizon executive as saying that it is only taking action against those who use "thousands of times the average" amount of network capacity. A spokesperson for Verizon Wireless said confirmed Friday afternoon that the company is concerned about the issue but has yet to terminate anybody. "We've notified about 100 people or so, but we haven't terminated anybody yet," the spokesperson said. She said that, typically, abusers use a cellular router to spread the connection to multiple people. However, she added that a number of applications, including voice-over-IP, are expressly prohibited by the user agreement because of how much bandwidth they use. [MORE] Why 3G Isn't Wi-Fi: Bandwidth Limits <http://wifinetnews.com/archives/006562.html>
Verizon cuts off big 3G users: Last November, I wrote an article about the terms of service for Cingular, Sprint Nextel, and Verizon’s 3G service. All three restrict what you can do, with Verizon having the strictest policies requiring you to only surf, read email, and use intranet applications. All other uses strictly prohibited. The Wall Street Journal covers this issue today because the three domestic 3G carriers--T-Mobile isn’t up to their speeds yet--are starting to cancel 3G subscriptions (Verizon) or bill heavy users (the other two). Verizon has apparently killed 100 user accounts for people using "thousands of times the average" network usage. And, holy net neutrality, Batman, Verizon will eventually detect protocol types so it can ban specific kinds. Of course, this means that virtual private network (VPN) users will be able to hide their particular habits, but not overall usage. The Journal notes that wireless data hasn’t yet been part of the neutrality discussions. Fundamentally, we all know the dirty little secret is that not that carriers have per-megabyte costs that they need to recover, but that they have extremely limited spectrum for these services, and that heavy users dampen the availability of 3G services for adjacent users. Heavy users also tax the cell backhaul connections, which, I have been told my multiple sources, is generally a relatively low-speed digital service line, like a T-1 or equivalent. Carriers have been eyeing fixed WiMax as a way to reduce their backhaul bottleneck. -- Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>
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