Wireless IP service without voice?

Sure, no problem. Most carriers have some kind of data only service designed for laptops with either a built in wireless data card, or an external (USB data radio, Wi-Fi connected hotspot, or IoT device. The easiest is to use a wi-fi hotspot and connect your "terminal" to it via wi-fi.

For example, Verizon:

Be careful with the pricing as "line access" fees for your connected device vary by type (tablet, hotspot, or device) and is usually charged separately from the data.

yes, but isn't necessarily cheaper.

No problem. Look for an MVNO with data only plans:

We actually have something like that in our neighborhood. AT&T has offered "fixed wireless" that is data only but at 4G speed for the area around their Cell tower. It isn't explained as cellular service, but I think it really is, because the tower went down earlier this year, and we lost both cell phone and fixed wireless for a day and a half. As someone else commented, it isn't cheaper than cell phone service, but it allows much more data than comparable cell phone data plane, up to 360 GB per month at speeds of 10 Mbps or higher (so far, speed seems about 20 Mbps).

Here in Australia, I buy data-only SIM cards from Ebay for $2.50

- $5 which last a month with somewhere between 3 and 15GB of data (plenty for me). I don't know how the sellers find themselves with thousands of these cards, or whether a similar situation exists overseas, but it works out great for me. Make sure to check the listing description for the expiry date of the cards sold.

The weblink keeps referring to "hotspot", which I think _isn't_ what I'm looking for. I'm interested in setting up an internet workstation (which might in fact be a cellphone, but needn't be) that enjoys the same coverage as the public cellphone network but runs all traffic over tcp/ip using its own IP address but no callable phone number.

Years ago there were cellphone "modems" that offered something functionally like dialup internet service, but then at a premium price. That's roughly what I'm looking for now, but with a hope it's gotten cheap(er) in the meantime.

MVNO is a new term to me, thank you!

bob prohaska

I'm having a really tough time decoding what you're looking for. I think you might mean a data only service such as the various CDPD (cellular digital packet data) and WiMax providers. Do the names Motient, Ardis, Omnisky, Metricom, Clearwire, or Razzolink ring any bells? All of these sold equipment and service based on WiMax or something similar.

In 2001, I threw together a list of such alternative internet and messaging providers for the SF bay area.

Maybe there's something there.

Unfortunately, most of the data only wireless providers have either gone out of business, or were absorbed by various cellular companies. The reason is that LTE is nothing but data, where voice is just a service that runs on the data. Basically, all the current cellular companies are in the data business. Those data only providers that have survived now provide wireless internet links to their towers. Some of these can be used in a portable manner, but aligning a high gain 2.4GHz and up antenna is not easy. See:

and other "fixed wireless internet" providers. All these, and all the cellular companies are in the data business. The only difference is that the cellular companies also sell voice that rides on the data, while the data only providers do not. An example of the cellular version of data only are the "mobile hot spot" units that I previously suggested.

I realize that I'm being rather vague here, but without a better picture of what you're looking for, it's the best I can do.

Basically, these are companies that buy airtime or bandwidth purchased in bulk from the major providers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile) in bulk, and resell it to their customers. The largest is TracFone:

there are usb data sticks for a single device as well as portable hotspots, usually which also include a wifi router, for a portable lan. they both use a sim card and connect to the cell network and the plans are only data.

whether they're less expensive than a normal cellphone in hotspot mode is another question.

that was *long* ago.

mvnos generally offer the best deals, but not always.

That's probably my fault. I'm just trying to get a sense of what's available in cheap mobile wireless connectivity. If you imagine a DSL link via cellphone it'd be a pretty good illustration.

[snip]

What I'd really like is an open-source smartphone. Far as I know they don't exist. Next best thing is an open source computer connected to the cellular network. Sounds like the service doesn't exist, at least not as a minimalist product.

Thanks for everyone's attention and apologies for the wild goosse chase!

bob prohaska

Good, fast, cheap. Pick any two.

As I read between your lines, what you want is mobile internet at a reasonable price. That's available today in a wide variety of methods. The mistake we made was you were describing something in terms that were in fashion 25 years ago, and not using today's buzzwords. My mistake was trying to provide you with something today, that is 25 year out of date such as Metricom (Ricochet), Motient, etc.

Again, let me emphasize that the LTE smartphone of today is basically a data phone, where voice is just a service riding upon the data part of the phone. Therefore, all modern cell phones have a built in wireless modem. The term is "tethering" where you connect a laptop to a cell phone via a USB cable or via wi-fi and you're on the internet using the cell phone as modem. Of course, the various cellular providers didn't like the idea and started to charge extra: "What Verizon's FCC tethering settlement means to you (FAQ)"

I'll spare you my opinion on cellular provider pricing schemes.

What I think you were looking for is a cell phone or magic black box that can be used for data only and has no voice capabilities. Those exist, mostly commonly in "wi-fi hotspots" and USB pluggable data radios:

There are also a small number laptops that have provisions for cellular data modems inside the laptop, where all you need to do is add a SIM card from the cellular vendor. You'll see these where the major cellular vendors offers a low cost laptop if you subscribe to their cellular data plan.

In theory, cellular data will work anywhere your cellular provider has an 4G LTE cell site. Verizon is trying to kill off all the older 3G phones and sites, so make sure it's the latest in 4G technology. One catch is that data only service may not include or charge extra for data roaming.

For example, Verizon fills in many areas where they have no towers by roaming onto Sprint towers. Normally, I would suggest you check the online coverage maps, but Verizon and most other maps are useless and usually don't show data only coverage. Caveat Emptor.

If you really want a minimalist package, I again suggest you look at the MVNO's. I use Page Plus Wireless:

mostly for checking email. If I need to download yet another bloatified mega-update from Microsoft, I do it via cheaper DSL or cable, not cellular data.

For minimalist hardware, a smartphone that does LTE is probably the cheapest. If you want something smaller, a USB wireless data "stick". If you buy something on eBay or Amazon, first make sure that your cellular provider will allow it on their network.

Good luck.

MVNO Comparison (by SMS):

The spreadsheet is several years old but still useful. Double check any of the features and numbers before spending money. Note the row for "data roaming" and "tethering".

sms is not a credible source.

a quick look at that 'comparison' shows *numerous* errors.

Fairphone + Lineage. Not terribly cheap.

DIY:

Elijah

------ might be other OS cellphone systems that will run on a Fairphone

In my case cheap comes first, because of very low usage. Good, in the sense of reasonable coverage, comes second. Fast, at least in the sense of streaming fast, is a non-issue.

Poetic justice, I'm probably 25 years out of date..... One thing I didn't make explict is a desire for a device that I control in the same way as I control my own computers. Perhaps I'm paranoid, but as I watch folks dealing with iPhones there's a sense of suction into the phone and the provider's services. It isn't clear Android is any better. A pocketable terminal might offer escape.

The last is a most informative page. Data-only is slightly over twice what I'm paying for voice and text now. A very small netbook with a modem is close to what I'm looking for.

Thank you! The lesson seems to be that the service I want does exist, but not yet at a price that makes sense for infrequent users.

bob prohaska

In spirit the piphone comes close, in practice it's still a phone, not a terminal, and the packaging is unwieldy. .

The takeaway lesson is that the cheapest data service costs more than the cheapest voice service. I was hoping the opposite....my mistake.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

not at all true.