"Like your Smartphone's unlimited dataplan? With your ability to see all those flashy colors and streaming cat videos withous having to worry about using up your data plan? Well its days are numbered.
War Games: The Movie Begun the Smartphone Data Plan War Has
We know that sounds horrible, but it's happening folks, and it's going to happen quicker for the end-user than originally thought. Forget the fears of Net Neutrality. AT&T and Verizon have not been subtle about their desires to push customers out of their unlimited data plans, but last week Sprint pulled a bit a fast one on the consumer. With Sprint entering the realm of limited data plans, it's all-out warfare on unlimited data plans.
So what's going on exactly? Well instead of coming out and saying ""you're not going to get unlimited data plans anymore people."" Sprint took on not just AT&T and Verizon, but also T-Mobile by, calling out the companies' plans and offering to undercut the competition, and give us faster ""high-speed"" data.
Here's what Sprint had to say, they will be offering plans that: ""offer(s) double the high-speed data at the same or lower price as compared to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.""
What does that mean??? So, all this time, you're telling us that we've been getting SLOWER data speed than AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon? There's faster ""high-speed"" data plans? Tell us more!
Actually, please don't tell us more, because if you're telling us more, than that means that you haven't been telling us something.
Here it is, Caveat Emptor, according to Sprint (and probably in response with a great big helping of resentment and ""data throttling""): ""To improve the data experience for the majority of users, throughout speeds may be limited, varied or reduced on the network.""
Now we cannot say we did not see this one coming. Someone using a high-resolution iPad or iPhone or one of Samsung's newest gorgeous Galaxy (guilty) smartphones watching an adorable kitty get offended when a present is removed, is clearly guilty of just using too much data (on an unlimited data plan) as opposed to someone who has a bargain Google phone and likes to stream music, but barely uses the phenomental power of the Samsung Galaxy series. Think of it as you local Frozen Yogart place that's always out of cake batter yogart and rainbow sprinkles. We are trying to point fingers: but one of to things is happening either the cake batter machine is broken and rainbow sprinkles are just too hard to find these days, or, most likely, everyone wants cake batter and rainbow sprinkles (fill in your own favorite flavor.)
One thing's for certain: the data throttlers among us are eaten too much cake batter and rainbow sprinkles and not leaving enough to go around for everyone, so in order to achieve parity with all the other smartphone users out there, the carriers are going to start charging more for more data usage, faster data usage and more rainbow sprinkles, and there's not much we can do about it.
The news of Verizon's practice of data throttling spread quickly back in July of this year and even the FCC spoke out and warn Verizon to cool its jets about the plans to ""throttle"" the use of UNLIMITED data plan users who were using to much data (Verizon just pointed its finger at AT&T, who started doing it as well.)
So, besides knowing about what's going on, we recommend you do this: don't jump ship just yet: leaving the major carriers for Sprint may pose problems down the line. Watch your texts for warnings like the ones below (they're real and they are from AT&T and technically legal), and continue to watch for growing legislative manueavers that will make data throttling illegal.
Screen Capture of Data Plan Warning
And give up on Net Neutrality. Or don't'¦ we have not, not yet."
