Of course consumers have to take a lot of the blame too for falling for the subsidized phone, 2-year contract business model. Because we get suckered into what appear to be cheap phones up front, we pay more over time on the contract.
On the other hand, there is no incentive for consumers to go contract-free since they don't get better rates even if the phone is paid for.
Americans Are Paying Way Too Much Much For LTE, Says New Study | Cult of Android
The first time you purchase your first LTE-capable smartphone, the biggest shocker of the device isn’t how wicked fast LTE download speeds are, it’s how sinisterly expensive it is to pay for all that …
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The whole state of the US mobile network landscape is a prime example of where self regulation doesn't work. For the consumer it's a complete shambles.
The whole state of the US mobile network landscape is a prime example of where self regulation doesn't work. For the consumer it's a complete shambles.
+T-Mobile actually used to give customers a break if they didn't subsidize their phones. That's why it was actually cheaper to buy the Nexus One at full price (for $530) and take $20/mo off the bill instead of paying $179 for the phone and add that $20/mo back on for a full two years.
My parents and I have all been off contract for quite a few years at this point and I've just been buying my phones from +Swappa (or winning them, in the case of my Galaxy Nexus). But I'm very pleased that the same plan I've been on since 2009 allows me to use HSPA+ at no extra charge. I see no reason to pay more for LTE on another network, and I love that HSPA+ is reasonably fast without the massive hit to battery life.
Frankly, I think it's both surprising and disappointing that more people aren't switching to or sticking with T-Mobile. I've heard folks in rural areas sometimes have reception issues, but outside of that group it just makes so much sense to be with them.
+T-Mobile actually used to give customers a break if they didn't subsidize their phones. That's why it was actually cheaper to buy the Nexus One at full price (for $530) and take $20/mo off the bill instead of paying $179 for the phone and add that $20/mo back on for a full two years.
My parents and I have all been off contract for quite a few years at this point and I've just been buying my phones from +Swappa (or winning them, in the case of my Galaxy Nexus). But I'm very pleased that the same plan I've been on since 2009 allows me to use HSPA+ at no extra charge. I see no reason to pay more for LTE on another network, and I love that HSPA+ is reasonably fast without the massive hit to battery life.
Frankly, I think it's both surprising and disappointing that more people aren't switching to or sticking with T-Mobile. I've heard folks in rural areas sometimes have reception issues, but outside of that group it just makes so much sense to be with them.
+Melina M Unfortunately my own experience with T-Mobile in the Ann Arbor MI area was highly unfavorable so there's no way I'm going there.
My hope is that Sprint will get it's LTE network built out soon and then switch to Ting http://ting.com which has a business model I can really get behind. I could cut my bill in half with them, but the network just isn't there yet.
+Melina M Unfortunately my own experience with T-Mobile in the Ann Arbor MI area was highly unfavorable so there's no way I'm going there.
My hope is that Sprint will get it's LTE network built out soon and then switch to Ting http://ting.com which has a business model I can really get behind. I could cut my bill in half with them, but the network just isn't there yet.
Yeah, Ting seems pretty amazing. I wonder if the Softbank acquisition will affect it in any way, though.
Yeah, Ting seems pretty amazing. I wonder if the Softbank acquisition will affect it in any way, though.
Thanks +Melina M for the shout out!!
JM
Thanks +Melina M for the shout out!!
JM
There is a pretty well hidden T-Mobile SIM-only plan for $30 that only has 100 minutes of talk but unlimited text and data (5G unthrottled). Their other SIM-only plans are $10-20 cheaper than equivalent subsidized plans, too.
+Chris Wall I think you mean 4G, yes? 😉
That's actually the plan I recommend to everyone who wants to take T-Mobile for a test drive. Most of them have ended up sticking with it because they like it (and the low cost!) so much. But are you sure that plan includes unlimited texting? I thought it was 100 minutes, 5 GB and no texts.
It sure does have unlimited text +Melina M! You can check it out here http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans 🙂 and thanks for recommending that plan to people, it's a really great one. ^KM