Click here to view the embedded video.

T-Mobile is trying to shake up the entire wireless industry this month by taking the “Un-carrier” approach to wireless service. Gone are the two-year contracts and 23-month phone upgrade cycles – in are the month-to-month plans with the option to upgrade to the newest phones whenever you please at the lowest prices. They are also shunning tiered data plans (sort of), spouting off colorful commentary to their competitors, and claiming to have cancelled their membership to the “out-of-touch wireless club,” a direct reference to the “Big 4″ U.S. carriers grouping that includes Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. It’s a lot of marketing speak and posturing, but is it even the right approach? 

In T-Mobile’s new plans, customers can sign up for unlimited talk and text for $50, with 500MB of data. If they want more data, they can add on 2GB for $10 or go fully unlimited for an additional $20. Second lines are $30, with data remaining at the $10 and $20 price points. After the first two lines, additional lines are $10 per month without data.

Of course, those monthly rates do not include the monthly payment plans you make on the phone you just purchased through them. See, T-Mobile will get you into the brand new iPhone 5 for $99, but they’ll then charge you a monthly fee until you have fully paid off the full $579 price of the phone (or whatever retail is these days). It’s their way of killing subsidies – whether or not you like the approach can be debated for hours, so we’ll leave it as it is.

They also launched their LTE network in seven cities and hope to cover up to 200 million people by the end of this year. Sure, they are late to the party, but they are hoping to ramp up rollout so that they can keep up with Verizon and AT&T.

But here’s the thing – if I were to ask you today, why you aren’t a T-Mobile customer, I bet I can guess the answer in a matter of seconds. It’s the coverage, isn’t it? Too many times in the comments of this site have we seen, “I’d switch to T-Mobile in a heartbeat, but I get zero coverage at my house/work/regularly visited bar.” We’ve even bragged up prepaid plans and adopting the unlocked model, yet so many of you still bring up the fact that Verizon gives you the best coverage and that’s exactly why you’ve stuck with them for so long. There is no denying that you’d love to go with the cheapest carrier that provides the most freedom, but in reality, you can’t do it at this time.

Here are the coverage maps of the northwest that I pulled minutes ago from Verizon (left) and T-Mobile’s (right) websites to add some perspective:

So here is where I don’t think T-Mobile is taking the correct approach at their latest attempt at a comeback. In my opinion, I don’t necessarily think it’s all about two-year contracts, subsidies and cheap no-frills plans. People want to know that they are going to have coverage 99% of the time. Mobile phones are replacing home phones by the second, so things like reliability are more important than ever. When consumers take that weekend road trip or fly back home to their small home town, will they have service? If they hit up an outskirts suburb in a major city, what’s their data coverage going to be like?

We’ve even talked about Verizon’s insanely priced Share Everything plans, yet as expensive as they remain, with prepaid options sitting out there at arm’s reach that are half the cost, customers still won’t switch because they know exactly what they are getting and have been getting for years. T-Mobile is still known as having sh*tty service, so is becoming the Un-carrier going to change that? And whether that’s still true or not depends on the person, but that’s sort of the point here.

While my time with T-Mobile’s service has been limited to my life with the Nexus 4, I can tell you this. I live in Portland, a decent sized city and have asked my wife to look something up for me more times in the last four months than I did the previous three or four years of my smartphone-filled life combined because I constantly run into a lack of signal or coverage. It was spotty in New York during Samsung’s Galaxy S4 event, it’s at times non-existent at Blazers games in downtown Portland, I lose service when I drive 5 minutes south to Lake Oswego (suburb of Portland), and typically find myself carrying a second phone (Verizon or AT&T) with me when I know I’ll be heading out for more than a few hours at a time.

Again, I like no-contracts, unlocked phones, and a “f*ck the man” approach to life. Props to T-Mobile for that. I even despise the recent approaches by Verizon and AT&T to essentially scam consumers into overpriced shared data plans while selling them on unlimited text and calling features that they don’t need anymore. But did any of T-Mobile’s song and dance change their network status or image? I don’t know that it did. Give us great wireless service that’s reliable and we’ll sign on the dotted line, whether that includes a contract or not.

Click here to view the embedded video.

T-Mobile’s UN-Carrier Approach Sounds Awesome, But Killing Contracts Shouldn’t be Their Message or Focus [Opinion] is a post from: Droid Life

If you didn’t have a chance to lock into unlimited data back before most carriers killed it off, then you are likely on a tiered data plan that forces you to constantly monitor your usage. With limits as low as 1GB on some carriers, there may be times when you reach your limit and need to toggle data off to save yourself from overages and penalty fees. Thankfully, the Android operating system has made this easier than ever to do with just a few quick steps. Even better, though, they allow you to set data limits, so that your phone will warn you as you approach your monthly data allotment. 

Instructions (Turning Off Data):

1.  To turn off mobile data, pull down your notification bar and open up Settings.
2.  On many phones, your third option from the top is “Data Usage.”
3.  Tap on that.
4.  From this screen, you can monitor the amount of data usage you have used over the month.
5.  If you would like to turn off mobile data, simply flip the switch at the top to “Off.”

Instructions (Setting Data Limits):

1.  Setting a data limit should be done by anyone with a tiered data plan.
2.  From that same settings screen, you can drag the orange warning bar to a limit of your choosing.
3.  Your phone will warn you as you approach, with a notification shortcut to this screen.
4.  Be sure to set you Data Usage Cycle to match-up to your carrier’s billing cycle.

Presented by Norton 360™ Multi-Device. Protect your new computers, smartphones, and tablets with Norton 360™  Multi-Device.

How to: Disable Mobile Data Usage [Beginners' Guide] is a post from: Droid Life

Verizon officially introduced new prepaid plans this morning, the same plans that were leaked earlier in the week. The plans are as follows – $60 for unlimited talk, text and 500MB of data or $70 for unlimited talk, text and 2GB of data. Oh, we should also point out that these plans can only use Verizon’s insanely slow 3G CDMA network and not their ultra-fast 4G LTE network.

So why would you switch to one of these, you ask? I have no idea. If you want to go the prepaid route, we already talked about options for T-Mobile and AT&T a couple of days ago that run $45-50 and include unlimited HSPA+ data, which at times is faster than LTE.

But, if you love Verizon to no end and need something cheaper than their Share Everything plans, here are your new options.

Verizon Announces New Unlimited Prepaid Plans, No 4G LTE in Sight is a post from: Droid Life

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’ve made it painfully obvious that we hate data caps, tiered data, and any thoughts of sharing that data with someone else. In fact, most of you hate all of that as well. The day that we first jumped onto 4G LTE was something we may never forget, but we’ll also never forget the day that Verizon and AT&T told us that we could no longer use that 4G LTE connection on an unlimited basis and that we were going to be limited and capped. We knew why they were pushing this new scheme, but that doesn’t mean we have to ever agree with it.

So the video we have included above talks all about caps and how horrible they are for the industry, for innovation, and for the world of technology as a whole. It’s a worthwhile watch, even if it is 11+ minutes long. The presenter talks about misinformation when it comes to data speeds and congestion, why cable companies may be the root of it all, and why spectrum is the real issue.

Via:  Gizmodo

Video: Why Data Caps Suck is a post from: Droid Life

According to Mike Haberman, VP of netwok engineering for Verizon Wireless, in an interview with Fierce Wireless, almost 50% of the company’s data load happens over 4G LTE. In October, the company announced the number at around 35%, which has more than likely seen a significant jump thanks to another successful holiday season for Verizon. 

It makes sense that we would continue to see this increase, especially since Verizon refuses to sell a phone that is without a 4G LTE radio. Plus, with the iPhone 5 and current Samsung lineup available at all VZW locations, this number will only rise. In fact, the carrier expects overall data traffic to grow by a factor of seven during the next three years, something that is largely related to the growing LTE share.

Haberman also mentioned that in the “distant future,” they would re-farm their 850MHz spectrum for LTE. They currently run their 3G/CDMA network over that spectrum. Since they have committed to running their CDMA network through the decade, you can sort of get an idea as to what “distant future” means.

Via:  Fierce Wireless

Almost 50% of Verizon’s Data Traffic Happens Over 4G LTE is a post from: Droid Life

Today, Verizon became the “first carrier to offer shared data plans for business” after announcing that Share Everything for businesses will launch on January 24. These new shared data plans are being sold as a way to manage multiple employee accounts on a much simpler level. Rather than managing individual plans, your company can have one big bucket of data to pull from. 

The plans are targeting businesses that need accounts with 25 or less employees. There are options for larger companies, but if you fit the 10 to 25 employee mold, you’ll be able to choose from three specific plans:  30GB for $225, 40GB for $300, and 50GB for $375. These Share Everything plans also come with the same unlimited talk and text that the consumer plans include.

I don’t know about you, but don’t these prices seem semi-reasonable when compared to the non-business plans? Say you have 15 employees and go with the 50GB package for $375 – that’s over 3GB per user. If each individual had their own separate line with unlimited data at $30 per, you’d hit $450, but without the unlimited talk and text. Also, with consumer Share Everything plans, you see prices starting at $50 for 1GB of data, while if you calculate 50GB from $375 you get a price of $7.50 per GB.

Obviously, the price per GB goes down as you up your limit on both consumer and business accounts, but these big 40GB and 50GB plans seem like decent deals depending on the number of employees you plan on attaching. I guess it’s good to be a business client of Big Red.

Full pricing info can be found at Verizon’s site.

Verizon to Launch Share Everything Plans for Small Businesses on January 24 is a post from: Droid Life

It has been a while since we asked the DL community which data bracket they fall under. A year ago, the world was set on doing whatever they had to do to keep unlimited data. But now that shared data plans and individual tiers have been around for a while, and a number of new devices have become available, are you willing to give up unlimited to get the latest and greatest on the cheap? Paying full retail prices for phones is not fun, especially when you can get the same phone for hundreds less, as long as you change your data plan. So, a year after the death of unlimited, what plan do you currently have?

Tuesday Poll: What Kind of Data Plan do You Currently Have? is a post from: Droid Life

Data usage is going to be a hot topic whether you want it to be or not. Now that carriers like Verizon and AT&T have created tiered and shared data plans, it’s obvious that they have realized what their next cash cow will be. Gone are the days of worrying about how many texts you sent or calls you made, in are the times when counting MBs and GBs are a daily task.

To get a good feel for the data landscape around these parts, we thought we would ask how much data you consumed last month. If you are on an individual plan, answer away. If you are on a shared plan, I’d love for you to share how much data your entire family consumed. And in case you were wondering where we got the poll options from, you can thank Verizon’s Share Everything plans for those. We built the poll around them.

Thursday Poll: How Much Data Did You Use Last Month? is a post from: Droid Life

Verizon’s CFO Fran “ShamWow” Shammo sat down for a chat at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference today to talk about the state of Verizon’s financial business. This is the first time we have heard from Shammo since his company launched Shared Everything data plans, so naturally, we were dying to hear what he had to say about them. 

According to Shammo, more people than they expected have moved onto shared data plans. He said that he believes that the first batch of adopters made the move to shared because they think they can optimize their plan and save a little money. The interesting note to this point, is the fact that they were expecting to see some dilution as people save money, but in reality, there was even less than they expected. Basically, that means that the shared data plans that they spent an entire year fine-tuning, are certainly fine-tuned to make money.

The second topic that stood out to us was his mention of the number of people moving from unlimited data to shared data plans. Again, Verizon was surprised at the number of people making this move. Shammo believes that unlimited is just a word, that people don’t care about unlimited data and that they all assume that they use more data than they actually do. He is under the impression that people are realizing the benefits of shared rather than unlimited, hence the reason for them to make the change.

My reaction – these people don’t have a choice, but to switch to shared data. Sure, Verizon has told us that we can buy phones at full price if we want to keep unlimited, but very few will actually do that. Instead, people will continue to buy subsidized phones, which then forces them off of their unlimited plans and onto shared. You can’t tell me that Verizon is surprised at this move, they knew this is what would happen. I’m not buying for a second that people are generally requesting shared over unlimited. I don’t know how many ways we need to break this down, but for today’s data-driven world, shared data benefits very few.

The last topic had to do with the plans themselves and how Verizon will continue to make money off of them in the future. Shammo essentially admits that the plans are perfect. Since users are attaching more devices than they had planned, they are seeing them have to buy up in data bundles already, something only making his job even easier and the company more revenue.

I think you all know how I feel about shared data plans, and this interview essentially reaffirms my desire to never switch to one.

Your thoughts?

Via:  Verizon | Engadget

Verizon CFO: “Unlimited” is Just a Word and It’s Going by the Wayside is a post from: Droid Life

Reports are floating around the web today, suggesting that Verizon has had a set of super secret Share Everything tiers for the mega-data hogs out there that they aren’t promoting. The fact is, that these plans have been there since day 1, Big Red has just limited their visibility to make life simpler for those switching to these new shared plans. While DL readers have known about these plans for some time now (we even listed them in our AT&T comparison), we thought it was a good opportunity to remind you about them.

For those on Share Everything that imagine a time where 10GB of data at $100 is not enough, don’t worry, Verizon has more tiers for you to entertain. The next plan after 10GB is 12GB and will run you $110. The chart above details the rest, but as you can tell, there is even a 30GB plan for $200 in case you and your family plans on getting really wild some month.

I would assume that Big Red may even go above and beyond 30GB if you need them to.

To our Share Everything readers, I ask you, how are you liking your plan? Satisfied with tiers, pricing, etc.?

Reminder: Verizon has Mega Share Everything Plans, Ranging From 12GB to 30GB is a post from: Droid Life

The date has been set for AT&T’s Mobile Share plans. On August 23, customers will be able to choose from a new Mobile Share plan, to keep their current plan, or to change to one of AT&T’s existing plans. For now, there will be no forcing new customers onto the Share plans, even when upgrading to a new phone. They have six options in total for “data bucket” sizes at 1GB going all the way up to 20GB. 

To see our current rundown of Shared Data on both, Verizon and AT&T, check out our post here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Via: AT&T

AT&T’s Mobile Share Plans Go Live August 23 is a post from: Droid Life

We aren’t sure if this is the case for every Verizon customer, but so far this week, we have heard from a handful who used an upgrade over the past few days and were still allowed to keep unlimited data. From what we were told when Share Everything plans went live, unlimited data was only going to be kept if you purchased phones at full retail. We aren’t sure if Verizon is being extra kind this month, if they are temporarily allowing upgrades as they did pre-Share Everything, or if this is some sort of an error in their system. AT&T announced their shared data plans this week and even announced that customers will be able to keep their existing unlimited plans with upgrades for the foreseeable future. Maybe Verizon wants to align themselves with that? 

What we do know is that we have a screenshot below of a customer upgrading this week to a Galaxy S3 and finding that he was able to keep unlimited data. We also just received an email from a reader whose wife is upgrading from a DROID 3 to a 4G phone and was told that she could keep unlimited, but that this was only going to be allowed for a short period of time.

Update:  We are hearing from friends of ours that this is pretty random. Some people are still able to keep unlimited, while others are not. It could have to do with inadvertent canceling of Galaxy S3 pre-orders and those customers are now given a chance to upgrade. It could also be that some are more special than others and simply slipping through the cracks.

If you have yet to use an upgrade, would you mind cruising into your account today, walking through half of the upgrade process on a phone, and then telling us if it is allowing you to keep unlimited data? Afterwards, please let us know in the comments.

Cheers Travis and everyone else!

Verizon Still Letting Upgrades Keep Unlimited Data? is a post from: Droid Life

Now that AT&T has unwrapped their version of shared data plans, it made sense to do a comparison to Verizon’s Share Everything plans. Since these are the two biggest carriers in our country and probably hold more customers between the two than all others combined, these will clearly affect many of you. So in the simplest of comparisons, we have two charts that represent your choices for shared data and their costs, followed by a couple of scenarios to see which carrier would be best meet your needs. 

*There is a chance that AT&T will add in other tiers, but these are the 6 that they have announced.

Unlimited Talk and Text

With shared data plans, you get unlimited talk and text on both Verizon and AT&T.

Per Device Cost

For those just learning about shared data, we’ll try to give you the basic breakdown of how this all works. First, you have a per device cost which essentially accounts for the unlimited minute and text plan that accompanies all shared data plans. So in the past, you paid $69.99 for 700 minutes, but now you are paying upwards of $45 to get unlimited talk and text. With Verizon, the fee is $40 for smartphones at all times – with AT&T, that number starts at $45 and goes down depending on how much data you add on. Basic phones are $30 on either carrier. When you add hotspots, laptops or netbooks, they will cost $20 per month on either carrier. Tablets will run you $10. The low prices for each of these have to do with the lack of a minute plan since you can’t make calls on them.

Data Amount

Once you figure out how many devices you are going to attach to your account, you then decide on a data amount. As you can see above, Verizon has more options to choose from than AT&T, but there is a chance that changes in the future. The key thing to remember is that this data amount is shared by all of the phones, tablets, hotspots, and netbooks attached to your account. If you choose the 8GB plan, that doesn’t mean that each device gets to use 8GB – each device gets to pull from one lump some of 8GB.

Examples

Enough info, let’s talk examples for a second.

Example 1:  Your family has 2 smartphones and 1 basic phone, so you decide to buy 4GB of data.

Verizon:  2 smartphones at $40 per, 1 basic phone at $30 per, and a 4GB data plan for $70. Your monthly bill would roughly be $180 before fees and taxes.

AT&T:  2 smartphones at $40 per, 1 basic phone at $30 per, and a 4GB data plan for $70. Your monthly bill would roughly be $180 before fees and taxes.

As you can see, it’s a wash in this example on a numbers front.

Example 2:  You are an individual who uses little data, but needs a smartphone.

Verizon:  1 smartphone at $40 per with a 1GB plan at $50. Your monthly bill would roughly be $90 before fees and taxes.

AT&T:  1 smartphone at $45 per with a 1GB plan at $40. Your monthly bill would roughly be $85 before fees and taxes.

Smartphones owners that use little data, AT&T edges Verizon by a small margin.

Example 3:  Big family with 4 smartphones, a tablet and a hotspot. You go big with a 14GB plan.

Verizon:  4 smartphones at $40 per, plus a tablet at $10 per, and a hotspot at $20 per plus a 14GB data plan for $120.  Your monthly bill will run you around $310 before fees and taxes.

AT&T:  Since AT&T does not have a 14GB plan, we would have to go with the 15GB plan in this scenario. 4 smartphones at $30 per, 1 tablet at $10 per, and a hotspot at $20 per, plus a 15GB data plan for $160. Your monthly bill will run you around $310 before fees and taxes.

On AT&T, you get an extra 1GB of data and will pay the same price that Verizon customers will pay.

Conclusion

While the numbers may look different, especially with AT&T giving you a per device discount as you buy more data, it all comes out the same in the end for the most part. Not only that, but Verizon’s 4G LTE network covers over 300 markets at this point while AT&T’s is in only 47. It would have been surprising to see one to offer a significant discount over the other. In the end, it comes down to carrier preference just like it always has.

Shared Data Plans: Verizon vs. AT&T is a post from: Droid Life

We knew it wouldn’t be long before AT&T stepped into the shared data plan game. You didn’t think it was going to be Verizon only, did you? The mobile landscape started changing years ago when tiered data was first introduced, but now more than ever, you will be paying a premium to take that smartphone of yours onto the web or into an app. Carriers realized that the money they were making from minutes and texts wasn’t going to hold up forever and that data was their new cash cow.

So AT&T’s shared data plans look a lot like Verizon’s in that you pay a flat fee for your phone and then pick from a variety of data options. Their’s differs in that as you buy a bigger data bucket, your per device monthly charge goes down. The first tier of 1GB is cheaper than Big Red’s at $40 and they are also not offering a 2GB plan.

These plans will go into effect in August. For now (or at launch), they will allow you to choose between shared plans and their current plans, however, you have to expect that to change.

The press release is below, but stick with us as we’ll have comparison charts to Verizon’s and also dive into the dirty details. 

AT&T Gives Customers More Choice with New Shared Wireless Data Plans

New Mobile Share Plans Allow Customers to Easily Share Data Across Smartphones, Tablets and Other Devices. New and Current Customers Not Required To Choose or Switch to Shared Plans

AT&T* customers will soon have more options in choosing the plan that’s right for them and their mobile devices. With new AT&T Mobile Share plans, available in late August, new and existing customers can share a single bucket of data across smartphones, tablets, and other compatible devices, plus get unlimited talk and text. AT&T Mobile Share plans make it easy for customers to manage their data, voice minutes and texting, without needing to keep track of multiple plans.

Customers can select one of the new shared data plans or choose one of AT&T’s existing individual or family plans. Current customers are not required to switch to the new plans, but can choose to do so without a contract extension. There are no changes to AT&T’s device upgrade policy, which means customers eligible to upgrade to AT&T’s best device price are not required to switch plans. The new plans will also be available for business customers.

With AT&T Mobile Share plans, customers start by choosing how much data they want each month, then choose up to 10 devices to attach to their shared plan, one of which must be a smartphone. Each plan includes tethering and unlimited domestic calls and texts for smartphones and basic or quick messaging phones. The larger the data bucket you choose, the less you pay per gigabyte and the less you pay for each smartphone added to the shared plan

AT&T Mobile Share allows customers to essentially build a plan to fit their devices and usage. Customers who are more data-centric can choose a larger data bucket. Customers who typically use more voice than data can add multiple smartphones and basic phones and opt for a smaller data bucket.

“We offer customers a broad choice and the best lineup of plans, now enhanced by Mobile Share,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility. “With these new plans, the more you share, the more you save. They’ll be a good fit for a variety of new and existing customers. But if customers want to stay on their current plan or choose from our existing plans, they can do that, too. It’s their choice.

“Today we think of people’s smartphones and tablets sharing a bucket of data. But in the future we’ll see health care monitors, connected cars, security systems and other devices in the home all connected to the mobile Internet,” said Christopher. “Our Mobile Share plans are simple, easy and a great value for individuals or families with multiple mobile Internet devices.”

Mobile Share plans give customers more control over how, where and on what device they use data — which has become more important as people use more data devices. You can choose to use more of your data bucket on your tablet, for example, or tap into your data bucket only when needed for devices you use occasionally. And by consolidating data plans, you can take advantage of any data you currently have unused each month by efficiently sharing it across devices.

“The ‘more you share, the more you save’ concept is one that will resonate well with customers because of the value provided through the Mobile Share data plans themselves and in smartphone connection fees,” said Roger Entner, Founder and Lead Analyst of Recon Analytics. “AT&T also is providing its customers with flexibility and choice by keeping its existing data plans and not requiring customers to move to Mobile Share unless they want to. It’s a win-win for both AT&T and its customers.”

To help customers track their data usage, AT&T keeps users informed with courtesy alerts as they near their data allowance for the month. Also, customers can check their usage at anytime online, through the myAT&T mobile app, or by calling *DATA# from their mobile phone.

Each data plan also includes access to more than 30,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots — the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network** among wireless carriers — at no additional charge. Wi-Fi usage at public hotspots, home or office does not count toward the monthly wireless data plan usage.

Customers can learn more about the new plans and determine which plan is best for them atwww.att.com/mobileshare.

AT&T Announces Their Own Shared Data Plans, Launching in August is a post from: Droid Life

When Verizon killed off the data usage widget from the My Verizon app earlier this week in preparation for the launch of Share Everything plans, many of you shared your concerns. It was understandable that you would be concerned, especially knowing that data limits are shrinking and having on-demand access to your usage will be key.

We suspected that Verizon simply killed it because it would no longer work properly with shared data, but that something else was likely in the works. While they didn’t necessarily say that a new widget will be here any time soon, their corporate PR reached out to let us know that business is as usual in the app aside from the widget. 

The Data Widget was retired in anticipation of the launch of the Share Everything Plans. Customers can continue to use the My Verizon app (available on all Verizon Wireless smartphones) to monitor data, voice and text messages.  Verizon Wireless has added an enhancement to the My Verizon app that will allow customers on Share Everything plans to see and manage their account level data use.  Additionally, customers on all plan types can continue to dial #DATA or visit MyVerizon.com to view their data usage.

I know that the widget was very popular with DL readers, so hopefully they find a solution soon that will work going forward. In the mean time, you will have to open the app from time to time to check on your data usage status. It’s an extra click or two, but at least you can still do it from your mobile.

Verizon: Data Widget May be Gone, But the My Verizon App Still has Everything You Need is a post from: Droid Life