Off Topic: Sprint $120/month = unlimited everything; T-Mobile = no 3rd party apps can use data
By Stefan Constantinescu on Monday, February 26th, 2007 at 10:21 PM PST In Ideas and rants
I am a T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) customer. I love them. Unlimited GPRS for $5.99 a month rules.
This recent news however makes me want to see the resignation of people in corporate management effective immediately:
Testing some T-Mobile phones recently, I once again ran into T-Mobile’s annoying policy of banning third-party applications from accessing the Internet on their phones. Like so many infringements on our liberties, this started stealthily with a few devices but now covers their entire product line.This means T-Mobile feature phone users are prohibited from surfing the Web with Opera Mini, checking maps on Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Local for Mobile, listening to podcasts with Mobilcast, and using any other form of software not pre-approved by T-Mobile.
T-Mobile cites meaningless "security" concerns as reasons for attempting to severely cripple the mobile software development industry, but their hypocrisy is painfully clear when you remember that these apps work fine on T-Mobile’s network, using T-Mobile SIM cards, if you buy your phone directly from a manufacturer like NokiaUSA.com.
This idiotic policy doesn’t even work in T-Mobile’s interests. Third party software encourages people to use data services, which encourages them to sign up for data plans, which makes T-Mobile money. A more liberal policy on mobile apps also might help the nation’s #4 carrier win customers away from control freaks like Verizon (NYSE: VZ), with their strictly limited set of applications.
T-Mobile’s motto is "get more." So it’s painfully ironic that nowadays, they let you "get less" — locking out much of what their phones can do in a pointless, incomprehensible attempt at control. My solution: instead of buying phones through T-Mobile, go direct to manufacturers or through independent retailers that offer non-T-Mobile-branded GSM phones, then drop your T-Mobile SIM card in. (It’ll work fine.) That way you’ll get your T-Mobile service, and much, much "more."
Phone Boy is absolutely right! There is a meme happening right now! Users are revolting!
How thick headed do you have to be to lock people out of using data? o_0
After all if your customers want to use data, get this: they’ll want a data plan! That means revenue last time I checked. What happens when they learn all they have to do to get around your little crippled devices is to buy unlocked retail units?
In other news: Sprint, the last operator I would think of as innovative, announced an all you can eat plan:
Sprint (NYSE: S) is about to test run its new all-access plans on its customers living in the SF area. First up is the Unlimited Access Pack which gives you unlimited voice, messaging, and mobile Web for $120/month—not bad if you’re a heavy smartphone user who’s been going over your monthly plan. An additional plan adds Internet access for your home PC for a total of $150/month. No word on whether these plans will become permanent or whether they’ll be rolled out elsewhere, so it all depends on how the SF crowd embraces them.
Sure it may be in San Francisco only but it is the start of something huge. Damn you Sprint, I wish you were GSM!
I usually don’t like writing about operators but lately I’ve just had such a blood lust. They are the sole reason my fellow man doesn’t have the latest and greatest Europe and Japan have to offer.
It is time Nokia (NYSE: NOK), Sony or Samsung started a campaign informing consumers about freedom.
"Let the SIM set you free." Who wants to make some t-shirts?
Unlimited GPRS for 5,99$????
T-Mobile germany: 30 MB – 5 €
In Finland I get 3000 minutes of speech, 3000 minutes of video calls, 3000 sms’s and mms’s and all I can eat 3 G data for 55,95 €. The two year contract and price included a horrible Motorola phone, which I sold because it was not SIM-locked. I’m using my N73 instead.
hello guys, yes, i noticed having problems with my applications in my nokia n80ie, like vox, google maps,opera mini, worldmate, reuters, and other ones, i called t-mobile to complain but well, they try to fix it, still some applications dont work but google maps works fine.. i am really mad because i have been using t-zones for 4.99 and i have unlimited data and emails. but now, almost nothing..
hope they change that policy
Hi. I have this optional “Dataetu” package from Finnish operator Saunalahti. It costs 10€/month and allows unlimited 3G, Edge, and GPRS connections.
I´m probably going to update to “MegaViestiX 3G” package when N95 arrives. 1000 sms’s, 2000 mms’s and unlimited 2 Mbit/s HSDPA connection + Edge + GPRS Monthly for 23,95 €.
This was info I received a while back, not sure if it still apples:
wap.voicestream.com – only allow functions through port 80 (i.e. normal web access)
internet2.voicestream.com – use private IP address, by relying on NAT. Thus more functions than the wap AP but still can’t use VPN, SSH etc.
internet3.voicestream.com – use public IP address, not behind NAT or proxy server.
The unlimited “t-zones” uses the wap access point, so many applications (such as video streaming) won’t work. Unlimited access using the other two access points are $19.99 and $29.99 respectively (again, this might not be the latest figures).
It’s possible that T-mobile started enforcing this only recently?
I’m jealous of your cheap Finnish high speed cellular access.
Then again we don’t pay a lot of taxes here in America
Actually, Cybette you are correct. This was an issue back in 2004 where T-Mobile was blocking port 80. Thats when people startes switching to the $19.99 unlimited plan because it gave access to all 3 access points.
http://darlamack.blogs.com/darlamack/2004/12/tmobiles_port_8.html
As of now I haven’t experienced any issues accessing 3rd party apps like Opera Mini or Vox and it could be because of the internet plan that I’m on.
The $4.99 T-Zones does not give full unlimited-data, and if I remember correctly, it was never supposed to.
I don’t think that there are any links between high speed cellular access and taxes..:)
In general, everything you’ve listed seems cheap to me.
Imagine being in Mexico and have to pay Movistar MXN 769 (about USD 70 or 65 €) for unlimited EDGE, that in any case you can’t add to your voice plan SIM anyway.
Just silly, hope they’ll catch up soon.