Just as with rival wireless carrier AT&T, Verizon has begun cracking down on those using tethering, either hotspot or otherwise, without the appropriate tethering plans.
Although originally written in a rather confused, mistake-ridden story on ReadWriteWeb, it's not really new news; it was expected that eventually other carriers would crack down on tethering scofflaws. In this case, there's some real-world evidence: a user who had been tethering their device was redirected to a special Web page that basically nudged them toward a tethering plan.
With the exception of Android tablets, which include hotspot service as part of their standard, although "limited" data plans, carriers such as Verizon and AT&T require separate tethering plans for their devices.
For example, Verizon charges $20 per month for 3G tethering, either with a USB cable or as a mobile hotspot. That tethering plan allows users to use their smartphone as a modem for up to 5 wi-fi enabled devices. Even if the device has an unlimited data plan, the tethering plan uses a separate pool of data, with only 2GB data / mo included. Those who go over will be charged $20 for each additional GB.
Verizon signaled a crackdown quite some time ago. The carrier made Google remove tethering apps from the Verizon version of the Android Market. Additionally, in mid-July, Verizon pushed out an update to the HTC Thunderbolt to remove the promotional hotspot app it was providing.
AT&T, in fact, has begun moving tethering scofflaws to from unlimited data plans to limited data tiers, forcibly. Once changed, a user can't go back, either.
None of this should come as a surprise to anyone. After all, three of the big four carriers (with the except of Sprint) have moved away from unlimited data plans, except for grandfathered-in customers.
T-Mobile advertises unlimited data, but throttles after customers reach a "cap." Meanwhile, for grandfathered-in unlimited plans, AT&T recently announced that it would begin throttling the top 5 percent and that the only way to truly have unlimited, unthrottled data was for a customer to use a tiered data plan and pay for any overages. Essentially, that's unlimited data, but also unlimited amounts of money.
Sprint is the only carrier to still have truly unlimited data, but the question is: for how long?
Although originally written in a rather confused, mistake-ridden story on ReadWriteWeb, it's not really new news; it was expected that eventually other carriers would crack down on tethering scofflaws. In this case, there's some real-world evidence: a user who had been tethering their device was redirected to a special Web page that basically nudged them toward a tethering plan.
With the exception of Android tablets, which include hotspot service as part of their standard, although "limited" data plans, carriers such as Verizon and AT&T require separate tethering plans for their devices.
For example, Verizon charges $20 per month for 3G tethering, either with a USB cable or as a mobile hotspot. That tethering plan allows users to use their smartphone as a modem for up to 5 wi-fi enabled devices. Even if the device has an unlimited data plan, the tethering plan uses a separate pool of data, with only 2GB data / mo included. Those who go over will be charged $20 for each additional GB.
Verizon signaled a crackdown quite some time ago. The carrier made Google remove tethering apps from the Verizon version of the Android Market. Additionally, in mid-July, Verizon pushed out an update to the HTC Thunderbolt to remove the promotional hotspot app it was providing.
AT&T, in fact, has begun moving tethering scofflaws to from unlimited data plans to limited data tiers, forcibly. Once changed, a user can't go back, either.
None of this should come as a surprise to anyone. After all, three of the big four carriers (with the except of Sprint) have moved away from unlimited data plans, except for grandfathered-in customers.
T-Mobile advertises unlimited data, but throttles after customers reach a "cap." Meanwhile, for grandfathered-in unlimited plans, AT&T recently announced that it would begin throttling the top 5 percent and that the only way to truly have unlimited, unthrottled data was for a customer to use a tiered data plan and pay for any overages. Essentially, that's unlimited data, but also unlimited amounts of money.
Sprint is the only carrier to still have truly unlimited data, but the question is: for how long?