How the Cellular Carriers Have Failed Us
After twenty-plus years of cell phone use, and being held hostage to their hardware and their rate plans, I have found a solution that works well for me, and may be good for you, also.
With AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile demanding compliance on a "take it or leave (it)" basis, I finally had enough. Apparently, many other subscribers have walked away, too.
When Sprint announced its "4G" phones with a $10 premium, even though 4G service was not available in most areas of the country, it seemed reasonable to say "enough is enough".
That should have been the case with AT&T's lousy service during the introduction of the iPhone. But peer pressure being what it is, many chose to stick it out and complain, but not leave.
Verizon hasn't been any better, with some of the highest-priced plans around (remember that Verizon is a joint venture, and that the parent company was formed through a combination of the Baby Bells and GTE-arguably one of the most expensive wireline telcos).
Most subscribers need a phone first, and somewhere down the line, Twitter and Facebook become a priority. Subscribers want access to their email and text messages, and with so many Wi-Fi locations around, it is easy enough to retrieve and transmit messages with a Wi-Fi capable device.
The key solution seems to be an unlimited data plan with a no-contract phone. But iPhones and Androids are not presently carried by the no-contract providers (not the high-end Androids, at least). And most subscribers did not want to carry two devices (cell phone and PDA) in the past. But with the new iPod Touch 4G, the game has been changed. It's thin body and iPhone 4G features make it easy to carry, and also access all of the Apple apps, without the AT&T monthly fee. And with an Android on Virgin, Boost, or MetroPCS, one can have access to those apps while paying a low monthly fee for their voice minutes and enjoying unlimited data over 3G.
With AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile demanding compliance on a "take it or leave (it)" basis, I finally had enough. Apparently, many other subscribers have walked away, too.
When Sprint announced its "4G" phones with a $10 premium, even though 4G service was not available in most areas of the country, it seemed reasonable to say "enough is enough".
That should have been the case with AT&T's lousy service during the introduction of the iPhone. But peer pressure being what it is, many chose to stick it out and complain, but not leave.
Verizon hasn't been any better, with some of the highest-priced plans around (remember that Verizon is a joint venture, and that the parent company was formed through a combination of the Baby Bells and GTE-arguably one of the most expensive wireline telcos).
Most subscribers need a phone first, and somewhere down the line, Twitter and Facebook become a priority. Subscribers want access to their email and text messages, and with so many Wi-Fi locations around, it is easy enough to retrieve and transmit messages with a Wi-Fi capable device.
The key solution seems to be an unlimited data plan with a no-contract phone. But iPhones and Androids are not presently carried by the no-contract providers (not the high-end Androids, at least). And most subscribers did not want to carry two devices (cell phone and PDA) in the past. But with the new iPod Touch 4G, the game has been changed. It's thin body and iPhone 4G features make it easy to carry, and also access all of the Apple apps, without the AT&T monthly fee. And with an Android on Virgin, Boost, or MetroPCS, one can have access to those apps while paying a low monthly fee for their voice minutes and enjoying unlimited data over 3G.
posted by MM at 10:51 AM
<< Home