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Netzero Offers Free Wireless
No Contract Offer Via Clearwire

We've noted that there's several companies exploring pricing models that include base free wireless tiers, and the first one to emerge is -- NetZero? The company formerly known for dial up service today announced that they've partnered with Clearwire to offer WiMax service. The offerings are no contract, but require that you buy either a $100 HotSpot or $50 USB stick with a NetZero logo (you can be fashionably ironic).

The pricing for the service comes in five flavors:

Click for full size
•Free, $0, 200MB

•Basic, $9.95, 500MB

•Plus, $19.95, 1GB

•Pro, $34.95, 2GB

•Platinum, $49.95, 4GB

The free and $10 tiers clock in with speeds of "up to" 1Mbps down and 384 Kbps up, while the rest of the offerings deliver "up to" 10 Mbps down and 1.5 Mbps up. There's no throttling or overages, users who reach their cap either pony up for the same bucket of bytes or they remain disconnected until the next billing cycle. It's yet another entry in a crowded no contract data market, though again it's the first to offer users a free option -- something you'll see a lot of this year.

Update: One interesting catch we're sorry we missed is that the free service is something you can only use for a year, after which you have to switch to a pay plan.
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SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT

1 recommendation

SimbaSeven

Member

Hmm.. Nice as a backup..

I wouldn't mind this for email and light browsing. Too bad it's not available here.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: Hmm.. Nice as a backup..

said by SimbaSeven:

Too bad it's not available here.

Yep about 100 miles away form nearest service. FAIL.
brianiscool
join:2000-08-16
Tampa, FL

brianiscool

Member

haha fail!

Who would pay for such little data?

sleepydd
@wideopenwest.com

sleepydd

Anon

Re: haha fail!

This is ok for those who really do only use the internet for checking email. The firewall/antivirus I put on my moms computer keeps track of her data usage. Most months its around 50 MBs. I think all she does with it is check her work email and pay bills only. I might pick her one up to try it out. There is no reason for her to pay 25 for her dsl.
MTB
join:2007-06-29
Newport Beach, CA

MTB to brianiscool

Member

to brianiscool
LOL, IF I remember this corectly the free DSL was pretty much a NetZero too Duh.

jgkolt
Premium Member
join:2004-02-21
Avon, OH

jgkolt

Premium Member

free

it is smart to offer a free tier. keeps people using the service when they are low usage instead of cancelling. great idea but with those caps, i still cant jump on the bandwagon. Way to slow innovation down with usage caps.

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

1 recommendation

compuguybna

Member

Re: free

Not much you can do with 200MB.
talz13
join:2006-03-15
Avon, OH

talz13

Member

Re: free

I wonder if it would cover my google navigation? That's really the main sticking point of why I want data on my phone. I suppose I could get a full blown navigation app, but I really do like google nav.

Oh, I forgot that it's WiMax only, probably wouldn't get enough coverage to support navigation

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: free

said by talz13:

I wonder if it would cover my google navigation? That's really the main sticking point of why I want data on my phone. I suppose I could get a full blown navigation app, but I really do like google nav.

Oh, I forgot that it's WiMax only, probably wouldn't get enough coverage to support navigation

And no fallback option to 3G either. Wimax only will make this offering not useful to many people.

Thaler
Premium Member
join:2004-02-02
Los Angeles, CA

Thaler to compuguybna

Premium Member

to compuguybna
said by compuguybna:

Not much you can do with 200MB.

Check email on an emergency basis? I dunno. Last time I checked, text-heavy content didn't really eat up too much data.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine to compuguybna

Member

to compuguybna
said by compuguybna:

Not much you can do with 200MB.

If power/cable is out for a few days, 200MB can work for the basics - email and facebook.

whfsdude
Premium Member
join:2003-04-05
Washington, DC

whfsdude

Premium Member

CLEAR Directly

Why wouldn't anyone just go with CLEAR directly?

CLEAR:
$49.99 Per Month Unlimited data on the same network. No contract and the upfront device cost is the same.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine

Member

Re: CLEAR Directly

said by whfsdude:

Why wouldn't anyone just go with CLEAR directly?

CLEAR:
$49.99 Per Month Unlimited data on the same network. No contract and the upfront device cost is the same.

Because some of us only want internet a few times per year, and no monthly bill.
GraysonPeddi
Grayson Peddie
join:2010-06-28
Tallahassee, FL

GraysonPeddi

Member

WiMAX!?!?

HA!!!

Don't make me laugh. I don't think I can get WiMax in Tallahassee, can I? I doubt it as I don't see the future of WiMax. Only LTE or HSPA+.
voiptalk
join:2010-04-10
Gainesville, VA

1 recommendation

voiptalk

Member

Free Plan - Read the fine print!

"Free data plan comes with 200MB of data per month and requires the purchase of a NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband device. Access to the Free plan expires twelve (12) months from the date of initial registration and may not be renewed."

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Free Plan - Read the fine print!

said by voiptalk:

"Free data plan comes with 200MB of data per month and requires the purchase of a NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband device. Access to the Free plan expires twelve (12) months from the date of initial registration and may not be renewed."

Yes. Sounds like the typical bait & switch plan scam artists use. Lay out $100 for a hotspot device and the free plan expires in a year and you have to pay after that if you want to use the device.

Metatron2008
You're it
Premium Member
join:2008-09-02
united state

Metatron2008

Premium Member

Re: Free Plan - Read the fine print!

This is WiMAX though, which will probably be gone in 1 year tops anyway...
xexx
join:2004-09-03
Aledo, TX

xexx to FFH5

Member

to FFH5
This is just a bad article, I've already read other articles and they clearly say it's just a year of free service for purchasing the device, then you have to continue paying for service.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536 to voiptalk

Premium Member

to voiptalk
said by voiptalk:

"Free data plan comes with 200MB of data per month and requires the purchase of a NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband device. Access to the Free plan expires twelve (12) months from the date of initial registration and may not be renewed."

Thats when you buy a new usb stick[lather rinse repeat]

Packeteers
Premium Member
join:2005-06-18
Forest Hills, NY
Asus RT-AC3100
(Software) Asuswrt-Merlin

Packeteers

Premium Member

shame no cell phone like this

i'd love a low use cell phone with NO monthly fees
and prepaid minutes that never expire.

it's a shame USA's locked phone monopoly market
won't let that happen - thanks FCC for a great job

Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY

Transmaster

Member

Re: shame no cell phone like this

NetZero now there is a name I haven't heard about in awhile. Maybe they can partner up with Lightsquare.

N3OGH
Yo Soy Col. "Bat" Guano
Premium Member
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs

N3OGH

Premium Member

Re: shame no cell phone like this

Or Erols, or Juno.com

Oh wow, how about that. Just did a little Googling on the "TUBES" and found out Juno & NetZero are owned by the same company!

David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

David

Premium Member

Re: shame no cell phone like this

My first text only email address was a juno.com email address.

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Corehhi to Packeteers

Member

to Packeteers
said by Packeteers:

i'd love a low use cell phone with NO monthly fees
and prepaid minutes that never expire.

it's a shame USA's locked phone monopoly market
won't let that happen - thanks FCC for a great job

That's why I use a tracfone about $160 a year for 2000 minutes. »www.tracfone.com/phone_d ··· Motorola EX124G Not a true smart phone but good enough. »www.tracfone.com/direct/ ··· &lang=en There you go a year of service and triple minutes that comes with the phone above you would actually get 3000 minutes for $160. I haven't figured out a cheaper way to have a cell phone and I have though about. LOL.

Packeteers
Premium Member
join:2005-06-18
Forest Hills, NY
Asus RT-AC3100
(Software) Asuswrt-Merlin

Packeteers

Premium Member

Re: shame no cell phone like this

people on food stamps can get nearly free cell phone service;
»www.assurancewireless.co ··· ams.aspx

thanks for the tracfone info

all I can afford right now is a magicJack
and now that everyone has a cell phone (but me)
it's impossible to find a working pay phone anymore.

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Corehhi

Member

Re: shame no cell phone like this

said by Packeteers:

people on food stamps can get nearly free cell phone service;
»www.assurancewireless.co ··· ams.aspx

Assurance is Tracfone and so is Net 10.

Packeteers
Premium Member
join:2005-06-18
Forest Hills, NY
Asus RT-AC3100
(Software) Asuswrt-Merlin

1 edit

Packeteers

Premium Member

Re: shame no cell phone like this

Net 10 means what poor coverage?

»www.net10.com/

OIC... yeah, my long dead sprint phone
did not use a sim care *sigh*

net10 seems cheaper than tracfone for the year,
so why didn't you go with net10 ?
NYC Girl
Premium Member
join:2007-02-04
Bronx, NY

NYC Girl to Corehhi

Premium Member

to Corehhi
said by Corehhi:

said by Packeteers:

i'd love a low use cell phone with NO monthly fees
and prepaid minutes that never expire.

it's a shame USA's locked phone monopoly market
won't let that happen - thanks FCC for a great job

That's why I use a tracfone about $160 a year for 2000 minutes. »www.tracfone.com/phone_d ··· Motorola EX124G Not a true smart phone but good enough. »www.tracfone.com/direct/ ··· &lang=en There you go a year of service and triple minutes that comes with the phone above you would actually get 3000 minutes for $160. I haven't figured out a cheaper way to have a cell phone and I have though about. LOL.

Yes, you've for,the deal of a lifetime indeed!!!

Packeteers
Premium Member
join:2005-06-18
Forest Hills, NY
Asus RT-AC3100
(Software) Asuswrt-Merlin

4 edits

Packeteers

Premium Member

Re: shame no cell phone like this

actually, it's not nearly as cheap as he claims.

if you buy a LG 800G for $50 with 3x minute bonus
then spend $160 for 1000 minutes (40min bonus)
or $200 for 150 minutes (40min bonus), comes to;

$18/month using an average of 250 minutes
$21/month will get you closer to 400 minutes

all assuming they don't have other back end fees.

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Corehhi

Member

Re: shame no cell phone like this

said by Packeteers:

actually, it's not nearly as cheap as he claims.

if you buy a LG 800G for $50 with 3x minute bonus
then spend $160 for 1000 minutes (40min bonus)
or $200 for 150 minutes (40min bonus), comes to;

$18/month using an average of 250 minutes
$21/month will get you closer to 400 minutes

all assuming they don't have other back end fees.

Actually I got a tracfone that works on verizons network which is the best in my area and I found that I use about 200-250 minutes a month. The last letter on the phone denotes what network it uses BTW. As far as minutes you just have to play with the numbers that work for you. I've been thinking about trying this out in the future. The phone off loads to your wireless network where it can. »republicwireless.com/

Huge amount of options out there.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine to Packeteers

Member

to Packeteers
said by Packeteers:

i'd love a low use cell phone with NO monthly fees
and prepaid minutes that never expire.

it's a shame USA's locked phone monopoly market
won't let that happen - thanks FCC for a great job

If you have low income you can qualify for a free phone.

If you have higher income? You can afford a prepaid phone. Just keep adding prepaid credit ($10 every few months) to keep it active.

n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY

n2jtx

Member

WiMAX?!?!

Talk about buying something with no future. You can be guaranteed that $50 or $100 investment will be useless as soon as Clearwire gets their LTE network up and begins shutting down WiMAX.
GraysonPeddi
Grayson Peddie
join:2010-06-28
Tallahassee, FL

GraysonPeddi

Member

Re: WiMAX?!?!

Hey! You copied the "WiMAX?!?!" subject from my post!

Heh. It's not my place to get into ya.
amungus
Premium Member
join:2004-11-26
America

amungus

Premium Member

Cool... but where is the usable service?

With 4G speed, it's sad and annoying to keep hearing about services like this when all they offer are almost unusably small caps.

I guess "millenicom" kind of does "unlimited," but after 5GB, I believe they also 'freak out' a little... but I don't exactly know...

For locations where there are no wired services, it's sad that there is no good mainstream wireless service that can be used in a more "wired" manner (streaming video.......). The latest satellite service offerings are also quite sad.

My parents, for example, would be set with 3-5Mbps for Netflix, as long as there were some way to use more than 4-5GB/mo. without absurd rates.

WISP service in the area is a joke, at barely 1.5Mbps.

If 4G is to be any kind of substitute for wiring up areas that the phone/cable companies will probably never serve, then 4G service providers need to step up their offerings to allow for more usage, at least in situations where 99.999% of use is in a "fixed" location.

chlen
Ethically Challenged
Premium Member
join:2001-01-16
Saratoga, NY

chlen

Premium Member

Sell drugs.

In college, my roommate sold reefer.

I always could get a little for free because I was a friend, you know enough for a joint.

Sooner or later I realized that I needed to get more for trips/to share/etc... so I started to pay.

When we no longer lived together after freshman year, I already knew and was comfortable with this weed-guy and thus I was paying on the regular, and brought in friends as additional customers.

Netzero is clearly using this model.

Metatron2008
You're it
Premium Member
join:2008-09-02
united state

Metatron2008

Premium Member

Deal of the century

Buy a $100 hotspot or $50 usb stick and get slow speeds, awful coverage, horrible customer support, horribly priced tiers (Except for omg free?!), all from a crusty dial up provider AND a cell phone provider that is running out of money and will be shutting down the very service you are buying by the end of the year?!

in 4 10

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

Re: Deal of the century

PLUS add $19.95 for shipping a 4 ounce USB stick. WHAT A RIP!
said by Metatron2008:

Buy a $100 hotspot or $50 usb stick and get slow speeds, awful coverage, horrible customer support, horribly priced tiers (Except for omg free?!), all from a crusty dial up provider AND a cell phone provider that is running out of money and will be shutting down the very service you are buying by the end of the year?!

in 4 10


dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536

Premium Member

Re: Deal of the century

said by compuguybna:

PLUS add $19.95 for shipping a 4 ounce USB stick. WHAT A RIP!

this isn't going to be avail retail? screw that!

Ben
Premium Member
join:2007-06-17
Fort Worth, TX

Ben

Premium Member

NetZero is Still Around?

     Now that's a name I haven't heard in awhile!  I had thought they would have folded.  Though sometimes, you can be surprised by what sticks around and what doesn't.

     Even AOL has surprisingly managed to remain in existence, despite their dial-up customer exodus, and Bebo (which also failed spectacularly).

     Just for fun, I decided to see if Compuserve was still around.  What do you know...it is!  Well, it was bought by AOL, but there's still a compuserve.com .

Jeff
Connoisseur of leisurely things
Premium Member
join:2002-12-24
GMT -5

Jeff

Premium Member

Brand Change?

I don't know how well this service will work, but from the responses to this topic it does not look promising. With that said, NetZero doesn't really have a positive connotation in my brain. I'm somewhat surprised that they haven't re-branded themselves. The name itself turns me off (based on my history of their offerings), and I started reading the details of it, and I'm less than impressed.
NYC Girl
Premium Member
join:2007-02-04
Bronx, NY

NYC Girl

Premium Member

Verizon Cheaper for me!!

I get 2GB tethered iPhone data for my iPad for 20.00 and 30.00 data for unlimited (geandfathered). Not sure if it can be used with iOS devices anyway.
ArizonaSteve
join:2004-01-31
Apache Junction, AZ

ArizonaSteve

Member

$9.95 is not free!

The website says it starts at $9.95 but only available in a few areas. Looks pretty worthless.

•••

r81984
Fair and Balanced
Premium Member
join:2001-11-14
Katy, TX

r81984

Premium Member

Useless - Lack of Coverage

I would not mind using this when I long distance travel a few times a year, but it has 0 coverage outside of cities.
This makes it worthless.

In a city you easily can get internet access so whats the point?

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

skeechan

Premium Member

It's unlimited for $35 1Mb from Clear

Unless you don't plan on using it, going direct to Clear is the way better deal. The 10Mb unlimited is $50/mo.
GadgetKen
join:2009-01-21
North Granby, CT

GadgetKen

Member

MyPoints for ordering NetZero; Thoughts on Netzero offering

There's a way to get the NetZero modem for a little less. United Online owns NetZero, Juno, FTD Floral Wire, MyPoints and other companies. Linking through the Mypoints loyalty program gets you 2000 points for the USB modem, 3000 for the mifi type device and another 2000 if you order a paid rather than the free plan. 2000 points equals about a $10 gift card.

I ordered the USB device yesterday evening on the 200 mb plan using the Mypoints link. Looks like 2000 points will be properly credited which bring my first year equipment cost from $70 down to $60 or an amortized cost of $5/month.

I plan on using it for a backup to AT&T Wireless postpaid service I have on a 5 gb 4G LTE plan with a FAN discount. Don't have wired internet so need something else for redundancy purposes other than the occasional wifi or ethernet connection when traveling. And gives me a little extra data allotment every month if I'm cutting it too close to 5 gb on the AT&T plan and don't want to pay overage fees.

I suspect Netzero is hoping people trying the 200 mb plan will upgrade to a paid plan or buy a la carte data passes for the rest of the month once they exhaust their free allotment (reported as $6.95 for 250 mb or $19.95 for 1 gb).

I agree that the Clear network is not as robust as other carriers. But I think it's a wonderful idea for people who have light data needs or are using it for occasional travel within the Clear coverage footprint.

Also when setting up my account I noticed there is a speed setting in the accounts section, so technically the speed could be increased from 1 mbps ("lightspeed") to up to 10 mbps ("warp speed") just by moving a slider bar setting. But with a 200 mb data allotment that would disappear rather rapidly at the higher speed.

I think the NetZero plans will change though. FreedomPOP is supposed to be releasing a 1 gb free plan on Clear with a penny a MB overage charge and leased modems sometime in June. They are being run by the founder of Skype.

Of the two companies I think NetZero may have the edge because they are first to market and have experience making money in the free/ad supported and low cost ISP market. Think this is a good step for Netzero into wireless internet. I used to have Juno dial-up until about 3 years ago when I switched to cellular modems. I'm sure I'm not the only one to switch away from United Online because they needed faster and more portable internet access. This gets me back as a customer, and possibly I might go to postpaid with them on a lower tier plan once my free year is up (unless they come out with a plan mirroring the Freedom POP plan).