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MetroPCS Hikes Prices, Throttles LTE
'Unlimited' Plan Now $70, 5 GB Cap
MetroPCS has confirmed that the company is raising the price of their "unlimited" LTE service to $70 (from $60), while adding throttling to all of the company's LTE data plans. The $60 "unlimited" tier now comes with a 5 GB cap, after which users are throttled to a slower, unspecified speed. MetroPCS also offers a $50 plan for 2.5 GB of service and a $40 plan with a 250 MB cap. The throttling is being applied to a service that already features an LTE service that's well-behind the LTE speed standard (as in below 1 Mbps) with a heavy emphasis on crippled phones, walled gardens, and MetroPCS's own "MetroStudio" content.
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tom thomas
join:2010-11-04

1 recommendation

tom thomas

Member

not surprised

i do not know much about metropcs but do have a cell phone store that largely caters to cricket prepaid customers.

i will say that these customers tend to be extreme heavy data users with the emphasis on videos and music. also most of these customer do not have home and/or work wifi to fall back on.

this is quite different than the contract customers i know who tend to have and use a home internet connection via wifi and overall are much lighter consumers of streaming music and video from smartphones.

if companies like metro and cricket experience extra heavy network strain i is certainly no surprise to me, but they should really get rid of the 'unlimited' marketing and advertise the pre-throttle data allotment.
mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI

mogamer

Member

Non-4G plans are still good enough.

My wife and son have phones on their lowest tier plan and don't have any problems with unlimited texts, unlimited calling and unlimited web. Of course they use their phones as communication/data devices and not as entertainment hubs.

Cell phones aren't luxuries anymore. And being able to connect with email is a necessity for many people. But 4G streaming video and music are luxuries. We aren't talking about rural residents who need some sort of broadband here. Most people who have smartphones could easily find Wi-Fi hotspots to connect on.

JigglyWiggly
join:2009-07-12
Pleasanton, CA

JigglyWiggly

Member

Re: Non-4G plans are still good enough.

this change from unlimited to throttled should be illegel and punishable by death

anonname2
@swbell.net

anonname2

Anon

Re: Non-4G plans are still good enough.

The alternative is no data at all. You interested?
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

1 recommendation

Crookshanks to mogamer

Member

to mogamer
said by mogamer:

Cell phones aren't luxuries anymore.

Yes they are. I know it's hard to fathom for a lot of people who have grown up as members of the instant gratification generation but you CAN survive without being reachable anywhere in the world 24/7/365.

I went without a cell phone from 2003 to 2007 after I left the job that provided me with one. I only got one again because my current employer decided to pay for it. Guess what? I survived just fine with a landline phone and answering machine. It's actually somewhat liberating to know that you can venture out into the world and enjoy some solitude without being rudely yanked back to reality by the din of an obnoxious ring tone.
mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI

mogamer

Member

Re: Non-4G plans are still good enough.

said by Crookshanks:

said by mogamer:

Cell phones aren't luxuries anymore.

Yes they are. I know it's hard to fathom for a lot of people who have grown up as members of the instant gratification generation but you CAN survive without being reachable anywhere in the world 24/7/365.

I went without a cell phone from 2003 to 2007 after I left the job that provided me with one. I only got one again because my current employer decided to pay for it. Guess what? I survived just fine with a landline phone and answering machine. It's actually somewhat liberating to know that you can venture out into the world and enjoy some solitude without being rudely yanked back to reality by the din of an obnoxious ring tone.

Try to find a pay phone. And don't say, you'll use someone else's cell phone in an emergency. I myself use a Tracfone. The phone itself isn't the luxury, it's all the extra stuff that people want that is.
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

Crookshanks

Member

Re: Non-4G plans are still good enough.

said by mogamer:

Try to find a pay phone. And don't say, you'll use someone else's cell phone in an emergency.

Those of us who live out in the boonies where cell phones may not work have learned to prepare for emergencies without telecommunications. If we can do it I'm at a loss for why people who live in built up areas (worst case scenario: knock on someone's door and ask to use the phone) can't manage the same.

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru to Crookshanks

MVM

to Crookshanks
said by Crookshanks:

It's actually somewhat liberating to know that you can venture out into the world and enjoy some solitude without being rudely yanked back to reality by the din of an obnoxious ring tone.

You can still be yanked back by the din of someone else's obnoxious ring tone, or if you're referring to your own ringtone, whose fault is it that it's obnoxious?

MovieLover76
join:2009-09-11
Cherry Hill, NJ
(Software) pfSense
Asus RT-AC68
Asus RT-AC66

MovieLover76 to Crookshanks

Member

to Crookshanks
They aren't a luxury for many people, myself included. I need to carry one for work purposes, they require that I have one.
Also with all of the payphones being basically abandoned a cell phone is fairly important should you get stuck somewhere and need to make a call, it's a matter of safety for many.

You may have a life that doesn't require a cell phone and if your happy without one that's great, but for many it's a neccesity.

Also it seems to me that peoples lives are much busier these days, between me being out and my friends and family being out I'd never connect with people and it would be a constant game of phone tag.

Also 4G is severely hindered by low caps, I happen to have unlimited LTE but still even with data caps, the smartphone experience just surfing web pages, downloading apps, reading emails and downloading attachments is much more fluid, things that I'd never do on 3G because of how long it took are near instantaneous on 4G, since the plans cost the same amount why not upgrade and if you avoid video and music streaming you can do the same things you did on 3G just faster for the same price.
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

Crookshanks

Member

Re: Non-4G plans are still good enough.

said by MovieLover76:

They aren't a luxury for many people, myself included. I need to carry one for work purposes, they require that I have one.

Then I hope they are paying for it.
said by MovieLover76:

Also with all of the payphones being basically abandoned a cell phone is fairly important should you get stuck somewhere and need to make a call, it's a matter of safety for many.

However did people manage to survive getting stuck before cell phones? What happens if you get stuck somewhere without cell phone service?

Cell phones might make it more CONVENIENT if you get stuck but they aren't NECESSARY to get unstuck. As I said in my reply to the other person, those of us who live in the boonies have to be prepared for emergencies where we can't count on summoning outside help. Frankly it's a good idea to be prepared regardless; if your plan for emergencies boils down to counting on someone else to bail you out then you have no plan at all.
said by MovieLover76:

Also it seems to me that peoples lives are much busier these days, between me being out and my friends and family being out I'd never connect with people and it would be a constant game of phone tag.

That doesn't make it a necessity, that makes a convenience. There is a difference.

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

fifty nine

Member

Unlimited's days are limited

The bigger carriers learned their lesson from allowing an unlimited free for all. Now Sprint is the only holdout. But their network is slow as molasses so they really don't have much to worry about, LOL.

redxii
Mod
join:2001-02-26
Michigan
Asus RT-AC3100
Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH2

redxii

Mod

Re: Unlimited's days are limited

Sprint will still disconnect you if they deem that you use too much. Over 5Gb can be too much, doesn't have to be 100s of GB. Their hotspots comes out to about $50/GB overage.

When someone points out how ridiculously low wireless caps are and overage charges all I see is snide "Well don't go over your cap then simple as that " replies. 2-5GB ain't nothing and expect to compete with cable/DSL with their crappy networks.

Mike
Mod
join:2000-09-17
Pittsburgh, PA

Mike

Mod

Are they serious?

$40 a month for 250 damn megabytes?

Didn't know we were a soviet era eastern-bloc country in 1997.
chgo_man99
join:2010-01-01
Sunnyvale, CA

chgo_man99

Member

Re: Are they serious?

no kidding,

I can have 300mb for $30 from att, and 5GB for $50.

toby
Troy Mcclure
join:2001-11-13
Seattle, WA

toby

Member

Re: Are they serious?

it includes voice/text/data

anonname2
@swbell.net

anonname2 to chgo_man99

Anon

to chgo_man99
That's for data only, my friend. Add talk/text/MMS to that total.
o2cool8
join:2002-04-19
Cary, NC

o2cool8 to Mike

Member

to Mike
said by Mike:

$40 a month for 250 damn megabytes?

Didn't know we were a soviet era eastern-bloc country in 1997.

It also includs unlimited minutes and text.

JasonOD
@comcast.net

JasonOD

Anon

Sounds like metropcs is in the business....

of STAYING in business long term with these changes. Companies get absolutely crushed by consumers if they offer something out of step with the market (think slashdot effect, groupon effect) like unlimited LTE is, and also invites predatory consumer behavior.

inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

inteller

Member

Re: Sounds like metropcs is in the business....

predatory consumer? WTF? no surprise coming from a Comcast domain.

The Limit
Premium Member
join:2007-09-25
Denver, CO

The Limit

Premium Member

Re: Sounds like metropcs is in the business....

Unfortunately it's true. The laws favor collusion.
WernerSchutz
join:2009-08-04
Sugar Land, TX

WernerSchutz to inteller

Member

to inteller
When a customer tries to get the most from his PAID service he is labeled "predatory".

When a corporation tries to deliver as little service as possible under various "creative" excuses while continually raising prices/fees/whatever, they are just looking out for the "investor" and "increasing value"

anonname2
@swbell.net

anonname2 to inteller

Anon

to inteller
Consumers defraud companies all the time. I repeat - ALL. THE. TIME.

totamak
And they call me nuts?
join:2000-10-24
Los Angeles, CA

totamak

Member

Re: Sounds like metropcs is in the business....

Making full use of a paid plan is not fraud by any stretch of the imagination. Fraud against a company is only true if the consuming party cheats said company by lying or otherwise falsifying information so they do not pay up. There is no fraud here. Yes, many people defraud companies, that is NOT the story here. The story here is MetroPCS is pushing an economically insane plan that makes their service more expensive than the Big Boys typical offerings. MetroPCS caters to urban folks, usually at the middle to low end of the economic ladder, which is why this plan makes even less sense. But still, no fraud.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA

Premium Member

Re: Sounds like metropcs is in the business....

Do they even have good coverage in the urban areas they do cover?
BiggA

BiggA to JasonOD

Premium Member

to JasonOD
They have to limit data, as they have, in Boston, for example, 10mhz of total spectrum. However, they need to keep the prices low, as that's all they've got to compete against the big guys.

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

NO such thing as UNLIMITED!

Sucker you in with "unlimited" and months later......ding ding ding. the ugly word "throttling" pops ups.

Lets see, how many times with how many carriers has that happened with in the last 2 years?

I can name a few . . . .

FOLKS, THERE IS NO SUCH WORD AS UNLIMITED IN THE CELL/MOBILE BROADBAND business, PERIOD!!!!!

Virgin Mobile first comes to mind. Gee's how many times have they advertised 'unlimited', then months later raise prices, and throttle after 2.5gb on what was sold as an 'unlimited' plan.

and AT&T, you just suck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

live like a pig, die like a pig

watch demand dry upeven if they gave away the $300 & $400 handsets for FREE! there's no way this won't hurt metro pcs's growth by becoming like AT&T and Verizon on pricing, with an inferior network to boot.
keason
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Ann Arbor, MI
·Comcast Business
·T-Mobile

keason

Premium Member

Metro price includes everything

They are probably getting closer to filling their spectrum. The $40 plan throttles after 250Mb, the $50 after 2.5, $60 after 5Gb, and $70 no throttling.

That includes voice/text/data. The $60 includes Rhapsody, and the $70 includes video service too.

Metro is still a bargain. The Verizon equivalent to the MetroPCS $50 plan (w 2Gb data) is $120+taxes or close to $140 for most people.

Honestly, I don't see why more people haven't ditched the major carriers if they live in a MetroPCS native coverage area.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

Re: Metro price includes everything

said by keason:

They are probably getting closer to filling their spectrum. The $40 plan throttles after 250Mb, the $50 after 2.5, $60 after 5Gb, and $70 no throttling.

That includes voice/text/data. The $60 includes Rhapsody, and the $70 includes video service too.

Metro is still a bargain. The Verizon equivalent to the MetroPCS $50 plan (w 2Gb data) is $120+taxes or close to $140 for most people.

Honestly, I don't see why more people haven't ditched the major carriers if they live in a MetroPCS native coverage area.

$40, or $140, it's still a ripoff! Time for people to sit on their hands instead of buying the service so prices can reverse course!

SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT

SimbaSeven

Member

Mmm. Straight Talk..

I'm still lovin' my Straight Talk SIM in my Captivate (running CM9). No issues here.
Rob_
Premium Member
join:2008-07-16
Mary Esther, FL

Rob_

Premium Member

Re: Mmm. Straight Talk..

Their coverage map sucks though.. why is it so limited?

SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT

SimbaSeven

Member

Re: Mmm. Straight Talk..

Limited? Which map are you looking at?

»www.straighttalksim.com/ ··· rage.php

michieru
Premium Member
join:2009-07-25
Denver, CO

michieru

Premium Member

Screw you metro from a once happy customer

Even though I called and they told me current customers are not affected and only new ones I just about had it with these type of BS.

If and when they either take my current package away from me or I damage my handset I am just going to switch too a dumb phone and be done with it. All I really needed was email, screw the apps and the high speed internet just give me emails.