Unlimited Data/Congestion Solution, Questions About Wideband

[Arysyn]

I'm a few days late with my posting of my rate plan idea, but here now I have it for everyone.

 

Please keep in mind I'm thinking along the lines of Cricket's recent Advanced Plan which no longer is offered, but as I liked how that plan was, and if only the speed cap were set a bit faster than 8mbps, say 15mbps, I very likely would have gone with that plan. Heck, sometimes I regret not going with it at the speed it is, but oh well. With that in mind, I'm using that idea, the part where so much data was offered at a great rate, in exchange for a speedcap. Now when I've mentioned this before, I used the notion of it helping both the rate and congestion, but since the debate over the congestion issue, I'd really like to put some sort of compromise to the prices I'm offering, not necessarily something that limits the quality of service for the user, but something that benefits the network by having the rates I'm going to be listing here, because in full disclosure, I'm going to be suggesting some may question whether this is even fiscally plausible.

 

However, instead of hearing things such as "You're crazy, Arysyn, another insane unrealistic idea from you", etc., I'd like to know options as far as how to make this work, rather than hearing how this won't work. What I'm trying to do, is to come up with a way I believe would be a good alternative to unlimited data plans, if they ever were to go away. Along with that, I want to bring back the Fair & Flexible idea people here suggested, but for data instead of for voice. I believe I came up with a way to do that, but while not completely getting rid of overages, unlike the original Fair & Flexible, I want to make them reasonable, and only after a whole bunch of data has been used, which I imagine will rarely happen. Also, I'm thinking that if people are going to be heavy data users and pay a higher fee, there ought to be a point where that rate lessens, ending the trail of the Fair & Flexible portion of the rates designed for lighter to moderate unlimited data users.

 

So, here we go. On the sliding scale upwards of Arysyn's Fair & Flexible, or some may so, Fiscally Foolish, but oh well, I'd love for this to work somehow :

 

This plan is a single-line plan, not a family plan, though by all means, make suggestions!

 

When a data allotment has been reached within a given month, users have a choice of paying $5 per gb overage if they expect only to use a few extra gbs within that month, or they can choose to slide between rates, but might end up paying more than overage, if they don't use much of the extra data offered, but will pay less than overage, if they do use most of the extra data offered. Here is the sliding scale rates, Fair & Flexible style...

 

$35 Monthly for up to 15gb, $55 Monthly for up to 25gb, $75 Monthly for up to 35gb, $95 Monthly for up to 45gb,

$115 Monthly for up to 55gb, $135 Monthly for up to 65gb, $155 Monthly for up to 75gb, $175 Monthly for up to 85gb,

and the last bit being $195 Monthly for up to 95gb.

 

The reason it stops there, is that the plan covers what is the range I'm familiar with hearing about from unlimited data users, with the over 100gb usage being less. I figure for those using more than that don't really need a sliding scale rate system, and let the overage rate go to where higher usage isn't punished, simply because the rate already is fairly expensive to be paying for wireless service, outside of the comparison to what is included, just looking at $195 Monthly is a lot in itself. My suggestion for the rate at this point, to be priced at $1 per 1gb of data overage. Some people might want that rate higher, as it represents to them abuse of the network, regardless of what they are paying.

[Flompholph]

So it's like google fi ~$18 base then $2 per GB? Seems too cheap to be possible. If they would be able to get it below $5 per GB that would be amazing.

[avb]

Cricket also didn't let you tether (legally at least) with their rate plans.  The big 4 carriers allow you to tether and use your data allotment.  While your plan would be nice for consumers to have more data, I don't see in any way how it would reduce network congestion.  Give people much higher data limits like you're suggesting and people will definitely use more data than what they're currently using, especially if you can tether and use your phone as a hot spot.  Plus all the people that are paying extra for hot spot plans wouldn't need to with the extra data allowance you're plan will grant them.

 

Here's my personal anecdotal usage example - I have unlimited data with Sprint, and typically use 1.5-3gb/data month on Sprint's framily plan.  Yes you do have unlimited data users that use 20gb or more, but I think they are the exception and not the norm.  For $35 if I had 15gb, and I could use it however I want (i.e - hotspot) - I'd definitely use more data than what I'm currently using with my unlimited plan.  I think this would be the case for most people and thus cripple the network, not help it.

[dedub]

All this effort and discussion about what if's and how to's is academic, none of us here are in control of any mobile phone company and have no sway or say in what plans will or won't be available now or any time in the foreseeable future.

 

Sprint (and most likely tmo) unlimited is not going away any time in the immediate or near term, and if/when it goes away in the far future, any plans or discussion made now will be irrelevant by being based on the conditions of today instead of the unknown and uncertain future.

[Arysyn]

My idea isn't for right now, it is a futuristic plan meant to happen after the networks get all of their lte advanced network upgrades done and are at the point where 4g networks are pretty much completely stable enough to handle unlimited data usage, which because I think people will use more data under those conditions, those who have unlimited, that is, I'm thinking of a good replacement for unlimited should the companies at that time decide to get rid of it, though I'm hoping they do not.

 

I forgot to mention my idea does include tethering.

[Arysyn]

Cricket also didn't let you tether (legally at least) with their rate plans.  The big 4 carriers allow you to tether and use your data allotment.  While your plan would be nice for consumers to have more data, I don't see in any way how it would reduce network congestion.  Give people much higher data limits like you're suggesting and people will definitely use more data than what they're currently using, especially if you can tether and use your phone as a hot spot.  Plus all the people that are paying extra for hot spot plans wouldn't need to with the extra data allowance you're plan will grant them.

 

Here's my personal anecdotal usage example - I have unlimited data with Sprint, and typically use 1.5-3gb/data month on Sprint's framily plan.  Yes you do have unlimited data users that use 20gb or more, but I think they are the exception and not the norm.  For $35 if I had 15gb, and I could use it however I want (i.e - hotspot) - I'd definitely use more data than what I'm currently using with my unlimited plan.  I think this would be the case for most people and thus cripple the network, not help it.

 

I forgot to check this thread for a few days and to make a response to this.

 

I realize by giving people higher data limits, they likely will use more, though only within the limits of the price they are willing to pay for it. However, I'm not addressing the issue of data usage itself regarding congestion, as I backed away from that issue a bit with this, as it seems there needs to be more technical solutions to resolve that problem, rather than by rate plans, as I had tried to do, but was convinced against it. Nor do I have any particular problem with people using a lot of data with unlimited. My thinking is that the unlimited data plans are likely to go away eventually, and are going to be replaced by per gb data plans, even though as I've said here many times, I like unlimited plans and don't want them to go away, though I think that they will.

 

Unlimited plans could be replaced by the currently expensive per gb data rates which most people on unlimited will be very upset by having their data limited, or else pay a lot more money for it. The other option being a more rate accessible per gb data plan. I doubt people currently on unlimited who currently use 15gb or more monthly would suddenly use more data. My plan for over 15gb up to 25gb monthly, is only 5gb more data than what Cricket offered on their Advanced Plan with autopay, though my plan offers tethering included. Up to 35gb is $75 monthly, which is between what Sprint and T-Mobile charge monthly for unlimited. Up to 45gb is $95 monthly, which is more than what Verizon use to charge for their unlimited plans.

 

So, I don't see how there will be much more data usage at these prices, though they are designed to accommodate people with moderate data usage under current unlimited plans. I consider moderate to be between 15 gb and 45gb per month. Anything up to $100 per month is a reasonable price for these moderate users of unlimited data plans to pay for.

 

I have an idea that would work as an alternative to current unlimited plans while still being unlimited. This idea I thought of could be something carriers might implement for a while as a way of making it work better for them financially, before deciding to get rid of those plans. I post it here soon...

[Arysyn]

As I'm trying to keep my messages a bit shorter, I'm going to try very much to limit them to 3 6-line paragraphs or at most no more than 22 lines.

 

I neglected mentioning one issue in the post I just made here, which normally I'll try waiting to post again later, but this brief mention I didn't want to wait on.

 

Recently, I did some calculations on what the per gb data rate is on Verizon's current promotional plans, with one Edge Line included in my calculations. The 10gb plan costs nearly $10 for every 1gb, while the 15gb plan costs around $7.50 for every 1gb.

 

While I was on MetroPCS, I downloaded an hd movie from Xfinity To Go, which was around 3gb. If I did that on Verizon, that one movie download would have cost anywhere from around $22.50 to $30. The rate on my plan would be around $6 for that, which is the highest price something like this ought to cost for a wireless download.

[Arysyn]

Alright, I'll post my idea here, before I go to sleep...

 

I've revised my specific rate plan from before, to now being a bit more simple, and shorter too :

15gb for $35 Monthly, 25gb for $55 Monthly, 35gb for $75 Monthly, and then 45gb for $95 Monthly, with Additional Data after 95gb being $1 for every 1gb. Overage rates within the sliding scale, if chosen not to automatically adjust to the next rate level, remains at $5 for every 1 gb.

 

Now for the unlimited data idea I mentioned, $90 Monthly with complete tethering included, then data stash/rollover options at :

$75 for 15gb, $60 for 10gb, and $45 for 5gb, with the starter data being three times that of the monthly data rate plan chosen (45gb/$75, 30gb/$60, 15gb/$45)

[travismheim]

Alright, I'll post my idea here, before I go to sleep...

 

I've revised my specific rate plan from before, to now being a bit more simple, and shorter too :

15gb for $35 Monthly, 25gb for $55 Monthly, 35gb for $75 Monthly, and then 45gb for $95 Monthly, with Additional Data after 95gb being $1 for every 1gb. Overage rates within the sliding scale, if chosen not to automatically adjust to the next rate level, remains at $5 for every 1 gb.

 

Now for the unlimited data idea I mentioned, $90 Monthly with complete tethering included, then data stash/rollover options at :

$75 for 15gb, $60 for 10gb, and $45 for 5gb, with the starter data being three times that of the monthly data rate plan chosen (45gb/$75, 30gb/$60, 15gb/$45)

I don't see those rates being viable. More than 95% of users would be on the cheapest plan with 15GB for only $35.

[BenChase7]

wishful thinking

[Arysyn]

I don't see those rates being viable. More than 95% of users would be on the cheapest plan with 15GB for only $35.

 

I think you are right about that.

 

I've thought it over since the poll I posted the other day. I knew there were more people using under 15gb than higher, but not as many as it turned out to be. Also, I've generally ignored Verizon's own claim that the majority of their users use around/less than 5gb, while attributing the expensive rates they charge their customers as a reason the majority on Verizon use those data amounts. However, in the case of the low rates for 15gb, it may be too much data for to little of price, but I definitely want to keep at least the 25gb/$55 plan and up, seeing as 25gb/$55 isn't much different than what Cricket was offering with their Advanced Plan.