Explain The Fee: "Premium Data"

[jonathanlc2005]

Simply put... the fee is for 4g, unlimited internet on both networks, and allow you to use the network however you like it. Your listed as a ultimate wireless user who does more then corporate customers who send thousands of emails. Best to say Ur the equivalent of the mobile user who creates servers on a broadband card and stream thousands of gigs then the normal 5 gigger. Don't you realize its a silent tiered data plan this entire time with 5gigs on broadband cards and not phones and this fee will break free of that and Sprint will keep working hard for making the network better just cause of a fee by giving us better data.Sprint doesn't care normally if u go 5 gigs on Ur card but since people attempt to abuse it they stopped it and just gave the unlimited to their employees. Phones are now evolving that pace and that's why ATT did what they did for iphones.... but I'm sure iPhone users wouldn't mind a 10 dollar fee with this new enema they got from ATT. If 10 dollars is too much... let me take u back 5 years ago...39.99 talk mins +5 dollar roaming fee + 15 dollar picture mail and internet (before the opera mini days)+10 dollar gps navigation + 10 dollar tv and radio all this before evdo was evolved this is all fees that tore up the 1x network.

Oh and don't forget the crazy 40 or 30 dollar blackberry fee just cause of the blackberry name when palm can do the same thing without it... and look. Blackberry survived. Back thenit tore up the network... this evo will too just like the iPhone did and as soon as 4g comes larger... I predict a plan restructure without a fee due to larger bandwidth handling. So Sprint is justified in this and either its tiered data or a fee because we all know blackberries pres and windows 6.1 phones can't do what an evo can without a hack involved and on top of that... flash is gonna kill the 3g network like a broadband card does so trust me... is rather pay a fee then end up on phonescoop about why there's a data outage on my iphone

 

[gksmithlcw]

Seems to me if people REALLY were opposed to the fee they wouldn't buy the phone. If the phone was a flop they wouldn't have the fee. But if you buy the phone you're well aware of what the fee is and what you're getting into.

I'm not complaining about the $10.00 / month fee so don't think I am but I /would/ like to point out that the sales rep who sold me my Evo mentioned absolutely NOTHING about it. The only reason I know about it is because I researched it beforehand...

 

[DisplacedMic]

Yeh - like all of you i accepted it. and i'll pay it for 2 years... but i definitely grumble about it. doesn't mean i dont love my phone.

i understand the political BS reasoning they've given but in the end I pay for an unlimited data plan. I also pay $10 for an unlimited data plan. that doesn't make sense. It's pretty ugly whatever way you look at it... not really an impressive foot forward on Sprint's part.

 

[IAmSoSmart_S_M_R_T]

Sprint 450 Minutes (unlimited m2m) - $79/mo
Unlimited Data - $0/mo (included)
Unlimited Text - $0/mo (included)

Total - $79/mo


AT&T 450 minutes (no unlimited m2m) - $39/mo
2Gb Data - $25/mo
Unlimited Text - $20/mo

Total - $84/mo

Yes, they're charging the $10 extra to EVO users because they can, it's called price discrimination. But it's still $5/mo LESS than AT&T's offering, without having to worry about going over your data for an extra $10/Gb.

 

[kamiller42]

Sprint 450 Minutes (unlimited m2m) - $79/mo
Unlimited Data - $0/mo (included)
Unlimited Text - $0/mo (included)

Total - $79/mo


AT&T 450 minutes (no unlimited m2m) - $39/mo
2Gb Data - $25/mo
Unlimited Text - $20/mo

Total - $84/mo

Yes, they're charging the $10 extra to EVO users because they can, it's called price discrimination. But it's still $5/mo LESS than AT&T's offering, without having to worry about going over your data for an extra $10/Gb.

Another point is AT&T is 2GB of 3G data. Time will tell what AT&T charges for LTE when it deploys.

 

[ap3604]

Sprint 450 Minutes (unlimited m2m) - $79/mo
Unlimited Data - $0/mo (included)
Unlimited Text - $0/mo (included)

Total - $79/mo


AT&T 450 minutes (no unlimited m2m) - $39/mo
2Gb Data - $25/mo
Unlimited Text - $20/mo

Total - $84/mo

No one with half a brain would pay $20/mo for text messaging on Att. Any iPhone or Android device will have an app that does it for free so don't include it.

Should be Sprints $80/mo vs Att's $65/mo.

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What you SHOULD be comparing is T-mobile's Even More Plus plan (contract free) compared to Sprints EVO 4g 2-year plan:

T-mobile:
- $29.99 for 500 minutes
- $20.00 for data
- $00.00 for text messaging through Google Voice app
__________________________________________
$49.99/mo

Sprint EVO plan:
- $39.99 for 500 minutes
- $30.00 for data
- $10.00 for "premium data"
__________________________________________
$79.99/mo

With T-mobile over a 2-yr period you save $720 over Sprint's plan as well as having the freedom to not be locked into a contract so that if another phone thats even better than an EVO comes out in 6 months you can easily sell your phone on eBay or Craigslist and get it without having to pay an ETF like you would with Sprint.

Dont get me wrong I think the EVO is a much better phone than say... A Nexus One. But the contract that Sprint requires kind of kills the enthusiasm I had for the phone currently. I'd rather just wait for a future EVO type phone on T-mobile...

 

[jonathanlc2005]

Ok seriously... its not that hard to understand... think of the evo as the blackberry 5 years ago. Blackberry had elite features at that moment... now evo does and has flash too. How fair is it that someone plays 10 min YouTube videos on a small blackberry then watch full length movies on the evo and use the difference of 1gb to 100gb of data. Now the tower fails and its not the blackberries fault... but 10 dollar fee would prevent that failure and prevent both blaCkberry and evo leaving due to short funding on income. It's not evil company as u may believe... its unlimited internet but not more then .5% of people hack blackberries teather do the same amount of data an evo will do for a normal user

 

[ap3604]

Ok seriously... its not that hard to understand... think of the evo as the blackberry 5 years ago. Blackberry had elite features at that moment... now evo does and has flash too. How fair is it that someone plays 10 min YouTube videos on a small blackberry then watch full length movies on the evo and use the difference of 1gb to 100gb of data. Now the tower fails and its not the blackberries fault... but 10 dollar fee would prevent that failure and prevent both blaCkberry and evo leaving due to short funding on income. It's not evil company as u may believe... its unlimited internet but not more then .5% of people hack blackberries teather do the same amount of data an evo will do for a normal user

I gotta disagree.

A phone that uses 4g causes LESS strain on the 3g network all the other customers are using since there two separate networks, so the 4g wont cause network failures.

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The whole reason they charge $10/mo extra is because the subsidy they have to pay htc is HUUUGE so Sprint decided to charge an extra $240 over a two year period (instead of up front) in order to make the EVO more affordable.

Think of the phone as really priced at $440 (199 upfront + 240 for $10/mo subsidy recouping) with a 2 yr contract at $70/mo or you can buy it without a contract at $690...

 

[Nick8539]

All I can say is poor rep. Make the guys job so much difficult when you know that you have to pay $10 extra to use the EVO. Not that difficult to understand, you don't like it, don't buy it.

 

[fr4nk1yn]

The news today should make it obvious. Were uncapped. Other data hogs may soon find they're bandwidth throttled.

 

[overclock]

I'm glad I found this thread before buying an EVO. I did find the following on wirefly's site:

Premium Data For 4G-capable Smartphones
This 4G-capable smartphone provides a rich data experience never previously available. The combination of enhanced features and services on this smartphone will provide a better data experience and lead to higher usage of these features. In 4G markets, you will have access to the first 4G network from a national carrier. Sprint Nextel’s 4G coverage is constantly expanding and will reach more than 100 million people this year!
Data usage is unlimited while on the 3G or 4G Sprint network. Off-network data roaming is limited to 300MB per month. New 2-year activation on Everything Data ($69.99 or higher) or Simply Everything is required.

So if you're on a 3G network you'll still have to pay the premium data plan fee of $10. It sure does cost to be on the cutting edge of technology. But if you want 4G then you're going with the EVO and Sprint.

 

[grizzlyaddams]

But if you want 4G then you're going with the EVO and Sprint.

Fine with me.

 

[Nageki]

I don't see the problem here. Sprint is still cheaper than AT&T or VZW even with the $10 and you actually get uncapped data. Not to mention 4G if it is available, AT&T nor VZW can offer 4G yet charge more for capped 3G. AT&T has already dropped the cap to 2GB and VZW says that they will have tiered data by years end probably for the same price. So to me I would rather eat $10 and keep my cheaper, unlimited, and 4G service.

Also addressing TMO. No contract 500 talk + text + web is $59.99 now and you have to pay full retail for the phone (usually around $450 for a smartphone). If you sign a contract and get the phone discounted ($199) then the same plan is $79.99, same as Sprint's EVO plan. Point being, you MIGHT pay a bit less depending how you work their plans but a huge factor is that their overall coverage is significantly smaller than Sprints.

 

[Brett636]

I don't see the problem here. Sprint is still cheaper than AT&T or VZW even with the $10 and you actually get uncapped data. Not to mention 4G if it is available, AT&T nor VZW can offer 4G yet charge more for capped 3G. AT&T has already dropped the cap to 2GB and VZW says that they will have tiered data by years end probably for the same price. So to me I would rather eat $10 and keep my cheaper, unlimited, and 4G service.

Also addressing TMO. No contract 500 talk + text + web is $59.99 now and you have to pay full retail for the phone (usually around $450 for a smartphone). If you sign a contract and get the phone discounted ($199) then the same plan is $79.99, same as Sprint's EVO plan. Point being, you MIGHT pay a bit less depending how you work their plans but a huge factor is that their overall coverage is significantly smaller than Sprints.

Maybe some of us have a problem with BS fees getting tacked onto our bills just for buying a phone with vague marketing lingo for justification. I want to know what my extra $10 gets me, and so far the "rich data experience" explanation tells me jack ****.

 

[MrLogan13]

I don't have any problem paying $10 more if they could clearly explain what the fee is for. But they haven't. All the "data rich" features they've mentioned are HARDWARE features that don't necessarily leverage the network.

I wanted the Evo and I'm paying the $10 fee, and I understand no one forced me to. I just want a better explanation.

 

[ap3604]

I don't have any problem paying $10 more if they could clearly explain what the fee is for. But they haven't. All the "data rich" features they've mentioned are HARDWARE features that don't necessarily leverage the network.

I wanted the Evo and I'm paying the $10 fee, and I understand no one forced me to. I just want a better explanation.

How about... "the phone really costs $440 with a two year contract but we know that customers have a max price point of $199 for a smartphone. So instead of losing customers by making it too expensive to purchase upfront for $440, we are giving you a break and only charging you $199 upfront (with the extra $240 coming to us by charging you $10/mo for the 2 years of the contract)"

 

[marioc]

I gotta disagree.

A phone that uses 4g causes LESS strain on the 3g network all the other customers are using since there two separate networks, so the 4g wont cause network failures.

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The whole reason they charge $10/mo extra is because the subsidy they have to pay htc is HUUUGE so Sprint decided to charge an extra $240 over a two year period (instead of up front) in order to make the EVO more affordable.

Think of the phone as really priced at $440 (199 upfront + 240 for $10/mo subsidy recouping) with a 2 yr contract at $70/mo or you can buy it without a contract at $690...

I think this is exactly what the fee is. I'm glad somebody finally made this point.

 

[drnez]

No one with half a brain would pay $20/mo for text messaging on Att. Any iPhone or Android device will have an app that does it for free so don't include it.

You have to jailbreak your iPhone for this to work, and have prowl if you want to get any kind of notifications. Its not ideal. And for many, its not an option.

Should be Sprints $80/mo vs Att's $65/mo.

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What you SHOULD be comparing is T-mobile's Even More Plus plan (contract free) compared to Sprints EVO 4g 2-year plan:

T-mobile:
- $29.99 for 500 minutes
- $20.00 for data
- $00.00 for text messaging through Google Voice app
__________________________________________
$49.99/mo

Sprint EVO plan:
- $39.99 for 500 minutes
- $30.00 for data
- $10.00 for "premium data"
__________________________________________
$79.99/mo

Again, You still get unlimited text, and unlimited mobile to mobile. I dont know about you, but 90% of my calls are to mobile phones. If I had a plan with 500 minutes that didn't include mobile to mobile, I would go over every month. The T-mobile plan for 500 minutes, plus text/web is $59.99. I think the extra $20/month is worth it for the unlimited mobile calling, which no other provider offers.

On top of that, if you go with the "no contract" pricing for t-mobile, you're going to pay MSRP for your phone, no discounts. Their top of the line phone, The HTC HD2, will run you about $450.

Sprint has the best package deals for everything (voice, data, text) hands down.

 

[deparson]

The ED plans have never been caped...totally unlimited 2G and 3G data.

Really? I always was told Sprint had their capped at 5GB. Oh well. I'm still using as much data as I can on my EVO. And if you don't like the fee, then don't get the phone, it's that simple. I mean lots of people have already accepted the fee.

 

[Gigity]

It's an idiotic decision. Especially when you consider they're gimping their 4G network speeds on purpose, and even more ludicrous when you consider the vast majority of Sprint customer dont yet have access to 4G. At a time when Sprint needs all the customers it can get, doing this is just moronic.