More modern look coming this fall.
Sprint Throttles Top 1% of Data Users, No "Truly Unlimited" Data For US iPhone Users [Updated x2]
Though Sprint, the United States' newest iPhone carrier, has been running advertisements touting its "truly unlimited" network, the carrier is throttling smartphone customers who use "excessive" amounts of data, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
For those that want to abuse it, we can knock them off," [Sprint CEO Dan] Hesse said at an investor conference Thursday. He said Sprint pares back data use for about 1% of users, a practice known as throttling.
[...]
"You'd be shocked how much data you use in a month," Sprint asks in a recent television advertisement. "What happens if you go over? With Sprint, you don't have to worry; only Sprint offers truly unlimited data."
Hesse did say there were no plans for Sprint to move to tiered data plans like Verizon and AT&T have switched to in recent years, however it appears that there is no longer any US carrier that offers "truly unlimited" data plans for the iPhone.
Update: As pointed out by TechCrunch, Dow Jones seems to have misinterpreted Hesse. The throttling only applies to customers who use excessive data while roaming on partnered networks -- "a guy in his house in rural Montana" for example. Sprint's fine print notes the carrier will begin throttling after 300 MB of "off-network" data usage.
Update 2: Sprint has now clarified the situation with a blog post indicating the carrier does not throttle any customer's data usage, even for those with excessive roaming usage. The carrier does, however, have terms in place that permit it to terminate the contracts of users with heavy roaming usage, and it attempts to reach out to those customers and work with them before terminating their contracts.
[ 302 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
34 months ago
"For those that want to abuse it, we can knock them off"
Correct, using as much data as you want on an unlimited plan is definitely abuse.
Why do all the carriers in the US suck?
Correct, using as much data as you want on an unlimited plan is definitely abuse.
Why do all the carriers in the US suck?
34 months ago
Wait wait wait, hold up.
If they allow you to use as much data as you want a month regardless if its throttled or not, its still technically unlimited right?
Should read there is no truly Un-throttled data plans for iPhone users in the U.S.
If they allow you to use as much data as you want a month regardless if its throttled or not, its still technically unlimited right?
Should read there is no truly Un-throttled data plans for iPhone users in the U.S.
34 months ago
I use my iPhone quite a lot and I reset it over a month ago. Since then it's reporting it has downloaded 154MB of data.
Can someone explain what these excessive users actually find to download on their phones that puts them in the top 1%?
Someone on MR posted that they purposely ran Pandora all night long on mute...those are the kind of people that made this happen
34 months ago
Will "unlimited internet" ever truly exist on a mobile network without some sort of small print limit/throttling for excessive use?
34 months ago
OMG SPRINT IS SO EVIL!! OUTRAGE!!!
This seems like a sane and logical move for any company. That 1% is probably consuming as much data as the rest combined, and costing Sprint just as much. There's nothing wrong for setting limits based for extreme usage and extreme outliers. You'd be naive so pretend that things can truly be unlimited, especially when increased usage costs the company money. There's absolutely nothing wrong with throttling the 1% who is doing God knows what with their devices (probably tethering and torrenting all day), so the rest can continue to enjoy near-unlimited data use. You people sound like whiny, entitled 8 year olds who have no idea of how things work. I don't even live in the US and don't give a **** about Sprint, but there's something called common sense.
This seems like a sane and logical move for any company. That 1% is probably consuming as much data as the rest combined, and costing Sprint just as much. There's nothing wrong for setting limits based for extreme usage and extreme outliers. You'd be naive so pretend that things can truly be unlimited, especially when increased usage costs the company money. There's absolutely nothing wrong with throttling the 1% who is doing God knows what with their devices (probably tethering and torrenting all day), so the rest can continue to enjoy near-unlimited data use. You people sound like whiny, entitled 8 year olds who have no idea of how things work. I don't even live in the US and don't give a **** about Sprint, but there's something called common sense.
34 months ago
Truly unlimited (http://youtu.be/TW9NnaB0Rfs)
Someone needs to teach them the definitions of "truly" and "unlimited".
I was contemplating switching over, but not any more.
Someone needs to teach them the definitions of "truly" and "unlimited".
I was contemplating switching over, but not any more.
34 months ago
Guys, what are you doing on your phones that needs this much data? I run my phone on Wi-fi only. I will admit I am an excessively frugal person but I talk to friends on some of those crazy +$100 plans with everything just to figure out how they can justify THAT much data usage. I have not gotten an answer yet...
If you stream video content then even a 30 minute show could use 600MB+.
If you add in Apps, Web Browsing, Streaming Audio etc. or tethering with a computer then you've got a lot of usage.
34 months ago
Its one thing to say you don't throttle when you do, but its another to completely make it the foundation of your entire 'Come to Sprint' iPhone campaign...
What a joke...false advertising.
What a joke...false advertising.
[ Read All Comments ]
Apple Retail Stores will soon allow customers to purchase an iPhone through U.S. carrier early upgrade programs including AT&T Next, Verizon Edge, and T-Mobile Jump, reports 9to5Mac. Apple is...
Apple is planning to make a number of changes at its retail stores ahead of the upcoming holiday season, which include adjustments to Genius Bar appointments and training for its employees on a new...
This week's Buyer's Guide includes deals on the MacBook Air, the Retina MacBook Pro, and AppleCare, as well as an array of Apple-related accessories that are currently on sale.
MacBook...
Following a report by Droid Life yesterday, Verizon has now confirmed to Gigaom that starting October 1 the carrier will begin spot throttling of certain high-usage customers connecting to...
Hello Inc's new Kickstarter project Sense is an iOS-compatible sleep tracking system that allows users to monitor their sleep patterns and bedroom environments without the need for intrusive...
Google today updated its Gmail for iOS app to version 3.14159, adding improved integration with its Google Drive storage solution.
It's now possible to save email attachments directly to...
Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel covered Apple's upcoming smart watch on last night's show, airing a humorous segment that featured the team showing pedestrians on Hollywood Boulevard a...
While several high-profile smart deadbolt systems such as Lockitron and August have experienced significant delays, Kwikset has been shipping its Kevo Bluetooth deadbolt for some time now, and today...
