Mobile Broadbroad Reviews

It's been 2 long years since I updated this blog and here's why. I've completely built out everything you need to know before, during and after mobile broadband at the relaunched Mobile Broadband Reviews.

From the MBR Buyer's Guide to reviews on every postpaid, prepaid and mobile broadband rental provider out there, the whole she-bang is there. Be sure to subscribe over there so you don't miss a thing.

To Your Success,
Marc
Uncomplicating Mobile Internet
www.mobile-broadband-reviews.com

Sprint Offers New Sierra Wireless 598U USB Broadband Card

Sprint & Sierra Wireless throws us another broadband card to play with. Here's the essential info:

EVDO Rev. A (Up to 3.1 Mbps)
USB format with an interesting clip for keeping it out of harm's way (looks a bit cumbersome though)
Smallest broadband card available today
microSD card (up to 32 GB expansion)
Built-in GPS
Supports laptops going into sleep and hibernation (i.e. it'll connect after being woken up)

Unless you've already had a broadband card, the last feature may not matter that much. When your only way of getting online is a broadband card like myself, that becomes really important. It's a nice feature that I hope to see become standard.

via EVDOinfo

Reach Sprint's Retention Department

via Consumerist

Get $90 or $35 from Sprint ETF Settlement

A proposed settlement has been reached in the class action lawsuit against Sprint over early termination fees (ETF). It seems to basically apply to anyone who has had a time-based contact with Sprint that had an etf clause it i.e. most Sprint wireless customers. You get $90 if you were charged an ETF and can provide proof, and $35 if you didn't cancel a contract for fear of getting charged an ETF.

via Consumerist

WiMAX to launch officially in Portland, Oregon

Clearwire, the wireless broadband company that has merged with Sprint's Xohm to provide WiMAX, is set to launch its first city under the Clear brand today (Jan.6.08).

Here's a breakdown of the regular featured mobile plans according to Clear's site.

$10/day - 24 hour pass
$30/month - Occasional (200 MB/month)
$40/month - Frequent (2 GB/month)
$50/month - Unlimited monthly usage

Home plans look like this:

$20/month - Basic plan (768 Kbps downloading)
$30/month - Fast plan (3 Mbps downloading)
$40/month - Faster plan (6 Mbps downloading)

(oh, they've got cool business plans too)

Sign me up for unlimited mobile please. Did I mention that there's no contract? (you can sign up for one for a discount though). At $10 cheaper than 3G service, plus 4 Mbps download speeds? I'm game. Only downside is that upload speed is 384 Kbps. I think they could do better.

It is interesting to note that the difference between the home plans and mobile plans (besides price) is speed versus capacity. They cap the speed of the home plans but choose to cap the amount of data one can download on the mobile plans. It seems as though they are modeling them not based on their network capacity but in a way that consumers can compare them to what they already have.

Translation: Mobile plans are targeted to existing (and new) mobile broadband/WiFi customers while home plans are targeted to DSL/Cable subscribers. Expect some form of mobile/home bundle for sure (just as AT&T does with its services).

Somehow $20 seems very attractive compared to the $30 or $40 DSL carriers like to charge. Let's see how this all pans out...now if they can just get this stuff nationwide.

via PCWorld

The Psychology of Mobile Broadband Businesses

As per my usual routine, I found my self thumbing through Google Reader (my digital NYTimes) checking out what's buzzing in the world of mobile broadband and technology.

63 unread items later, I find a well written analysis article: What's Lighting The Fire Under Mobile Broadband?



It takes a look at the driving factors behind mobile broadband in Eastern Europe, Western Europe, The United States and Canada. Besides the regular stuff that we're very aware of (iPhone and G1 leading to more media consumption on advanced apps like video/music), it touches on the Psychology of Mobile Broadband Businesses.

As a result of carrier pricing strategies, roughly four out of five mobile broadband users access services via a mobile or a smartphone. The rest use a PC air card or a USB modem.

PC users tend to consume more traffic and subscribe to higher service tiers. They generate on average over a gigabyte of traffic per month, whereas phone users generate less than 500 megabytes. Carriers like higher-tier subscribers. They pay higher rates but for the most part do not consume enough data yet to overwhelm the network.

In other words, while you sleep at night they're hoping users avoid bandwidth sucking activities like P2P clients (Bittorrent, Limewire, etc), streaming HD video on YouTube or Vimeo, and streaming music all day via Pandora. You'd better believe the network would crash if everyone wanted to download the Dark Knight in High Definition.

There's a particular fallacy in this line of thinking. It lacks foresight. The marketplace is rapidly evolving into a culture that not just wants but expects to access the aforementioned services. "Build it and they will come" if you may. The quality of content and convenience that streamed HD video and 128 Kbps streamed music provides is quickly becoming the norm. Mobile broadband providers will seriously be up the creek if they don't think about their normal customer's ever increasing rate of consumption.

They'll eventually have to pump the brakes on the 5 Gigabyte cap model that's become a wee bit too popular in the United States. Either it'll have to change or they'll have to do away with broadband cards. 

You can't give someone a Ferrari and only half a football field to drive it on.

You hit the limit too quickly. That's what we're approaching in the world of broadband cards and mobile broadband. In a world going for Long Term Evolution (i.e. 16-25 Mbps on average) as its 4G technology of choice, there's simply no other way. But of course, just like the music industry trying to work the outdated business model of CD and albums, mobile broadband companies will milk this cow dry.

Here's another fresh insight:

Sprint's (NYSE: S) Xohm mobile WiMax solution and T-Mobile's 3G initiatives may alter the market dynamics in the next three to five years. If successful, Sprint's solution will steer consumers toward heavier, PC-based use and condition them to expect higher speeds, which will push incumbent carriers to offer the same.

Meanwhile, as a market latecomer, T-Mobile is likely to offer lower-priced data plans to grab market share from incumbent players. If either of these carriers is successful, their offerings will condition consumers to demand faster, more reliable service at a lower price.

It is likely, however, that both carriers will stop short of encouraging consumer uses aimed at replacing fixed for mobile broadband. For Sprint, replacement would jeopardize its relationship with its cable partners offering fixed-line broadband. For T-Mobile, a replacement strategy for mobile broadband will overwhelm its networks.

He hit the nail on the head with this one. While one would think 100% market penetration (aka monopoly) is what every business aims for, it would lead to the demise of most. Competition and variety is just about a requirement for not just survival in business, its needed for the survival of humans. It's how we test ourselves and become better.

For the full details check out What's Lighting The Fire Under Mobile Broadband?.

If you enjoyed this post, you'll probably enjoy my free E-Course "Wireless Broadband Exposed". It's like your mobile broadband pre-marital counselor and prenuptial agreement all in one. It'll save you from any future heartache and checkbook punches that might come your way.

Unlimited Internet for Businesses, $75 via WiMAX [Xohm]

Xohm aka WiMAX aka Clearwire & Sprint's 4G service is gonna offer businesses unlimited use with download speeds of 6 Mbps and uploads of 1 Mbps for $75.

I'd pay it.

via MuniWireless

Cancel Sprint without $200 fee [ETF]

BGR put an alert out:

"Subscribers are free to exit based on Sprint’s decision to raise their non-government mandated administrative fee from $.50-.$75."

It comes into effect January 1st 2009. In other words, you've got 2 days. If you're not sure how to go about it, you need to sign up today for the free E-Course "Wireless Broadband Exposed". The 2nd lesson covers how to get out of contracts.

Because it's a lesson a day, you'd get lesson 1 today and lesson 2 tomorrow. Who wants to pay $200 to cut ties with a carrier anyway? Hop to it my friend.

Happy New Year!

The Definitive Coast-To-Coast 3G Data Test

So the guys over at Gizmodo has what they're calling the Definitive Coast-To-Coast 3G Data Test. They compared the networks of Sprint, Verizon and AT&T (T-Mobile's 3G network is too tiny and Alltel got bought out by Verizon).

"The USB dongles we used for testing were typical 3G cards from the carriers: AT&T's Sierra USBConnect 881, Sprint's Sierra Wireless Compass 597 and Verizon Wireless's Novatel USB727

A quick sum-up of the results shows Sprint being the fastest for downloading while AT&T being the fastest for uploading. Guess they'll have to scrap the part of their commercials that keep toting "the fastest 3G network"...coming to think of it, Verizon was kinda doing the same thing too...

Pretty cool to know that they more or less re-confirmed the rankings of the 2008 Wireless Broadband Service Comparison. One time for Sprint doing something right. Despite all the bad press they get, I've got a grandfathered unlimited 3G plan with them that gets excellent speeds.

It's been my primary connection for months and it's going great.

Hope it stays that way.

Alltel Upgrading 3G Network to EVDO Rev. A

Falling right on the heels of an announced Verizon-Alltel merger, the 5th largest nationwide carrier has announced that it is upgrading its 3G network from EVDO Revision 0 to EVDO Revision A. Of course that only makes sense to do if they're really talking about merging the networks. To see how that puts them on par with Sprint and Verizon, compare the mobile broadband carriers.


Just what will become of Sprint who currently has a 10 year roaming contract with Alltel? Stay tuned...

details via informationweek