Sprint Wireless Plans - Mobile Broadband
For the most recent info, check out the 2010 Sprint Plans | Mobile Broadband Review
The Simply Everything Plan + Mobile Broadband saves you about $10 off the regular price of the separate plans.
However, if you're already with Sprint on an older unlimited plan, switching to this will cap your usage at 5 Gigabytes.The Facts
In the past, there were two Sprint Wireless plans. A 40 Megabyte plan and an unlimited plan. Unfortunately, the carnival left town and we're back to playing price wars with the competition. Like everyone else, Sprint sort of has two mobile broadband connection plans:
1. 5 Gigabytes (GB) for $59.99
2. Unlimited Talk, Text & Email (for your phone) + 5 GB (for your laptop) for $149.99
For those who are familiar with Sprint's Simply Everything plan, they've now added a $10 discount if you add their mobile broadband plan to it.
To be honest, I got a bit excited at the thought of technically paying $49.99 instead of $59.99 but then I noticed a couple things that you should too.
The 1st is that you're still limited to only 5 GB with your broadband card. While I cover exactly how much 5 GB is and how it's actually enough for most people in Mobile Broadband Buyer's Guide, I personally use about 50 - 60 Gigabytes each month.
Also, if you're already a Sprint customer, switching to this Sprint wireless plan will create new contract. For a few unlucky people, this may mean losing their old favored unlimited mobile broadband plan to move to a 5 GB capped one.
That's hardly worth it.
I'm sure you and I would gladly pay an extra $10 for all the internet we can eat up in one month (especially if you're an internet power user and your broadband card is your sole connection).
While Sprint advertises 5 GB of use, if you live in a remote area or do alot of travelling you'll want to watch your usage. That's because you only get about 300 Megabytes/month of off-network roaming. In addition to that, if you go over your monthly limit, you get billed at 5 cents/MB (or $51.20/GB).
At 5cents/MB (or $51.20/GB) for exceeding the 5 Gigabyte limit, overage charges can really add up.
In one extreme case, a person got a bill for $27,888.93 on a cruise. Save yourself the hassle, sign up for Mobile Broadband Buyer's Guide and learn how to avoid that.
How much could you really rack your bill up to? Picture this. I use about 50 GB some months. That's about 45 GB in 'overage'. 45 GB at $51.20/GB equals $2304. If I were subject to that kind of overage charge, my bill could easily be a mortgage on a house.
To be fair, Sprint does state that it 'reserves the right to limit throughput speeds or the amount of data transferred'. All that means is that they'll severely reduce the speed (to about dialup) of your mobile broadband connection.
On the flip side of the equation there have been cases where customers get charged ridiculous sums of money for mobile broadband plans. One kid's parents got a bill for $19,370 when he unsuspectingly used his AirCard in Canada. Another family got a bill $4,800 when they took their iPhones on a cruise. To top it off, in another cruise related incident, a man got charged $27,788.93 for watching a Chicago Bears Game on his laptop via mobile broadband.
Again, to be fair, these stories are all coming out of the AT&T camp. While there hasn't been any Sprint stories, it's best to watch your usage to avoid becoming the first one.
The Fine Print
Deep within the Terms and Conditions, you'll find what you can and can't do with your Sprint wireless plan:
"you can't use our data Services: (1) with server devices or host computer applications, or other systems that drive continuous heavy traffic or data sessions; and (2) as a substitute or backup for private lines or frame relay connections. We reserve the right to limit, suspend or constrain any heavy, continuous data usage that adversely impacts our network performance or hinders access to our network".
- Sprint Wireless Plans - Terms and Conditions
That pretty much boils down to anything that uses the heavily uses the internet connection all the time. It's purposefully vague to provide legal wiggle room for things you might do that they don't like.
Another useful thing to know from the dungeoun chamber of Sprint Wireless Plans - Terms and Conditions is this:
You've got 30 days from the day you activate your Sprint broadband card/mobile broadband plan to decide if its for you. Within that time, you can test out the speed, coverage and the like and not worry about paying an Early Termination Fee of $200 if you return it. That kicks in after that first month.
In one final tidbit, f you look deeply enough, you'll find some words from Sprint on taxes you can expect. Thankfully, mobile broadband taxes aren't as ridiculous as cell phone taxes. My own bill has never exceeded $2 in taxes.
Beyond the overage charges, fine print and other doom and gloom, mobile broadband can be a pretty sweet solution for someone on the go or living in a rural area. With DSL-like speeds across the nation, Sprint has one of the most robust and fastest 3G networks.
