AfterDawn: News

Sprint adds $10 premium charge to all smartphones, tablets

Citing the "explosion" in data usage by smartphones and tablets, U.S. carrier Sprint has added a $10 surcharge to the bills of all data-hungry devices, including non-4G phones.

The add-on charge will begin on January 30th.



Sprint says the "Premium Data" charge will help the company continue to offer their cheap unlimited plans.

Says the carrier (via PR):

Sprint wants its customers to experience the range of entertainment and productivity possibilities available with today’s wireless technology. While some of our competitors impose overage charges and complex plans, Sprint continues to provide a worry-free, unlimited data experience while on the Sprint network. This is responsible, sustainable and reflects our commitment to simplicity and value.

Sprint’s unlimited data plans, with or without the $10 charge, continue to beat the offerings of our top national competitors, who cap users’ data, charge data overages, and do not offer the unique functionality of Any Mobile, Anytime, which gives subscribers on the Sprint network unlimited calling to any other wireless user in America regardless of carrier.

Smartphone users, on average, use around 298 MB per month in data, but that number has been slowly increasing as more and more Android phones are put into the market.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Jan 2011 0:56

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• 17 comments

• hikaricor

  Luckily if they change the conditions of your contract before it is up you can simply drop them and have no further obligation to pay anything. Their retention line is going to be hella busy in the coming weeks.

  19.1.2011 01:39 #1

• KillerBug

  ...So even if you only use the average (~300MB), you still have to pay an additional fee because your device COULD use more?
  
  Quote:
  Sprint’s unlimited data plans, with or without the $10 charge, continue to beat the offerings of our top national competitors, who cap users’ data, charge data overages, and do not offer the unique functionality of Any Mobile, Anytime, which gives subscribers on the Sprint network unlimited calling to any other wireless user in America regardless of carrier LoL...all the calls you want...and you will need a lot of them; every call takes 10 attempts.
  

  19.1.2011 03:39 #2

• jam_k

  I don't know.... I've been paying their $10 "premium data" fee since June...
  
  After all taxes and fees and everything else they squeeze in the bill, mine comes out to just a few pennies over $88 a month.
  
  thats for my htc evo for unlimited calls/text/data
  
  I haven't shopped around since June, but back then that was a good deal...
  
  How's that stack up these days? anyone find a better priced unlimited plan? (or reasonable limited)....
  
  
  
  (edit/typos)

  19.1.2011 08:22 #3

• 1nsan3

  there really isnt any other Company that offers unlimited anymore. I am with Att. was with sprint but tried att and there coverage is 200% better no dropped calls, compared to sprint in the exact same areas, i had alot of dropped calls, calls that didnt go through the first or second time.. VERY bad reception. I have 4 phones on this contract, 1400 anytime,w/ rollerover,, never use them up. 3 phones have 200mb data line, neve ruse them lol.
  
  
  i will never go back to sprint.
  

  For Sale:
  
  Parachute, Used Once, never opened small stain.
  Best Offer!

  19.1.2011 19:37 #4

• Venom5880

  Costs me about $150/month for two phones on Verizon with unlimited minutes and messaging to any carrier along with unlimited data on one phone and the 150MB plan on the other. Needed unlimited on my phone since I've been averaging about 2GB a month.
  
  So no complaints here.
  
  It's disappointing that Sprint is willing to charge the same amount for 3G as 4G without any additional benefit.

  19.1.2011 22:59 #5

• Bozobub

  I've also been paying the $10 fee for a good while now, because anyone buying any of the newer 4G-capable phones already HAD to. But, honestly, this doesn't bother me. When I moved into the house I'm in now, I used my phone for 3 months as a tethered modem, and I downloaded somewhere around 400 GB over that time... Huzzah for true unlimited data!
  
  You simply cannot get actual unlimited data on any other carrier that I know of. Some will SAY "unlimited", but then you read the fine print, and it's "unlimited up to 5GB". Bleh. There's BitTorrent apps for Android itself, for heavens' sake! And that doesn't even touch all the background data usage most smartphones have.
  
  If you're having problems with cell reception, this is common for any cell carrier. If the problem is at home, why not buy a booster antenna OR a "microcell" if you have broadband)?
  
  I used to hate Sprint customer service (at one time, worse than COMCAST; ouch) but now, surprisingly, I get very, very good results. I'm quite shocked at how well Sprint has treated my wife and I.

  20.1.2011 00:41 #6

• Mr-Movies

  QUOTE:
  “Sprint’s unlimited data plans, with or without the $10 charge”
  
  I’m soooo sick of this marketing bullshit that started many years ago with dial-up service and has spread globally from there.
  
  ULIMITED means NO LIMITS so it you have unlimited service there should be NO RESTRICTIONS and NO SURCHARGES period!
  
  No matter what small print there is if you advertise Unlimited whatever it should be just that and the fact that they can get away with this deception and crookedness shows how bad our system has gotten.
  
  So Sprint is now getting to be like Comcast in the limiting and surcharges, not a good thing!
  
  
  

  21.1.2011 15:56 #7

• Bozobub

  Er, there is NO bandwidth cap on my Sprint data line; read my post just above yours. Considering they're just about the only cell provider left (not counting Virgin's MiFi - which uses the Sprint network - and such) that offers true unlimited data any more, especially to NEW customers, $10 isn't as bad as you think.

  21.1.2011 16:43 #8

• Mr-Movies

  No ER.... I din't say that Sprint has limited their service, Yet!. I'm comparing the direction they are going in to Comcast's in which they limit and charge extra or better yet ban you. I too have Sprint but could drop them for Clearwire depending on the deal and features Sprint will provide compared to Clearwire.
  
  

  21.1.2011 17:13 #9

• 0ldskool

  Originally posted by Bozobub: I've also been paying the $10 fee for a good while now, because anyone buying any of the newer 4G-capable phones already HAD to. But, honestly, this doesn't bother me. When I moved into the house I'm in now, I used my phone for 3 months as a tethered modem, and I downloaded somewhere around 400 GB over that time... Huzzah for true unlimited data!
  
  You simply cannot get actual unlimited data on any other carrier that I know of. Some will SAY "unlimited", but then you read the fine print, and it's "unlimited up to 5GB". Bleh. There's BitTorrent apps for Android itself, for heavens' sake! And that doesn't even touch all the background data usage most smartphones have.
  
  If you're having problems with cell reception, this is common for any cell carrier. If the problem is at home, why not buy a booster antenna OR a "microcell" if you have broadband)?
  
  I used to hate Sprint customer service (at one time, worse than COMCAST; ouch) but now, surprisingly, I get very, very good results. I'm quite shocked at how well Sprint has treated my wife and I. so its all your fault that sprint is adding charges >:(
  
  also i have a better plan. unlimited every for $40 a month
  -unlimited north america calling
  -unlimited global texting
  -unlimited data (normally start to throttle speeds at around 10GB)
  -caller id, voicemail, 3 way calling, ect....

  22.1.2011 14:02 #10

• Bozobub

  Better? Possibly, but my connection also simply doesn't throttle. It's actual unlimited data. I also have no roaming charges in N. America, no long-deistance charges, unlimited texts (no clue about global, but also no need), caller ID, and the rest.
  
  I don't personally agree your is better; I use FAR too much data to accept a 10 GB cap.

  23.1.2011 02:53 #11

• phobet

  I find it kinda funny how they have to charge you a premium in order to offer you cheap rates. Oxymoronic, actually. That's like saying they're raising your rates, without raising your rates.

  19.5.2011 05:43 #12

• Jeffrey_P

  Originally posted by jam_k: I don't know.... I've been paying their $10 "premium data" fee since June...
  
  After all taxes and fees and everything else they squeeze in the bill, mine comes out to just a few pennies over $88 a month.
  
  thats for my htc evo for unlimited calls/text/data
  
  I haven't shopped around since June, but back then that was a good deal...
  
  How's that stack up these days? anyone find a better priced unlimited plan? (or reasonable limited)....
  
  
  
  (edit/typos) Double amount I pay for a stupid cell phone.
  
  Of course I don't need all the bells and whistles some folks think they need.
  
  Nothing pisses me off more then having some idiot talking, texting while sitting down for a meal or watching a movie in the theater.
  
  Disconnected society.
  Jeff
  

  Cars, Guitars & Radiation.

  19.5.2011 08:12 #13

• hearme0

  I bought an HTC MyTouch 4G and snuck in on an offer T-Mobile had for FOUR (4) hours before retracting. 59.99 for UNLIMITED EVERYTHING. Granted, they say they "throttle back download speeds after 2Gb" but I have asked many many many people about their usage and super duper heavy users have shown me a MAX usage of 1.3Gb so not an issue.
  
  Those pushing over that amount really need to get a mate.

  19.5.2011 09:35 #14

• phobet

  Originally posted by hearme0: I bought an HTC MyTouch 4G and snuck in on an offer T-Mobile had for FOUR (4) hours before retracting. 59.99 for UNLIMITED EVERYTHING. Granted, they say they "throttle back download speeds after 2Gb" but I have asked many many many people about their usage and super duper heavy users have shown me a MAX usage of 1.3Gb so not an issue.
  
  Those pushing over that amount really need to get a mate. Either that, or they are already looking for a mate...in all the wrong places...

  19.5.2011 22:52 #15

• king2god (unverified)

  Originally posted by 1nsan3: there really isnt any other Company that offers unlimited anymore. I am with Att. was with sprint but tried att and there coverage is 200% better no dropped calls, compared to sprint in the exact same areas, i had alot of dropped calls, calls that didnt go through the first or second time.. VERY bad reception. I have 4 phones on this contract, 1400 anytime,w/ rollerover,, never use them up. 3 phones have 200mb data line, neve ruse them lol.
  
  
  i will never go back to sprint. I have to disagree with you!!! ATT was nothing but a headache!! i was with ATT since 2002! ATT is a scam, first off i wanted to sign a 1 year contract and the man at the ATT store tried to fool me into a 2 year contract but i asked when i signed my name *wheres does it say 1 year* the man acted as if he forgot i said 1 year... then when it came time to upgrade phones ATT was awful. They want you to add new stuff to you plan or buy a more expensive plan... ATT phones where so expensive, there data plans was over $45!! i hate ATT and will never go back to them!!! I love Sprint, yea i might get a droped call but ATT gets droped call too!!!! Being with sprint, i get service in places ATT dont get service being that sprint will roam to Verizon towers.. So if you 5 hours in the country, ATT will not get service but my sprint and my friends verizon does!! Thanks Sprint for hooking me up with a GOOD phone at a NICE PRICE!!!!!!!!

  24.8.2011 15:05 #16

• Bozobub

  I liked Cell-One better back before it was eaten by AT&T (VERY cheap) but I also didn't use much data at all back then. Now, I can download a movie to my phone that I found online, and take it home to watch on a big screen OR watch on the phone standing in line at the Post Office, perhaps. Schweet. Not bad for an idle moment on the can at work, browsing torrent sites - lol.

  24.8.2011 21:45 #17