Sprint has been running a lot of TV commercials lately bragging about the fact that it offers a truly unlimited data plan for its smartphones. While that"s still true, Sprint customers who have a mobile broadband product and connect to Sprint"s 4G WiMax network will soon no longer have that kind of unlimited data plan. Those broadband data devices include products such as laptop cards and USB sticks, notebooks, netbooks and tablets. It also includes the mobile hotspot feature that are found on certain smartphones.
In a post on Sprint"s web site, the company announced that beginning in November, unlimited 4G WiMax broadband plans and mobile hotspot plans will be shut down. Instead, customers will get either 3 GB, 5 GB or 10 GB of data usage from both 3G and 4G connections, depending on their previous data plan. If customers go over their data limits they will be charged five cents per MB on their monthly bills. The worst part is that Sprint customers with a current contract will not have their unlimited data plans grandfathered in.
While Sprint may be ditching its unlimited plans for mobile broadband users, this kind of plan is in line with other wireless carriers. Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile all have established data limits for their mobile broadband customers. Again, this does not affect Sprint"s unlimited data plan for smartphones. Those plans, including for the new iPhone 4S customers, are staying the same.