T-Mobile USA has announced the availability of their webConnect Jet, a 3G-enabled USB mobile broadband modem for laptop users that includes a built-in microSDHC memory card slot.
The 3G webConnect Jet is available free from T-Mobile (with a two-year data plan). T-Mobile’s Unlimited HotSpot WiFi access is also included as part of the company’s data plan and does not count toward data usage.
PC Magazine says it comes with promotional plans, knocking the price for 5 Gbytes/month of data down to $49.99 if you buy through Jan. 13. A plan with 200 MB/month of data costs $29.99 through Jan. 13. Both plans include access to T-Mobile’s network of Wi-Fi hotspots. Those plans are $10/month cheaper than the other major carriers’ service plans, though they’re more expensive than the $40/month Cricket charges.
But there’s a catch. Glenn Fleishman says T-Mobile charges $200/GB for overages, which would make the cost of another 5 Gigs, $1,000. Can that be correct? Heavy users of the iPhone sometimes go over 5 Gigs a month. That would be a huge problem. T-Mobile’s Android phones, including the Motorola CLIQ, Samsung Behold, MyTouch and G-1 could get free WiFi access at bookstores like Borders and Barnes and Noble, while AT&T users can get Starbucks Wi-Fi for free — but still.
T-Mobile’s overage charges could be a deal breaker. Users of T-Mobile’s data plans might be in for a giant shock with hundreds of dollars in overage fees at the end of the month – especially if faster speeds encourage streaming video.
Like AT&T, T-Mobile is upgrading their AWS network to the HSPA 7.2 standard. T-Mobile says they will complete their 7.2 upgrade by the end of 2009. AT&T won’t finish their HSPA 7.2 upgrade until the end of next year.
T-Mobile uses AWS frequencies for their 3G service (at 1.7/2.1 Ghz), for which they paid more than $4 billion. Broadcasters have been slow moving out of the band. That has also caused a slowdown for Nextel’s 1.9GHz PCS move and for MSS satellite services.
Verizon Wireless says it expects to commercially launch its LTE 4G network in up to 30 markets in 2010, covering 100 million people with full nationwide coverage in 2013. Verizon’s LTE Seattle deployment will pit them against Clearwire’s mobile WiMax network, which is due to be launched there before the end of 2009.
Clear expects to offer 4G service in markets covering 30 million people at the end of 2009 and cover 120 million people across 80 U.S. markets by the end of 2010. Clear’s WiMax service starts at $20 per month for in-home wireless, with mobile broadband plans starting at $30 per month.
Earlier this week the GSMA said there are now 56 HSPA+ networks globally, with 28 commercially live. Furthermore, the GSMA claimed that 50 mobile operators worldwide have already committed to LTE plans, trials or deployments, with the first LTE networks expected to be rolled out next year by the likes of Verizon, Docomo, MetroPCS and TeliaSonera.
Vodafone – the world’s largest operator by revenue – could wait until 2012 to deploy LTE technology as it plans to evolve its HSPA networks to HSPA+ technology in an effort to support ever faster download speeds.
Unstrung cited Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao’s comments in the company’s half-year conference call yesterday. According to CEO Colao, the operator is not expected to be a frontrunner in the move to LTE. “It makes a lot of financial sense to continue to upgrade our network,” Unstrung quotes Colao as commenting. “I don’t see [LTE] as a huge revolution if you have a very good HSPA network… but not before back end of 2011, possibly 2012.”
“We’re moving our network from 3Mbit/s to 7Mbit/s, and from 7Mbit/s to 21Mbit/s, then eventually 56 Mbit/s before the need for LTE,” he said.
According to GSMA, mobile operators around the world are seeing a huge growth in the amount of mobile data traffic across their networks, with mobile devices predicted to send and receive more data in one month by 2014 than in all of 2008. Three quarters of this traffic will be attributed to Internet access, says ABI, while nearly all the remainder will be due to audio and video streaming.
Related Dailywireless articles include;
T-Mobile Upgrading HSPA Network, Verizon’s Prepaid Data for Laptops, T-Mobile’s New Plans, Verizon Raises Early Termination to $350, Smartphones To Outsell standard phones by 2012, Android Week for T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon, FCC Considers Auctioning Off TV Frequencies, Verizon Droid Phone: Nov 6th, $199, Cellcos: One Thing – Bandwidth, AT&T Upgrades HSPA, Verizon Calls on LTE
