This idea is far from new, but as far as the mobile carriers are concerned it's as mad as they come. Ever since the supposed research came out that 97% of all smartphone users never crack the 2GB monthly amount, 2GB per month has become the industry standard. You can get more, but it will cost you dearly. Tethering on Mobile Phones is just not allowed unless you pay (a lot).
The limitation of 2GB reminds me of an infamous quote (although likely not verbatim)
"You'll never need more than 640KB of RAM".Starting with unlimited and going backward is no way to entice customers. If so few people use more than 2GB then why bother implementing a cap? You know that most people will use 2GB so why worry?
But you might ask why, if the average customer never uses more than 2GB, would I care that a cap is implemented?
In my own trials through the recent unlimited plan available on T-mobile, I have tested my ability to exceed a 2GB cap. I now use about 6GB per month via mobile data. I use a total of about 20-30GB per month over WiFi + mobile. On any other plan this would incur a ridiculously high charge (Verizon: $120-$265, AT&T: $125-$330).
But I don't just have one device that I would like to use data on. I have a netbook and an Android tablet, that I would like to use mobile data on when not near WiFi. The two remaining major wireless providers, T-mobile and Sprint will allow tethering for a hefty fee. And in these cases they're not much different than AT&T or Verizon. Data has become the selling and charging point in mobile data.
The only alternative for truly unlimited data for a flat fee is Clearwire and even that might disappear now that Sprint (Softbank) owns it outright.
Since it would seem practical to offer a solution to a problem, here's mine. Offer tethering on Unlimited plans with MAC address limitations OR raise the softcap to 10GB per month, and then sell in increments.
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