unlimited

More than a year after the unlimited data plans were eliminated from AT&T and Verizon, subscribers are still grumbling, especially as these carriers further tweak their policies for those grandfathered into the plans. Is it time for the FCC to step in and investigate?

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I explain why I think it's unlikely the FCC will fight to force carriers to revive the unlimited data plan. And I explain why I think frustrated wireless subscribers may have a good argument for getting reduced service fees when they bring their own device to a … Read more

With AT&T officially announcing its "Mobile Share" plans and joining Verizon Wireless, there will soon be two options for customers who want to get into a family plan for data services.

While these plans aren't the best deals for individuals, large families or even groups of really, really close friends may want to consider them. That's because the more people who sign on, the lower the price per gigabyte and user. Of course, if someone is a heavy data user, that person may want to stick with an individual plan, or risk hogging up … Read more

AT&T launched its own "Mobile Share" plans today, matching Verizon Wireless' push to get more people to share their data plans with family members.

Mobile Share, like Verizon's Share Everything, provides a bucket of data that can be shared between as many as 10 devices. One of the devices has to be a smartphone, but other basic phones, tablets, and laptops can be added on top of that for an additional fee. The plans get unlimited voice and text messages.

Shared data plans, which act like a family plan of minutes and text messages to … Read more

BlackBerry Curve 9310 owners will soon be able to IM as much as they want through a new plan offered by Boost Mobile.

Slated to kick off July 10, Boost Mobile's BBM Unlimited plan will provide worldwide and unlimited access to RIM's BlackBerry Messenger service. Unfortunately, most BlackBerry users will be out of luck as the offer is designed exclusively for the BlackBerry Curve 9310, RIM's new $99 smartphone set to debut the same day.

The BBM Unlimited plan throws in unlimited nationwide talking and texting for $45 a month. But customers who make their payments on … Read more

Prepaid may be the way to go for savvy smartphone consumers, as more and more wireless operators are offering cool devices with their cheap prepaid plans.

It used to be that prepaid cell phone users had to sacrifice the ability to get cool devices for cheap service. But that's not true anymore as carriers like Virgin Mobile get top of the line Google Android handsets and even offer the popular Apple iPhone. Consumers can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on prepaid services compared to so-called post-paid services, which require a contract. In this edition of Ask Maggie, … Read more

Verizon Wireless' newly unveiled "Share Everything" plan may be a revolution in the industry, but it's going to leave a lot of individual customers unhappy with the change.

"Share Everything" allows customers for the first time to share a common bucket of data, similar to what they do with voice minutes and text messages under a family plan. The benefit comes when large families sign up for a single plan, yielding some savings.

I would be fine with the changes if "Share Everything" was just one of many options, but it's not. … Read more

Verizon Wireless is closing the door on its unlimited plans later this month, but fortunately, some loopholes remain.

Unfortunately, the options aren't that attractive.

Verizon will officially kill off the unlimited plan for many people looking for a new phone after June 28, when the carrier makes its shared data plans available.

The carrier already stopped offering unlimited data as an option last summer, when it switched to tiered pricing. The equivalent $30 of unlimited data all of a sudden got only 2 gigabytes of data, although Verizon has held the occasional promotion for 3GB of data to spur … Read more

Verizon Wireless finally unveiled its "Share Everything" family plan for data, phone calls, and text messages, potentially shaking up how consumers pay for wireless services.

The plans allow for unlimited phone calls and text messages, and a bucket of data that can be shared by as many as 10 Verizon Wireless devices. The plans, which launch June 28, range between $50 and $100, in addition to separate monthly access charges for each device. Individuals or groups of people can sign up for these plans.

Separately, June 28 also marks the end of unlimited data for many Verizon customers … Read more

Wouldn't it be great if you could get a data-only service for your smartphone?

Wireless operators are pushing their new data services in a big way. They want everyone and their brother to upgrade to smartphones. And the reason is simple. Carriers can make more money if customers add more services to bills. But what if you just want data service?

In this edition of Ask Maggie I explain the best and cheapest options for using data only on a smartphone. I also answer some more questions about Verizon Wireless' plan to get rid of its unlimited data service … Read more