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Topic: Hardware

HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

Summary: One aspect of the HTC Droid Incredible that people seem to be quite interested in is the official Mobile Broadband Connect utility found on the device. You will need a cable to connect your HTC Incredible to your PC and now we see the available pricing options for this new Android device. The two options are $10 or $25 per month for 5GB of data and depend on the voice and email plan you have setup with your device.

Matthew Miller

By for Smartphones and Cell Phones |

One aspect of the HTC Droid Incredible that people seem to be quite interested in is the official Mobile Broadband Connect utility found on the device. You will need a cable to connect your HTC Incredible to your PC and now we see the available pricing options for this new Android device. As you can see there is a $5/month promotion going on between 15 April and 15 July. The two options are $10 or $25 per month for 5GB of data and depend on the voice and email plan you have setup with your device.

For business users I think the $25/month is right at the edge of the acceptable level for cost, but still personally think that is a bit too much. The Mobile Broadband WiFi Hotspot feature on my Palm Pre Plus was $40/month, but is now FREE. I think the service should be free for all devices and the carriers should let you access the 5GB limit you pay for in any way you want. If you are paying for monthly data up to 5GB why should it matter how you are using that data? I think $10 is the limit I would pay for this monthly data access and having it free on my Palm Pre Plus is a major reason I use this device on Verizon Wireless.

Thanks to Todd at Mobile Content Today for the heads-up on the Verizon plan page.

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Topics: Hardware, Collaboration, HTC, Mobility, Smartphones, Wi-Fi

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26 comments
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  • HTC Droid Tethering

    Upcharges on wireless tethering in the US make me MAD. It's been my pet peeve about US wireless carriers. Of course, since maximal ARPU is everything, "free is an unsustainable businrss model" and so the name of the game in this late. great, exeptionalist USofA is "profit at all costs".

    So I fixed that little problem. I dropped Verizon for a nice Socialist European company, T-Mobile. A ompany who, rightly and deservedly, pointed their finger and laughed in my face just this week when they dropped their datacard plan to $40 from the $60 Verizon charges me for the modem in my netbook.
    podstolom
    Reply Vote

  • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

    I just voted, and voted for the easy "free" choice. I realize that if you have tethering you would use the network more. But, in these economic times, I am sure that more phones would be sold, and more people would switch services to get this feature. I'm hoping to get the HTC EVO, if too much isn't charged per month for the service.
    Hameiri
    Reply Vote

  • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

    It seems very convenient and disingenuous to me when presumably knowledgeable IT people say, "why does it matter how I use my 5 GB." There is a difference between how a smart phone consumes bandwidth and how a computer consumes bandwidth. Smart phones by-an-large are optimized to do so in small chunks whereas PCs can do it in very large chunks (and I would argue are optimized for it.) When trying to develop a QOS strategy for a smart phone network the two needs are soon at odds. Does anyone know what the MFT is on a smart phone? I don't but I am willing to bet it is far smaller than the standard 1500 set on most PCs. Since smart phones demand smaller chunks of bandwidth at any given time far more of them can be juggled at the same time without affecting the user experience. There are delays but not to the point where user's are dissatisfied. How many times have you sat at a PC waiting for a download to finish on the limited bandwidth company network but since there are 3 other PCs doing the same thing it takes a very, very long time? While it is happening everyone's sessions suffer lag, not just the ones pulling downloads. I see this all the time. Our company's need to utilize Internet based vendor sites for specifications and catalogs (large downloads) is at odds with our internal need for telnet sessions to our ERP system (small and fast.) If I could come up with a QOS that makes both sets of user's happy at the same time I would throw a party. As it is we have a compromise QOS that neither group is totally happy with but they accept it - grudgingly. Is this what you want your smart phone experience to become?
    Mabrick
    Reply Vote

    • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

      Let me guess you work for one of these companies or a similar... Your
      argument makes no sense for this blog.

      Customers are being charged $30 for unlimited data on their phones...
      In fact even if the consumer doesn't want the data plan they have no
      choice but to purchase it with many of today's phones.

      So why can't I use my phone to tether without an addition fee? I'm
      already paying for the data plan... even with tethering I don't ever come
      close to using 1 GB of data usage. I think most users are in the same
      usage category? I'm not endorsing streaming video (which suck on 3G
      anyway), I'm referring to reading emails, surfing the web etc.
      Masari.Jones
      Reply Vote

      • Not even close.

        Disclaimer: I have never worked for a telecom company nor have I ever been contracted by or paid by one for any reason. I work for an Electrical Distributor (wholesale.) However, I have a strong background in networking and appreciate QOS issues. I make a technical statement, not a political statement. All I can advise you to do is this: if you don't like it, use someone else. If you don't like any of them, start your own company. If you don't want to do that there is no help for you and you will become even more frustrated. Not being hateful here, just looking at the reality of the situation. It's their business, they get to run it however they want.
        Mabrick
        Reply Vote

    • You're wrong about the MTU

      I can't speak for all the smartphones, but Windows Mobile by default has an MTU of 1500. People requiring lots of data (1GB or more) are probably already browsing the full dynamic web - AJAX/HTML5, Youtube, VoIP, HTTP downloads and even BitTorrent. People who just check emails / status updates / feeds and use browsers that load mobile versions of websites or optimise sites (Opera Mini for eg) would never need more than 1GB. Heck, I've seen that 100MB would easily last a month. I speak from experience. I regularly check my mail, facebook updates, RSS feeds and load compressed websites through Opera Mini. I even download a few mobile programs now and then. 100MB is more than sufficient. When you start watching YouTube though, the usage obviously picks up. Sometimes I even use BitTorrent when I'm at a remote location, need a file and have no access to a PC.

      Now YOU tell me, what's the difference between watching YouTube, doing HTTP and BitTorrent downloads from a smartphone vs a desktop computer?

      If someone needs 5GB of data, they obviously don't intend to only "check emails and mobile websites". They want the full web. They want to download stuff. The carrier very well knows the reason why users want need more GBs. "To check email". Yeah, right.

      Have you ever used a modern smartphone lately? They can do practically anything (internet wise) a modern desktop can do. On the latest WinMo HTC with Opera Mobile 10 with the Flash and other plugins installed, you can browse just about any regular website.

      My point is, it's completely and totally unfair for carriers to charge for tethering. Case in point - just have a look at how carriers in other countries with very high mobile densities are handling this.

      When I was in India, I was on an unlimited data plan and had my phone tethered to the PC all the time. I used to download like crazy. And I wasn't the only one, all my friends did the same. Nobody wants to go through the hassle of using a landline for net access. The landlines there are generally of poor quality that get really bad during the monsoons. Oh, and how much did I pay? Just $0.34 per day. Yes, you're reading it right, $0.34 aka ~$10 per month.

      And mobile phones there are so cheap, even roadside beggars have one.

      Infact, many people in Asia nowadays use a cellular network for wireless internet access. The majority of the carriers there don't charge for tethering.

      Charging for tethering is simply stupid and utterly unfair. I suggest boycotting all companies that do so. Let them know that we won't just stand back and allow them to do whatever they please.
      [deXter]
      Reply Vote

  • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

    There are applications out there, like tether.com, that will let you do this free, within the mobile plan you have. So charging much for this is a non-starter.
    stevet@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

      Can the cell phone companies find out whether you are using your cell phone for surfing on the cell or surfing on a tethered computer?
      ullalam
      Reply Vote

  • Free and unblockable

    Strongly suggest that readers look at "PDAnet" as an alternative. The product is not free, but it is worth every penny not to have to pay additional fees for data on top of your existing data contract.
    GDF
    Reply Vote

    • PDAnet

      I agree and use PDAnet from www.JuneFabrics.com it is free unless you need to connect to secure connections and then you have a one time charge of about $22.
      ghanner
      Reply Vote

  • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

    Tether.com or PDAnet, how does either of these fit into the Verizon use agreement? I suspect either option in some way violates your contract and opens you up to who knows what.
    MDrescher@...
    Reply Vote

    • Terms of Service

      I would question the legal enforcability, in a court of law, of any implicit or explicit Terms Of Service which deny you or waive your rights to procure and use legal third-party alternatives (free, paid or otherwise) that leverage or enable functionality of your device that you own, when these constrictions are put there purely for the purpose of locking in a lucrative revenue stream.
      podstolom
      Reply Vote

  • Another verizon money sucker

    HTC has great phones but these companys need to start making thier phones for both dual gsm and cdma platforms as tying a customer to AT&T or verizon the 2 most exspensive service providers out there is horrible. They would sell many more phones if they were opened to all networks or made versions for all carriers. I had nextel as they were cheap then sprint bought them and killed most of the iden network and raised price so took my nextel BB to boost unlimited $50 a month plan and now am going to be switching to a better phone on boost cdma sprint side for flat $50 a month no limits on any thing no teher charges nothing $50 all i can use.
    Fletchguy
    Reply Vote

  • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

    I would imagine when you are looking at bandwidth
    intensive activities (streaming YouTube, music, etc),
    the profile between PCs and devices would be similar.
    It is disingenuous for the service providers to charge
    you for 5GB, but then expect you only to pull down
    some email and send a few tweets. I use my iPhone for
    corporate uses (email, downloading docs, etc) and
    rarely top 500MB for the month - since I am only using
    1/10 of the allotted 5GB, how about they only charge
    me $5 instead? Like that would happen, though it would
    be "fair".

    Though I dislike the government in many areas, I
    really hope these Oligopolies get smacked down.
    Charging
    tbuccelli
    Reply Vote

  • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

    Charge for tethering? That's an interesting way to increase fees without increasing service. As a long time Verizon customer, I've used tethering dating back to early versions of the Motorola Q and Samsung Omnia phones without this new fee. Still using the Omnia and have been thinking about upgrading to the Incredible (or whatever else comes out in next 2-3 months) but this new fee is making me reconsider. While there are quirks about the Omnia that I've learned to live with, it still works fine and meets my needs which includes tethering.
    dcahechtel
    Reply Vote

  • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

    Why? When you can download EasyTether or PDAnet for nothing? Is Verizon crippling the Droid Incredible so these apps don't work? It wouldn't be the first time and is the reason I almost left Verizon. If they hadn't come out with the Moto Droid, I would have.
    oops7000@...
    Reply Vote

  • Cell Data is dirt cheap!!!

    Don't let these carriers fool you. Cellular data is dirt cheap to provide. Cheaper than the Internet connection at your house over copper!! Why? No last mile copper to install and support. Plus cell phone pull 1/1000th of the amount of data that your home computer does. Even if you were tethering, you won't pull as much data as an always on desktop computer.

    I agree with a charge, but it should be $10 or less for UNLIMITED data.
    Narg
    Reply Vote

  • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

    Smartphones are expected to use data, indeed, you *must*
    pay for data provisioning on them.

    It's all just bits, and I fail to see why one should have
    to pay more to use those bits depending on where they end
    up.

    Tethering fees are an unconscionable scam.
    huntm856
    Reply Vote

  • RE: HTC Droid Incredible tethering to cost $10 or $25 per month

    This is just another avenue for carriers to rip consumers off.
    First they tell us we have unlimited data for $30/month, but then we
    find out it's not really unlimited at all!

    So we accept that 5GB for most users is practically
    unlimited, but then if I want to tether and use my 5GB on
    my laptop why should I have to pay extra for that? It's just
    a bunch of BS and a complete rip-off.

    I use PDANet on my jail-broken iPhone all the time (for
    email, blogging, web browsing etc, and I come no where
    near the 5GB limit (I'm not trying to stream video over a 3G
    connection). So why would I pay AT&T or Verizon
    and extra $10 or $25 per month? I wouldn't!
    Masari.Jones
    Reply Vote

  • Barnacle for a free ad-hoc access point

    There are a number of ways to tether a device if
    you have root access to your phone. One option is
    PDANet (which does not require root access) but an
    even better app is Barnacle which will turn an
    Android phone into an ad-hoc wireless access
    point. Now all wireless enabled devices can take
    advantage of the 3/4G speeds on an Android phone.
    ChromeToaster
    Reply Vote
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