T-Mobile USA has announced that its first HSPA+ laptop modem in the webConnect Rocket USB Laptop Stick will be available on Sunday, March 14 for $100 after $50 rebate with new 2 year agreement in Philadelphia area T-Mobile stores, as its nascent HSPA+ network is currently only available in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
T-Mobile has also announced new service plans for all webConnect devices in the Even More webConnect data plan which requires a two-year contract at 5GB for $59.99 per month or 200MB of access for $29.99 per month. Even More Plus webConnect data plans, which do not require an agreement cost $49.99 per month for 5GB or $19.99 per month for 200MB of data access. All of the above plans have overage charges set at $0.20 per megabyte.
T-Mobile has also confirmed that its entire 3G network has been upgraded to HSPA 7.2 Mbps data access, which now covers more than 273 U.S. cities and 206 million people. T-Mobile plans to rollout HSPA+ access later this year with a majority of its network upgraded by the end of 2010. Theoretical maximum download speeds of HSPA+ can reach 21Mbps.
These 3G modem/aircard data plans are absolutely putrid, and I mean ALL US carriers, not just T-Mobile. 200 Meg for $20-$40/mo (depending on carrier) which is barely enough to turn the thing on once a month to see if it works, or $60 for 5 Gig which is about 3 HD movie streams, is just unconscienable, especially when you can tether your phone on the cheap or free via thrid party apps of one kind or another (BT/USB tethers, wi-fi hotspot tethers or whatever).
I’m well aware that all Carriers (yes, T-Mobile included) are actively seeking to segregate phone and tethering data streams in order to lock them into service feature upsells, and I don’t know if the FCC rulings in the Comcast throttling case will forever afford safe-harbor for 3rd oarty tethering apps which by their nature bypass these carrier-imposed restrictions via ndis connectons which have been virtually impossible to cripple up to this point, as AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon have all tried and failed to effectively do, given any hacker resolve to crack them.
I would prefer the conviencence of embeeded broadband in my laptop but at these discriminatory prices, it’s a crime. Great for investor dividends and executive bonuses, but pure unadulterated, shameless hiway robbry for the consumer.
I’m not advocating hacking here, but I am demanding fair value for dollar to the consumer for the services he pays for. So far, this has not been forthcoming from the Carriers, as their main concern is protection of allied business models, and acquiesing to investor performance pressure. Not good, and not sustainable, as the sucker consumer will wise up and vote with his wallet, if only by only the prioritazation a bad economy requires.
Good point Jim! I have a tp2 and I use that to tether once in a while. It makes no sense to pay $60 month for aircard when you only use it once in a while. As long as tethering is available I will never ever buy an aircard. I understand maybe charging a small up fee to tether but $60? The sad thing is, is that I use more data on my phone then when I tether. I have 3 streaming radio apps on my phone right now and I use them everyday for about 2-3 hrs.
So all you cell phone companies out there… Here I go playing several more hrs on my phone, just for you.
To call this modem “rocket” does not fit the speeds you will see on the majority of T-mobile’s network