Your mobile phone bill is going up

[Casino67]

Money.cnn.com:


NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Well, it's not like we didn't see this coming.

Wireless carriers are quietly hiking the prices customers pay for their mobile phone service. Three of the four major networks raised their rates or scrapped discount deals this month -- and Verizon Wireless is staying oddly silent about the terms of the data plans it will offer iPhone customers when it begins selling the phone next month.

The rising prices are intended to help the networks offset the increased costs of delivering apps, the mobile Web and especially mobile video to a rapidly growing number of smartphones. Faster networks, additional frequencies, cell tower upgrades and other improvements are costing the industry about $50 billion a year.

"At the end of the day, wireless is a capital-intensive business, and carriers need to figure out ways to make money," said William Stofega, program director of mobile device technology and trends at research firm IDC. "We're undergoing a transition from 3G to 4G, and it's really, really important for them to have capital to make good on all their propositions."

[pollyannaish]

They've already made our go up significantly. We are due for a contract renew and to get new phones. Sprint is requiring us to either get a data plan (which we don't need) or go down a few notches for our service and on the quality and versatility of our phones.

 

We called them, reminded them we'd been customers for almost twenty years...and asked to remain on our existing plan but get the newer versions of our phone without the data plan. They refused. The phones we have are ridiculously limited for data, but have other features (like being able to upload books and games to them) that we really like. So we are currently sticking on a month to month plan, with phones that are starting to fall apart...but the minute I get a job, we'll be shifting to Verizon and getting iphones which will sync to our computers, function as our ipods and have better data capabilities. And the monthly plan will be twenty bucks less than we had with Sprint.

 

At least as it stands right now. Seems like short sited thinking on Sprint's part. We've honestly been quite happy with them other than that.

[AceRimmer]

I had a contract with Cingular for two years during the beginning of this decade. I used the phone less than a dozen times in that period. When it came time to renew, I chucked the phone in the garbage, as well as every letter from them and now AT&T telling me how stupid I am not to renew my contract and buy a new phone from them.

 

Only DirectTV and my local cable outlet sound more desperate in their letters.

[Casino67]

I have had Verizon since those little curly-cue antennas were needed on the fender of the car. Late 70's? Never had a problem with them and always appreciated the good service. As I have said before, the cell phone is my only phone.

 

Looks as though I am going to get one more free phone and then it ends. I would get the phone just to get it. Several are sitting in a drawer at the moment. Will be adding another in June. Would like to get a smart phone, but totally unnecessary for me.

 

Maybe a stupid question, but are 'apps' charged each month or just a one-time charge? See, I don't know nuttin about them. Same with an Ipad, is there a monthly charge for connecting to a service to send and receive stuff? HELP, there are no teenagers available to educate me.

[AceRimmer]

I have had Verizon since those little curly-cue antennas were needed on the fender of the car. Late 70's? Never had a problem with them and always appreciated the good service. As I have said before, the cell phone is my only phone.

 

Looks as though I am going to get one more free phone and then it ends. I would get the phone just to get it. Several are sitting in a drawer at the moment. Will be adding another in June. Would like to get a smart phone, but totally unnecessary for me.

 

Maybe a stupid question, but are 'apps' charged each month or just a one-time charge? See, I don't know nuttin about them. Same with an Ipad, is there a monthly charge for connecting to a service to send and receive stuff? HELP, there are no teenagers available to educate me.

 

Having actually worked for Cingular for a brief period, I can tell you that all the extra services, like texting, come with EXTRA CHARGES. Unless you specifically demand they remove these things, you will be billed for them. That's why your bill suddenly goes from $35 to $65 a month.

[pollyannaish]

I have had Verizon since those little curly-cue antennas were needed on the fender of the car. Late 70's? Never had a problem with them and always appreciated the good service. As I have said before, the cell phone is my only phone.

 

Looks as though I am going to get one more free phone and then it ends. I would get the phone just to get it. Several are sitting in a drawer at the moment. Will be adding another in June. Would like to get a smart phone, but totally unnecessary for me.

 

Maybe a stupid question, but are 'apps' charged each month or just a one-time charge? See, I don't know nuttin about them. Same with an Ipad, is there a monthly charge for connecting to a service to send and receive stuff? HELP, there are no teenagers available to educate me.

 

Most apps don't require a monthly charge, but you do pay for them when you get them. You can connect two ways with an Ipad. All of them can use your home internet connection. You can also get mobile internet connectivity for them for $15 a month, no contract. So for instance, if you are planning a trip you could get mobile internet for $15 for that one month.

 

(This is all based on the last time I checked, btw)

[Casino67]

I have had Verizon since those little curly-cue antennas were needed on the fender of the car. Late 70's? Never had a problem with them and always appreciated the good service. As I have said before, the cell phone is my only phone.

 

Looks as though I am going to get one more free phone and then it ends. I would get the phone just to get it. Several are sitting in a drawer at the moment. Will be adding another in June. Would like to get a smart phone, but totally unnecessary for me.

 

Maybe a stupid question, but are 'apps' charged each month or just a one-time charge? See, I don't know nuttin about them. Same with an Ipad, is there a monthly charge for connecting to a service to send and receive stuff? HELP, there are no teenagers available to educate me.

 

Most apps don't require a monthly charge, but you do pay for them when you get them. You can connect two ways with an Ipad. All of them can use your home internet connection. You can also get mobile internet connectivity for them for $15 a month, no contract. So for instance, if you are planning a trip you could get mobile internet for $15 for that one month.

 

(This is all based on the last time I checked, btw)

 

Thank you, that pretty much answers my questions.

[Pepper]

Pollyannaish, Casino67

 

On the apps, not quite true. You pay for some apps, some you don't. Via iTunes, some apps are free, some are $ 0.99 or a $ 1.99 or higher. Any of them can be good and others can be worthless even if they are *f*r*e*e*.

[clearvision]

The article is bogus in its claim delivering apps is the issue. The issue is bandwidth for content, videos, pictures, voice over internet, etc. The downloading of the app itself is trivial.

[Pepper]

The article is bogus in its claim delivering apps is the issue. The issue is bandwidth for content, videos, pictures, voice over internet, etc. The downloading of the app itself is trivial.

I didn't know we were supposed to read the article.

 

[Pepper]

The rising prices are intended to help the networks offset the increased costs of delivering apps

 

OK, I call BS on this.

 

Clearvision!

[AceRimmer]

The rising prices are intended to help the networks offset the increased costs of delivering apps

 

OK, I call BS on this.

 

Clearvision!

 

Pepper!

 

You would be right to do so. My former cable company was raising rates monthly to "offset" increased applications which we never received. We get a weekly desperation letter from them after we cancelled our subscription over a year ago.

 

The funny thing is that our old cable company and cell phone businesses work in much the same way. They try to maximize profits as fast as possible, then cry poverty when they get dumped by the customers. Sounds a lot like Bernie Madoff, or Obambi, Pelosi, and Reid.

[SrWoodchuck]

I started with AT&T back in the 80's, when cellphones resembled bricks. They treated me fairly, even calling out of the blue, to let me know if there was a new & cheaper promotion.

 

I went with T-Mobile after 8 years, only to get the "Blackberry," as it was only available there [by RIM- the original manufacturer & patent holder.] Bad equipment, bad reception & coverage areas, plus absolutely the worst customer service anywhere & at any time on earth. T-Mobile is a German owned company & those "huns" know how to pinch a penny, bill out every lost second of air-time [their voice-mail menu is formulated to use extra seconds to complete a message, or retrieve one; and they round up all calls to a full minute, even for a fractional minute.]

 

I went back to AT&T [i used 3 phones for my business] but they've changed. AT&T was late getting into cell phones & then failed to compete for air-time bandwidth. The equipment is OK, but I don't use 3G, and must continually reset my phone to 2G, due to lost calls, voice-mail problems & network shut-down on 3G; due to the millions of 6 to 15 year olds that are "online" doing really important things.

 

Even though I continually call & ask for any new plans for my cell & home phone, I still can't get away from spending a Ben Franklin @ month for each.[2 cells & 1 landline w/hi-speed wi-fi] I'm on a month-to-month with AT&T now, which I hope has given me some kind of leverage, but neither Qwest, nor AT&T wants any less per month.