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  1. #1
    MarkW
    Guest
    I currently have T-Mobile service and was planning on getting the $20
    data plan they offer shortly.

    Well I was at the mall today and went into a store and talked to them
    about Cingular which sounds like a better deal to me. First, me and
    my fiancee would get the national family plan for $109 where we'd have
    2000 minutes to share. The salesman was telling me how for $24.99
    they have a unlimited data plan which is important to me. My plans
    are to get a Bluetooth phone (a Motorola V551 in this case) and as
    well use that with the bluetooth connection to use the internet on
    either my PocketPC PDA or Laptop. I do want full internet (complete
    web usage). It seems like Cingular has great coverage as well
    throughout the country, far better than T-Mobile and for jsut a
    slightly higher price and it seems their internet speeds are faster.

    Well I got home and was disappointed. I started looking at data plans
    on their web page and I see $79.99 for unlimited. I just can't see
    spending $80/month for that. Yet I did some research on this
    newsgroup tonight and am confused. I see the $24.99 is considered to
    be a media.net plan. Most of all, what is the difference between the
    data plan and the media net? The more I read on here it seems they
    are identical (both full unlimited) so why the two plans? Who would
    need the $79.99 plan? I see a lot about a pc card so is it that that
    is for someone who doesn't have a voice plan and jsut wants to use it
    directly with a laptop/pc card? From what I'm reading on here the
    $24.99 plan (which I assume is the $19.99 plan that everyone is
    talking about and it just went up to $24.99) is true full internet
    that you can use on a pda/laptop. I'm just concerned becuase on the
    web site it says how it can't be used that way, how it has to be used
    with a wap enabled phone. Is it very complicated to set up and use
    the media net connnection everytime and maybe the other is instant
    on/alwasy on? For awhile I thought that maybe the $24.99 plan was
    simply their slower (dial up speed) connection but yet it seems it
    even works with faster EDGE technology. Maybe it will even work with
    UMTS. I just don't want any surprises. I will be committing to a 2
    year contract if I go with Cingular so obviously don't want to make
    any mistakes that i regret. I dont' want to join and then find out
    this plan isn't what I expected or more likely use the $24.95 plan for
    2 months and then have it 'cut off' where I can't use it on my PDA or
    laptop and then have to go up to the $79.95 plan.

    I did do some research on other providers. It doesn't seem that
    Sprint offers a unlimited internet plan. As well, their coverage
    seems bad. I looked at Verizon and for voice their prices are
    slightly higher than Cingulars. I thought Cingular had the best
    coverage but their coverage seems better. For data though their
    unlimited is $49.99 and if you want broadband speed it's $79.99. If
    the $24.99 is what i think it is, full internet as well as the faster
    Edge speeds its' definitely a bargain compared to Verizon. THen if
    not the $49.99 Verizon plan coudl be cheaper.

    I apologize for the long msg. I tried to do a lot of research before
    posting but it just seems with the language these companies use they
    sure don't make it easy and just confuse you more and with contracts
    you have to be careful of what you're getting into. I appreciate any
    help anyone can offer.



    See More: Data Plan vs. Media Net




  2. #2
    MarkW
    Guest

    Re: Data Plan vs. Media Net

    Actually I saw the MediaWorks plan listed for $19.99. What is the
    difference between that and the $24.99 Media Net plan?



  3. #3
    Mark Pfeifer
    Guest

    Re: Data Plan vs. Media Net

    From my understanding -

    The 79 plan is for laptops with the pcmcia card. The 24.99 (no longer the
    19.99) plan is for unlimited usage from your phone. I believe any of the
    phones can support this plan - smartphones, normal phones, pdas, etc...

    HTH
    Mark

    "MarkW" <markwco(removenospam)@comcast.net> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > Actually I saw the MediaWorks plan listed for $19.99. What is the
    > difference between that and the $24.99 Media Net plan?






  4. #4
    Tropical Haven
    Guest

    Re: Data Plan vs. Media Net


    <snip>

    > I did do some research on other providers. It doesn't seem that
    > Sprint offers a unlimited internet plan. As well, their coverage
    > seems bad. I looked at Verizon and for voice their prices are
    > slightly higher than Cingulars. I thought Cingular had the best
    > coverage but their coverage seems better. For data though their
    > unlimited is $49.99 and if you want broadband speed it's $79.99. If
    > the $24.99 is what i think it is, full internet as well as the faster
    > Edge speeds its' definitely a bargain compared to Verizon. THen if
    > not the $49.99 Verizon plan coudl be cheaper.


    I'm not sure about data plans, but I know that in general Verizon does
    not allow data use while roaming (only voice use while roaming).
    Therefore, if coverage is important to you, Cingular is clearly the best
    choice.

    > I apologize for the long msg. I tried to do a lot of research before
    > posting but it just seems with the language these companies use they
    > sure don't make it easy and just confuse you more and with contracts
    > you have to be careful of what you're getting into. I appreciate any
    > help anyone can offer.





  5. #5
    Tony Clark
    Guest

    Re: Data Plan vs. Media Net


    "MarkW" <markwco(removenospam)@comcast.net> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > Actually I saw the MediaWorks plan listed for $19.99. What is the
    > difference between that and the $24.99 Media Net plan?



    I have the $19.99 MediaNet plan and it works with phone, PDA and computer.
    What's the difference? I am not sure, I suspect that Cingular expected that
    plan to be used only with data enabled phones but us crafty customers
    figured out we could attach a phone to a computer and use it like a modem.

    I have a V551 it's reasonably fast, not broadband, but pretty good for data
    on the go.

    Cheers
    TC





  6. #6
    MarkW
    Guest

    Re: Data Plan vs. Media Net

    That makes more sense now. I can definitely handle $24.99. I think
    my main concern was getting a 2 year contract and then after a couple
    months not having the $24.99 plan work. I know often you are
    grandfather into a plan if the prices go up but yet I've heard of
    peopel using the $4.99 t-zones plan on T-Mobile and then recently they
    shut off a port so that it can't be used for regular internet, only
    for WAP. Of course that just means using a $19.99 plan which isn't
    bad. Still I dont' want to have this happen and have to go up to a
    $79.99 plan. I read though how there's limited web sites that work
    with the MediaNet plan but I assume now that all web sites work with
    this plan.
    As well, is there any type of 'trick' that has to be done, speical
    settings, etc? to make this plan work with a pda or a laptop?



  7. #7
    steve
    Guest

    Re: Data Plan vs. Media Net

    You know, the 19.99 plan is similar to the 4.99 plan at tmobile.
    Cingular could do the same thing, since the limitation is the same one.
    the media net plan is not for tethering, even though you can use it
    that way. What t-mobile did was to shut off certain ports, it doesn't
    seem to far fetched that cingular could do the same.

    In article <[email protected]>, MarkW
    <markwco(removenospam)@comcast.net> wrote:

    > That makes more sense now. I can definitely handle $24.99. I think
    > my main concern was getting a 2 year contract and then after a couple
    > months not having the $24.99 plan work. I know often you are
    > grandfather into a plan if the prices go up but yet I've heard of
    > peopel using the $4.99 t-zones plan on T-Mobile and then recently they
    > shut off a port so that it can't be used for regular internet, only
    > for WAP. Of course that just means using a $19.99 plan which isn't
    > bad. Still I dont' want to have this happen and have to go up to a
    > $79.99 plan. I read though how there's limited web sites that work
    > with the MediaNet plan but I assume now that all web sites work with
    > this plan.
    > As well, is there any type of 'trick' that has to be done, speical
    > settings, etc? to make this plan work with a pda or a laptop?




  8. #8
    MarkW
    Guest

    Re: Data Plan vs. Media Net

    Is there a way aroudn what T-Mobile did? It seems if I remember right
    even some people were finding ways around the port shutoff? I think
    all I can do is hope they don't do that. If they do though maybe the
    $79 plan will come down in price. Then again that would be a lot to
    hope for.



  9. #9
    steve
    Guest

    Re: Data Plan vs. Media Net

    In article <[email protected]>, MarkW
    <markwco(removenospam)@comcast.net> wrote:

    > Is there a way aroudn what T-Mobile did? It seems if I remember right
    > even some people were finding ways around the port shutoff? I think
    > all I can do is hope they don't do that. If they do though maybe the
    > $79 plan will come down in price. Then again that would be a lot to
    > hope for.


    There's a way around it, and it works pretty well.

    Where do you go that t-mobile doesn't cover if you don't mind my asking?

    s



  10. #10
    Tony Clark
    Guest

    Re: Data Plan vs. Media Net


    "steve" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:250220051111425454%[email protected]...
    > You know, the 19.99 plan is similar to the 4.99 plan at tmobile.
    > Cingular could do the same thing, since the limitation is the same one.
    > the media net plan is not for tethering, even though you can use it
    > that way. What t-mobile did was to shut off certain ports, it doesn't
    > seem to far fetched that cingular could do the same.
    >
    >SNIP


    There is nothing in the Cingular plan that prohibits tethering. Someone at
    Cingular may tell you that tethering isn't allowed but nowhere in the terms
    and conditions does it state that tethering is not allowed under the plan
    and there are no additional charges for using the phone as a tethered
    device. So in that way the plan is completely different than T-Mobile or
    even ATTWS' old data plan.

    Yes Cingular could change that at any time and they would see a rash of
    customers dropping that service in a heartbeat. I think Cingular has got it
    right and that is the more people you have using the service the cheaper you
    can deliver to the masses. Billing for data based on the device it's used
    with is ludicrous, IMHO, and generally speaking customers have echoed that
    feeling by moving to ISPs that don't charge by the hour or the Kbyte.

    Cheers
    TC





  11. #11
    Bob Horvath
    Guest

    Re: Data Plan vs. Media Net

    steve wrote:
    > In article <[email protected]>, MarkW
    > <markwco(removenospam)@comcast.net> wrote:
    >
    >
    >>Is there a way aroudn what T-Mobile did? It seems if I remember right
    >>even some people were finding ways around the port shutoff? I think
    >>all I can do is hope they don't do that. If they do though maybe the
    >>$79 plan will come down in price. Then again that would be a lot to
    >>hope for.

    >
    >
    > There's a way around it, and it works pretty well.
    >



    What would that be?



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