Free data service on cingular?

I'm currently with Verizon, but thinking of switching to Cingular. I get
data service now for free, as it just subtracts usage from my minutes. Is
there anything like that with cingular, where I can get online and it just
subtracts from my minutes, and I dont need to pay extra for a data plan?
Thanks.

---

› See More: Free data service on cingular?

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <XvEid.79900$bk1.35535@fed1read05> on Thu, 4 Nov 2004 21:49:45 -0800,
"Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm currently with Verizon, but thinking of switching to Cingular. I get
>data service now for free, as it just subtracts usage from my minutes. Is
>there anything like that with cingular, where I can get online and it just
>subtracts from my minutes, and I dont need to pay extra for a data plan?

That would be CSD (Circuit Switched Data), which is essentially dog-slow (9600
bps) dialup. To enable CSD with Cingular, you have to sign up for at least a
minimal Wireless Internet Express package (MEdia Net [500KB] $2.99).

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

In article <XvEid.79900$bk1.35535@fed1read05>,
"Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm currently with Verizon, but thinking of switching to Cingular. I get
> data service now for free, as it just subtracts usage from my minutes. Is
> there anything like that with cingular, where I can get online and it just
> subtracts from my minutes, and I dont need to pay extra for a data plan?
> Thanks.


$20/month for unlimited data

Jack,

Thanks for the info. Is that just data usage on the phone, or can that be
used tethered to a laptop? What is the speed of that data service? Thanks.


"Jack Zwick" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <XvEid.79900$bk1.35535@fed1read05>,
> "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I'm currently with Verizon, but thinking of switching to Cingular. I get
>> data service now for free, as it just subtracts usage from my minutes.
>> Is
>> there anything like that with cingular, where I can get online and it
>> just
>> subtracts from my minutes, and I dont need to pay extra for a data plan?
>> Thanks.
>
>
> $20/month for unlimited data

In article <2CSid.82252$bk1.50384@fed1read05>,
"Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Jack,
>
> Thanks for the info. Is that just data usage on the phone, or can that be
> used tethered to a laptop? What is the speed of that data service? Thanks.

That could be used through a laptopo, as long as you went through the
Cingular portal, the actual effective speed is around 9600 bps.


>
>
> "Jack Zwick" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > In article <XvEid.79900$bk1.35535@fed1read05>,
> > "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> I'm currently with Verizon, but thinking of switching to Cingular. I get
> >> data service now for free, as it just subtracts usage from my minutes.
> >> Is
> >> there anything like that with cingular, where I can get online and it
> >> just
> >> subtracts from my minutes, and I dont need to pay extra for a data plan?
> >> Thanks.
> >
> >
> > $20/month for unlimited data

"Jack Zwick" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
| In article <2CSid.82252$bk1.50384@fed1read05>,
| "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
|
| > Jack,
| >
| > Thanks for the info. Is that just data usage on the phone, or can that
be
| > used tethered to a laptop? What is the speed of that data service?
Thanks.
|
| That could be used through a laptopo, as long as you went through the
| Cingular portal, the actual effective speed is around 9600 bps.
|

I get no lower than 30kbps even when signal is so low at my lake house I can
hardly use voice. I typically get around 42kbps average tetherd to my
notebook. Not fast by anymeans, but at least comparable to dial-up. CSD
(dial-in) is virtually unusable when tethered. These speeds will go up when
Edge rollout is complete if you have an EDGE capable handset. I am not sure
if EDGE will be including with the MEdia Works package or not. John may be
able to shed more light on this subject.

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <EuSid.82248$bk1.56477@fed1read05> on Fri, 5 Nov 2004 13:44:02 -0800,
"Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:

>"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>>
>> In <XvEid.79900$bk1.35535@fed1read05> on Thu, 4 Nov 2004 21:49:45 -0800,
>> "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>I'm currently with Verizon, but thinking of switching to Cingular. I get
>>>data service now for free, as it just subtracts usage from my minutes. Is
>>>there anything like that with cingular, where I can get online and it just
>>>subtracts from my minutes, and I dont need to pay extra for a data plan?
>>
>> That would be CSD (Circuit Switched Data), which is essentially dog-slow
>> (9600
>> bps) dialup. To enable CSD with Cingular, you have to sign up for at
>> least a
>> minimal Wireless Internet Express package (MEdia Net [500KB] $2.99).

>Thats not what I was told or have experienced. I can use either slow CSD or
>their 1xrrt (?), and uage will only be deducted from my minutes.

1xRTT is CDMA (Verizon or Sprint). GSM CSD is only available on Cingular if
you sign up for a data package.

>I have
>connected using the faster of the two and it works. Although I only got
>about 95kbit/s, but it was usable while out and about.

On Cingular, that would have to be EDGE.

>Does Cingular have any option to use their high speed network, while only
>deducting minutes? ...

See my prior post.

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

Tethered too. Speed is about 50 Kbps for GPRS, and about twice that for EDGE.

In <2CSid.82252$bk1.50384@fed1read05> on Fri, 5 Nov 2004 13:51:57 -0800,
"Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Jack,
>
>Thanks for the info. Is that just data usage on the phone, or can that be
>used tethered to a laptop? What is the speed of that data service? Thanks.
>
>
>"Jack Zwick" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> In article <XvEid.79900$bk1.35535@fed1read05>,
>> "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm currently with Verizon, but thinking of switching to Cingular. I get
>>> data service now for free, as it just subtracts usage from my minutes.
>>> Is
>>> there anything like that with cingular, where I can get online and it
>>> just
>>> subtracts from my minutes, and I dont need to pay extra for a data plan?
>>> Thanks.
>>
>>
>> $20/month for unlimited data
>

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <[email protected]> on Fri, 05 Nov
2004 22:03:10 GMT, Jack Zwick <[email protected]> wrote:

>In article <2CSid.82252$bk1.50384@fed1read05>,
> "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Jack,
>>
>> Thanks for the info. Is that just data usage on the phone, or can that be
>> used tethered to a laptop? What is the speed of that data service? Thanks.
>
>That could be used through a laptopo, as long as you went through the
>Cingular portal, the actual effective speed is around 9600 bps.

That's CSD. GPRS is about 50 Kbps. EDGE is about twice that.

>> "Jack Zwick" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> > In article <XvEid.79900$bk1.35535@fed1read05>,
>> > "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >
>> >> I'm currently with Verizon, but thinking of switching to Cingular. I get
>> >> data service now for free, as it just subtracts usage from my minutes.
>> >> Is
>> >> there anything like that with cingular, where I can get online and it
>> >> just
>> >> subtracts from my minutes, and I dont need to pay extra for a data plan?
>> >> Thanks.
>> >
>> >
>> > $20/month for unlimited data

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

John,

Is EDGE included in the $20/month unlimited data for tethered devices?

Thanks.


"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Tethered too. Speed is about 50 Kbps for GPRS, and about twice that for
> EDGE.
>
> In <2CSid.82252$bk1.50384@fed1read05> on Fri, 5 Nov 2004 13:51:57 -0800,
> "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Jack,
>>
>>Thanks for the info. Is that just data usage on the phone, or can that be
>>used tethered to a laptop? What is the speed of that data service?
>>Thanks.
>>
>>
>>"Jack Zwick" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>> In article <XvEid.79900$bk1.35535@fed1read05>,
>>> "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I'm currently with Verizon, but thinking of switching to Cingular. I
>>>> get
>>>> data service now for free, as it just subtracts usage from my minutes.
>>>> Is
>>>> there anything like that with cingular, where I can get online and it
>>>> just
>>>> subtracts from my minutes, and I dont need to pay extra for a data
>>>> plan?
>>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>>
>>> $20/month for unlimited data
>>
>
> --
> Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
> John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

EDGE (where available) is included.

The plan says nothing about tethering.

In <F_Uid.83000$bk1.25028@fed1read05> on Fri, 5 Nov 2004 16:34:44 -0800,
"Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:

>John,
>
>Is EDGE included in the $20/month unlimited data for tethered devices?
>
>Thanks.
>
>
>"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> Tethered too. Speed is about 50 Kbps for GPRS, and about twice that for
>> EDGE.
>>
>> In <2CSid.82252$bk1.50384@fed1read05> on Fri, 5 Nov 2004 13:51:57 -0800,
>> "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>Jack,
>>>
>>>Thanks for the info. Is that just data usage on the phone, or can that be
>>>used tethered to a laptop? What is the speed of that data service?
>>>Thanks.
>>>
>>>
>>>"Jack Zwick" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>>news:[email protected]...
>>>> In article <XvEid.79900$bk1.35535@fed1read05>,
>>>> "Halogen8" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I'm currently with Verizon, but thinking of switching to Cingular. I
>>>>> get
>>>>> data service now for free, as it just subtracts usage from my minutes.
>>>>> Is
>>>>> there anything like that with cingular, where I can get online and it
>>>>> just
>>>>> subtracts from my minutes, and I dont need to pay extra for a data
>>>>> plan?
>>>>> Thanks.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> $20/month for unlimited data
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
>> John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>
>

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

You could always just dial in to an ISP, it should work, haven't tried
it myself. Of course speeds would be around ~14.4kbps.

I'm sure there are dial-up ISPs that have very cheap plans if you pay
annually, especially if you only want a few hours a month. No long
distance phone call charges either.

http://www.findanisp.com would be a good place to search. There are
others, Google em.

--
Tashfeen Bhimdi

"Tashfeen Bhimdi" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
| You could always just dial in to an ISP, it should work, haven't tried
| it myself. Of course speeds would be around ~14.4kbps.

CSD still has to be enabled on the account for that to work, and speeds in
most market would be only 9600 max.

>
> CSD still has to be enabled on the account for that to work
>

Enabled yes but not necessarily a paid option. A friend and I, both
with GAIT phones/plan, have CSD without paying for a data plan not even
Internet Express--it is or was automatically enabled. We can connect by
calling a non-Cingular ISP via a pda or notebook. I use it a little--
mainly from the pda--usage comes out of normal minutes. Could be a GAIT
thing but at one time others with a GSM-only plan reported having it
free also. My advice--TRY CSD before ordering a data plan to see if you
already have the ability.
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

"Jud Hardcastle" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
|>
| > CSD still has to be enabled on the account for that to work
| >
|
| Enabled yes but not necessarily a paid option. A friend and I, both
| with GAIT phones/plan, have CSD without paying for a data plan not even
| Internet Express--it is or was automatically enabled. We can connect by
| calling a non-Cingular ISP via a pda or notebook. I use it a little--
| mainly from the pda--usage comes out of normal minutes. Could be a GAIT
| thing but at one time others with a GSM-only plan reported having it
| free also. My advice--TRY CSD before ordering a data plan to see if you
| already have the ability.

If it is an older account it likely does have CSD enabled. According to some
posters on HoFo, they quit enabling it for free on accounts a couple/few
months back. I used to also have it on my GSM only account for free with no
data plans. I now subscribe to MEdia Works though, as I need to connect more
frequently while on the road and 9600 wasn't cutting it. Absolutely, giving
it a try before subscribing to a plan would be best if 9600 is sufficient.