The first step Sprint has taken is to kill its unlimited mobile hotspot and tethering plans. Now, unlimited for Sprint’s formerly unlimited users, this means up to 5GB per month.  Then Sprint ‘drops the flag’ and start the meter running at 5 cents per MB after the first 5GB.

On Sprint’s web site (on June 9, 2012) , this is how they qualify their basic “Truly Unlimited Data”:

“Voice/Data Usage Limitation: Sprint reserves the right, without notice, to deny, terminate, modify, disconnect or suspend service if off-network roaming usage in a month exceeds (1) voice: 800 minutes or a majority of minutes; or (2) data: 300MB or a majority of KB. Prohibited network use rules apply. As advertised and notwithstanding those restrictions, engaging in such uses will not result in throttling (limiting data throughput speeds) for customers on unlimited-data-included plans for phones, but could result in other adverse action.”

Gads! “…could result in other adverse action.” Huh?

Anyway, it seems clear that the days of Sprint’s truly unlimited data services are, well, limited.

The post Sprint Moves to Meter Data Services appeared first on Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer on Wireless Siting & Law.