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Topic Starter Topic: A World Without Wi-Fi Looks Possible as Unlimited Plans Rise

FuddyDuddy
FuddyDuddy
Joined: 14 May 2000
Posts: 5954
PostPosted: 03-10-2017 05:54 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Unlimited mobile data plans, competing systems pose threats
‘You could see a big switch’ in consumer behavior: analyst
The Wi-Fi icon -- a dot with radio waves radiating outward -- glows on nearly every internet-connected device, from the iPhone to thermostats to TVs. But it’s starting to fade from the limelight.
With every major U.S. wireless carrier now offering unlimited data plans, consumers don’t need to log on to a Wi-Fi network to avoid costly overage charges anymore. That’s a critical change that threatens to render Wi-Fi obsolete. And with new competitive technologies crowding in, the future looks even dimmer.
“You could see a big switch,” said Tim Farrar, founder of Telecom Media Finance Associates Inc. “Your coffee shops may be less compelled to provide Wi-Fi for you now.”
In an all-data-you-can-eat world, consumers’ use of Wi-Fi at public places like stadiums and airports will drop to a third of all mobile data traffic from about half, Farrar estimates. This means businesses not upgrading public access Wi-Fi as often. Smartphone users might not even turn on their Wi-Fi capability, according to Barry Gilbert, an analyst at researcher Strategy Analytics in Boston.
“At Sprint Corp., where unlimited plans are the norm, customers aren’t waiting until they get to a Wi-Fi hot spot to watch the latest video. They are staying on cellular,” said Craig Moffett, an analyst at MoffettNathanson LLC. “Customers are rational. When pricing incentives favor Wi-Fi, customers use more Wi-Fi. When pricing incentives shift, so does behavior.”
At home as well. Almost a third of people don’t use a home broadband internet connection because they have an unlimited data plan on their phones, according to a survey released Thursday by ReportLinker. Read More:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... s-catch-on



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Cool #9
Cool #9
Joined: 01 Dec 2000
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PostPosted: 03-10-2017 06:08 AM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Except that 4G is still too unreliable to act as a 100% replacement for WiFi. Also, aren't american consumers in particular bled dry for their internet connections, with all sorts of dubious data caps and stuff like that?




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FuddyDuddy
FuddyDuddy
Joined: 14 May 2000
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PostPosted: 03-10-2017 06:17 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Eraser wrote:
Except that 4G is still too unreliable to act as a 100% replacement for WiFi. Also, aren't american consumers in particular bled dry for their internet connections, with all sorts of dubious data caps and stuff like that?

I don't have a smart phone so I have no idea, I'm sure another on this board will have those answers, guess I've let you down again :(



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Etile
Etile
Joined: 19 Nov 2003
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PostPosted: 03-10-2017 08:22 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


also, non-phone devices :|




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Lead Pipe Mafia
Lead Pipe Mafia
Joined: 15 Oct 2007
Posts: 5943
PostPosted: 03-10-2017 10:10 AM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I should start working on a mobile network LAN emulator then...




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Lead Pipe Mafia
Lead Pipe Mafia
Joined: 15 Oct 2007
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PostPosted: 03-10-2017 10:12 AM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


seremtan wrote:
also, non-phone devices :|


Even non phone devices can be fitted with a device that'll take a sim card to allow it online over a mobile network. You could even user your own phone as a wifi hot spot and connect your laptop/pc via the phone connection.

Connection speeds though are the real problem here... Mobile networks can't really compete with fiber optic connections that I'm aware of.




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Risen From The Ashes
Risen From The Ashes
Joined: 03 Aug 2000
Posts: 26774
PostPosted: 03-10-2017 01:18 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I can barely get a phone signal at my home, let alone data :clownboat:




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Kempston Joy
Kempston Joy
Joined: 11 Aug 2000
Posts: 48594
PostPosted: 03-10-2017 03:47 PM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Shit pings too.




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