AP: NetZero to launch free wireless broadband
Mar 19, 2012 | 10:36 pm
#1
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AP: NetZero to launch free wireless broadband
http://bostonglobe.com/business/2012...SLI/story.html
You have to pay for the usb stick ($50) or the hotspot ($100) but after that you get 200 mb free per month. Use it up, you are cut off to the next month.
Looks to be 4G coverage only, and their coverage map makes it look like very very limited coverage.
You can do it for a year, or you can buy up to a paid plan.
Could be a good deal for somebody who needs occasional wireless in the US if they are not heavy data users.
Pricing for the paid plans (from their website www.netzero.com)
$10 a month for 500 mb
$20 for 1 GB
$35 for 2 gb
$50 for 4 GB
You have to pay for the usb stick ($50) or the hotspot ($100) but after that you get 200 mb free per month. Use it up, you are cut off to the next month.
Looks to be 4G coverage only, and their coverage map makes it look like very very limited coverage.
You can do it for a year, or you can buy up to a paid plan.
Could be a good deal for somebody who needs occasional wireless in the US if they are not heavy data users.
Pricing for the paid plans (from their website www.netzero.com)
$10 a month for 500 mb
$20 for 1 GB
$35 for 2 gb
$50 for 4 GB
Mar 20, 2012 | 7:16 am
#4
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No ads.
At least according to the story in the Globe.
United Online isnt offsetting its costs by making users look at advertising, as it did with its original offer of free dial-up Internet access. The free users will be money-losers for the company, said Mark Goldston, United Online chairman and chief executive. That means United Online is using the free plan as a way to lure customers with the hope of upselling them to paying plans, which start at $9.95 per month.
I think they want to get you hooked, run up your data, and at 199 MB you will want to cough up the $10 to get to 500 MB. The catch, of course, is
If they switch to a paid plan, they wont be able switch back to the free one.
It's the drug dealer mentality, get them hooked for free, and once the habit gets the best of them and they can't live with the free stuff anymore, sell them the upgrade. Cut off their free stuff and they are hooked.
At least according to the story in the Globe.
United Online isnt offsetting its costs by making users look at advertising, as it did with its original offer of free dial-up Internet access. The free users will be money-losers for the company, said Mark Goldston, United Online chairman and chief executive. That means United Online is using the free plan as a way to lure customers with the hope of upselling them to paying plans, which start at $9.95 per month.
I think they want to get you hooked, run up your data, and at 199 MB you will want to cough up the $10 to get to 500 MB. The catch, of course, is
If they switch to a paid plan, they wont be able switch back to the free one.
It's the drug dealer mentality, get them hooked for free, and once the habit gets the best of them and they can't live with the free stuff anymore, sell them the upgrade. Cut off their free stuff and they are hooked.
Mar 20, 2012 | 8:06 am
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Mar 20, 2012 | 8:14 am
#7
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They're reselling Clearwire's network, which is Sprint's Wimax network. Sprint is rolling out LTE, however, so the Wimax network will probably not be expanded much beyond its current footprint.
More info: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/...est-on-319.ars
More info: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/...est-on-319.ars
Mar 20, 2012 | 8:15 pm
#9
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Wirelessly posted (Apple iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B176 Safari/7534.48.3)
And the service will be free for the subscriber's first year only. After that, monthly charges will apply for those who wish to retain the service.
I thought briefly about it for my parents who travel occasionally for business and do not have smartphones, but the one-year limit ended it for me.
And the service will be free for the subscriber's first year only. After that, monthly charges will apply for those who wish to retain the service.
I thought briefly about it for my parents who travel occasionally for business and do not have smartphones, but the one-year limit ended it for me.
Mar 20, 2012 | 9:01 pm
#10
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Because you'd rather pay anything for a two-year contract, or have no service at all, than get free service for a year?
Mar 20, 2012 | 10:44 pm
#11
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At the $50 level it makes no sense to go with NetZero - you might as well go with ClearWire and get unlimited 4G for about $57 a month all in. And a Clear USB modem will fall back to 3G as needed.
Mar 21, 2012 | 7:43 am
#12
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Mar 21, 2012 | 8:08 am
#13
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Clear offers no contract plans, so there is no two year commitment. They also offer a $35 a month but at a lower speed for or $50 for a higher speed connection (when available). Both unlimited data.
Though I don't believe they sell any dual mode (3G/4G) devices anymore, everything they do is only 4G now. They announced that change at the end of October. Supposedly the move was to make it less of a competitor to Sprint, it's largest wholesaler.
Mar 21, 2012 | 8:08 am
#14
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For very occasional use, I still find the Verizon option (using with my embedded Gobi chip) the best - especially when I can buy refills off of Craigslist at 50% from people who thought they were buying Virgin refills 
I also believe that Cricket offers a no-contract plan, if their coverage area works for you. Plenty of used Cricket modems on CL too.
I also believe that Cricket offers a no-contract plan, if their coverage area works for you. Plenty of used Cricket modems on CL too.