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Unlimited and Uncapped EV-DO Data Available From Cricket Wireless
Cricket Wireless has just rolled out a new data unlimited offering — $35 per month for a Kyocera KPC650 laptop data card and unlimited EV-DO Rev. 0 data access.
The regional CDMA2000/EV-DO carrier’s offering should attract significant market attention not only for its unprecedented low wireless data price (undercutting even Sprint’s SERO data card offering by $15/month), but also for the promise by Cricket that the data plan is truly “unlimited.” Verizon and AT&T have both been the targets of criticism from American consumers recently for their mobile data cards offered with unlimited data transfer, while the carriers actually impose a “soft cap” of 5GB per month on the accounts. Cricket’s data plan will be completely unlimited and uncapped, and Cricket representatives are encouraging users to replace their home broadband connection with it — similar to their previous push to get customers away from dedicated home phone lines in favor of Cricket Wireless phones with unlimited local calling.
It is worth noting that Cricket’s offering is only for slower EV-DO Rev. 0 service (with approximate transfer rates between 500 – 700 Kbps) while the other major CDMA carriers offer faster EV-DO Rev. A data cards and AT&T offers up 3G access on their speedy UMTS/HSDPA network. Cricket and their services are also available in many fewer markets, hindering nationwide coverage and ruling the low-priced option out altogether for many potential buyers. Still, it is hard to deny the appeal of an unlimited wireless data card plan for $35/month — hopefully Cricket’s move coupled with the recent $99.99/month unlimited plans launched by all of the major American carriers will spur greater competition for wireless data cards as well.
Cricket’s Kyocera KPC650 laptop data card runs $59.99 after rebates. The service is available only in Nashville, Spokane, Portland, Central California, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque.
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i live in centail ny zip 13146 could i find out when service will be avalible in my area.
Now Sprint has capped their EV-DO service too
If the service is only available in such a very small number of selected markets, then the nationwide advertising of this service is misleading. Put a disclaimer on the ads or only run them on local television in the markets where the service is available.
The only thing Unlimited is the limits!
——Quote:-from:www.mycricket.com/cricketplans/details/broadband)
————–
“Throughput may be limited if use exceeds 5GB per month. Internet browsing does not include: hosted computer
applications, continuous web camera or broadcast, automatic data feeds, machine-to-machine connections, peer to peer (P2P) connections or other applications that denigrate network capacity or functionality.
Requires new activation and up to $25 activation fee. Taxes and fees extra. Unlimited coverage not available everywhere; coverage maps. See Acceptable Use Policy for more information.”
———end quote——
(in Spokane) Cricket Speeds average about 407/129kbps D/U with very high latency and loss levels. Most of the ports other then tcp/ip 80 are blocked also no (long term) contract works both ways so, expect your bill to creep upward..
Cricket is also offering the service in Tulsa, OK, and possibly Oklahoma City, too. I’ve had it in Tulsa for about three months. My laptop and move around a lot and it’s nice not to have to worry about the availability of local free Wi-Fi or carrying a long Cat-5 cable and a place to plug it. It’s not the fastest in the world but it’s better than the old way.
The UTStarcom UM100C USB EVDO MODEM (EVDO Rev A capable) is also available, at higher price than the Kyocera KPC650 laptop data card mentioned above, but there may be a rebate which drops the price considerably. Like some of the Sprint USB air cards, the UM100C is provided with a Y-cable so it may pull power from two USB ports, if necessary, in low signal strength areas.
My data rates are not even close to the 500-700 Kbps EVDO Rev 0 data rates I expected, but in all fairness, the area in which I live is not noted for good reception of any broadcast signals, radio/TV(especially Digital)/cell. As I type this I’m d/ling a 36.35 MB printer driver for Vista from HP and the Session Information display provided by Smith-Micro, the folks who apparently wrote Crickets “QuickLink Mobile” software, shows a data rate in the high-90s/low-100s Kbps (Kbits). I don’t believe I’ve exceeded the 5GB per month limit, but I question if I’m not being “limited”.
The d/l just finished: 36.35 MB at 57:45, for a data rate of 10.74 KBps (KBytes).
I would suggest to Cricket they examine the definition of the word “unlimited”! Seems to me that NetZero found out the definition of “unlimited” in a court of law. Those who don’t know history are bound to repeat the same mistakes.
My understanding is that Cricket is expanding the network, perhaps slower than we might like, but it is expanding. Now if we could just drag Cricket kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, with at least EVDO Rev A….
Steven, based on the data rates that you are quoting, it sounds like you are not in an EV-DO coverage area. It sounds like you are in a 1xRTT coverage area.
Chriss is right, The speeds you are getting means you are not in a “3G” network area, also known as EVDO. you are in a 1xRTT, which transfers at 10KB/sec……I got suckered into buying this thing, I was like YES! high speed internet that i can take on the road!, however the whole city is suppose to be 3G, but I’ve been to more then 15 locations around the city, and have only gotten 1xRTT, yes it works, but its not worth the 40$ a month im paying for this thing, if it was 15$ i would keep it for that speed. Most of the EVDO is coming from sprint anyway, Cricket support was actually pretty good, they said they would move my ticket to Level 2 support. Hopefully they get back to me, but they informed me theyve been a little under staffed @_@……..
In short, I will end up returning it, I’m going to try to get a 3G network somewhere, but I cant stand 1xRTT!!! Did Cricket lie in my area that they offered 3G? who knows…………..
-Rich
1xRTT is a 3G technology (CDMA2000 is generally accepted as the baseline of 3G voice and data). So no, Cricket did not lie to you.
HOW DO I VIEW PICTURES SENT ON MY PC THROUGH BROADBAND
Cricket is turning out to be a shitty little company rin by morons, in my opinion.
Don’t do business with circket. You might as well go with a company that cares about its customers and does not lie to them.
cricket is capped at 5g, the unlimited refers to the dialup speed you get after you have reached the 5g , the definition of unlimited they are using is foggy at best and i have sent this on to the better business bureau , i have two voice lines with cricket and always seem to have some small amount due after the bill has been paid