On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:03:15 -0700, "Tinman" <ask@for.it> wrote in
<581qvbF2evo31U1@mid.individual.net>:

>"John Navas" wrote:
>>
>> The price point for handset (not tethered) data seems to be $10-20 per
>> month. Tethered data seems likely to stay at a premium over wired
>> broadband, $40-80 per month.
>
>That's a rather big range. At $80 it will remain a niche market--a shrinking
>market if WiFi coverage gets larger.

Those price ranges cover ranges of speed and capability, just as pricing
varies in the wired market. I could easily see full HSDPA/EV-DO speed
only at the high end of the price range, with capped speed at the low
end of the price range, and even $80 as a viable option with that kind
of speed. Wi-Fi is too balkanized to really compete with the
flexibility and ubiquitousness of fast 3+G data. WiMAX might be a
different story, especially given all the money Sprint is throwing at
it, but mobile WiMAX is still a long way off (at best).

>In addition, the "must have a plan" thing is getting old. Like Stephan
>wrote, I also encounter WiFi, or wired Ethernet, in most of my business
>traveling. There is no way I'll be willing to pay $80 a month for the few
>times WiFi isn't available--not even $40 per month.

Different strokes I guess -- like most of the people I know, I too often
find I can't get Wi-Fi or wired Internet, and don't see the need to have
a data package as much of an issue (especially if business picks up the
tab), which is why I'm now happily using HSDPA for much (most?) of my
Internet access.

>I would be willing to pay a fair price for occasional use, but not at the
>per-megabyte rate (last I checked rates, anyway). Actually, I recently
>turned down paying $9.95 for a day of WiFi usage at IAH airport (Houston).
>Considering I was only there for a few hours, had just flown in from (and
>was headed to) an airport that had free WiFi, and would have had to supply
>CC and other info over the apparently unsecured WLAN I didn't think it was
>worth it. ...

That's my point, why I think a 3+G data package is better than relying
on finding Wi-Fi or wired Internet. I've got wireless data pretty much
wherever I am at a flat price per month. I think that's pretty
compelling.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>