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4g on Virgin is not unlimited

narutoninjakid

Android Enthusiast
i contacted virign mobile as im thinking of switcihing from MetroPCS to virgin mobile for teh htc evo v 4g. im disguted with metro and cant take it anmyomre. before metro i was on virgin mobile with the lg rumor 2 and it was good to me. however i never had a phone with 3g so is it any good ? ( i live in newark nj)

anyway when i aksed about the plan she said the limit of 2.5 gb is on 3g only and a 10 gb limit is placed on 4g. on virgins website they says unlimited 4g as if its unlimited. just wanted to let you guys know.


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According to the official releases by Virgin Mobile, that specialist is wrong (wouldn't be the first). I'd trust the official releases over an online chat specialist, I've dealt with them before and they are known to give incorrect information.
 
Honestly, I probably won't even hit the 2.5GB limit they have on 3G while using Wi-Max. What does Wi-Max get, 3MBs down, 1-2MBs up?
On WIFI i get 10 down, 8 up, and that is when I am watching youtube, my brother is on Xbox, Pandora is playing...
 
I think the chat rep was talking about the separate mobile Hotspot thingy and the wifi usb stick because it says on their website that those two are limited to 10GB. It says that with the Evo V 4G the limit is 2.5GB unless you pay the extra $15 per month for the mobile hotspot plan on the phone; then the limit is 3.5GB per month.
 
The 'service rep' (I use this term VERY loosely since it's probably some braindead yayhoo in Kazakstan somewhere) is mistakenly confusing the Mobile Hotspot devices and the 4G handsets.

The limit on 4G handsets (like the initial HTC EVO V) is 2.5GB, exceed that and you'll be capped at around 256kb/s just like the policy is with their pre-existing 3G handsets.

The 10GB allowance is ONLY if you buy one of their two standalone devices, the Overdrive Pro 3G/4G mobile hotspot of the U600 3G/4G USB stick.




If you visit the new teaser page which introduces 4G on VMU, you'll see:

"4G (WiMax) where available. All plans include 2.5GB/month of full speed data or 3.5GB/month with purchase of mobile hotspot enabled device and plan."

Hover over the 'more' next to the short disclaimer and you'll get an extended version.

Basically what it comes down to is any of the basic beyond talk plans will get you 2.5GB of 4G (WiMAX) data.. then you'll be capped at 256kb/s. Activate mobile hotspot for your phone and you'll get an extra gigabyte to play with.

That's it. No funny wording, hardly any room for misunderstanding.

Now I would hope that Sprint/VM pull their collective heads out of their rear ends and see that they really need to increase that to at least 5GB to compete with T-Mobile, but seeing as they apparently like the smell up there I wouldn't count on it.
 
Also on VM's NOWHERE does it say unlimited 4g or 3g. There isn't a single place. It may say unlimited DATA which could mean 50kp/s download and it will still be unlimited data ;)
 
"Only 3G data is throttled to 256 Kbps after 2.5 GB, there's no cap or throttle on 4G WiMAX at this time."

Where does it say that? Cuz on VMs website it says the first 2.5gb @ full speed data unless you pay for the tethering which would raise it to 3.5gb. Full speed implies that if you are in an area that has 4g that is the speeds you would be getting. I see that the mobile hotspot as in the DEVICE not the phone's hotspot gets unlimited 4g according to VMs site, but I still don't see anywhere where it talks about unlimited 4g data on a phone, but rather the opposite. I mean if you could provide some sources then that would be helpful, but I still think people are looking to hard for something that it says on VMs site...
 
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/boost-virgin-intro-prepaid-wimax-htc-evo-smartphones/2012-05-08

"The carrier said there will be no throttling or caps on its WiMAX service."

I know this isn't official (not on VM's website) but I have seen this in countless articles on the web and right now it's the only and most consistent "info" we have right now until VM's website either confirms or denies the claims in these articles. Personally, I don't think they will cap 4G right off the bat but maybe eventually and maybe even very soon. Considering the smaller area 4G covers and the fact they're trying to sell these new phones I personally would not expect an announcement of 4G throttling at least until these phones are out for a while.
 
VMs official announcement stated that it would be throttled after 2.5gb. The same one that announced the phone.

Official statement > 3rd party sites.
 
I gotta say tho, VM is inconsistent in their stories. Like with the Optimus Elite, they said any phones released after May 1st will be moved up to $35/month but it turned out that people were reporting that they still have their $25 plan in tact and even called VM to confirm. They later said people have up until the 20th or 21st, can't remember which, to swap to the Elite to keep their grandfathered plan.

Just wanted to point that out.

I'm hoping this is the same case about 4G speeds.
 

That very link from Sprint states: "Starting at just $35/month, customers can enjoy access to unlimited 4G data. Where 4G coverage is not available, the $35 plan keeps you connected with 2GB of 3G data. For $55/month, customers benefit from unlimited 4G data and a whopping 5GB of 3G data."

I'm confused by "unlimited 4G" followed by "2GB of 3G data".. why are they seperating the two if they are both one and the same as far as throttling?

Is this the link you were referring to, agent?

EDIT: NEVERMIND! I just saw the fine print foot-notes that signify 2.5GB of full speed 4G. I apologize. Still, that wording is very odd and misleading. Why not just say that within the main article instead of finely printed foot notes at the bottom of the page? ;)
 
That very link from Sprint states: "Starting at just $35/month, customers can enjoy access to unlimited 4G data. Where 4G coverage is not available, the $35 plan keeps you connected with 2GB of 3G data. For $55/month, customers benefit from unlimited 4G data and a whopping 5GB of 3G data."

I'm confused by "unlimited 4G" followed by "2GB of 3G data".. why are they seperating the two if they are both one and the same as far as throttling?

Is this the link you were referring to, agent?

EDIT: NEVERMIND! I just saw the fine print foot-notes that signify 2.5GB of full speed 4G. I apologize. Still, that wording is very odd and misleading. Why not just say that within the main article instead of finely printed foot notes at the bottom of the page? ;)

They like to confuse us lol
 
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