MBB 2012 (Prepaid Summary)

To summarize, prepaid is available from providers such as
- Verizon

- T-Mobile

- Virgin Mobile (using the Sprint network)

Verizon has two options:

- 3GB for $60/month ($20/GB)

- 10GB for $90/month ($9/GB)

T-Mobile has several options:

- 1.5GB for $25/month ($16.67/GB)

- 3.5GB for $35/month ($10/GB)

- 5.0GB for $50/month ($10/GB)

Virgin Mobile has two options:

- 2GB for $35/month ($17.50/GB)

- 5GB for $55/month ($11/GB)

Going by a pure dollars per gigabyte metric, the $9/GB is the lowest cost, but it is also the highest usage bucket. IF you think you'd actually use 10GB in a month.

In the 5GB range, it's a choice between Virgin Mobile and T-Mobile.

T-Mobile offers a 3.5GB if you don't think you'd use up 5GB in a month.

Verizon's 3GB for $60/month is the most expensive per GB, followed by Virgin Mobile's 2GB for $35/month.

T-Mobile's 1.5GB for $25/month appears to be targeted at folks that want an inexpensive plan, but it's the third most expensive in the per gigabyte metric.

From a dollars per month perspective,

- for $25 a month, you have T-Mobile for 1.5GB

- for $35 a month, you have a choice between T-Mobile 3.5GB and Virgin Mobile 2GB. Both have nationwide coverage, but, perhaps, maybe the Sprint network behind Virgin would be better. However if you're not roaming much outside major cities, the larger T-Mobile bucket may be your better choice.

I'm not going to provide an opinion on the more expensive plans.

Here is actual usage for almost two years. For the most part, usage is below 1GB/month.

MBB 2012 (Sprint)

Offerings from Sprint

Not sure who is going to pay for the 5GB, $59.99/month when you can get 6GB for $49.99/month with 3G/4G capability. It doesn't say 'hotspot', so it's not a candidate in this post.

MBB 2012 (Verizon)

Verizon offers a prepaid plan

and a postpaid plan

Ouch! But Verizon's nationwide coverage is good.

MBB 2012 (T-Mobile)

I still like T-Mobile with their 'overage free' (read: reduced speeds) plans.

I don't like being nickeled and dimed for usage.

4G hotspots starts at $99.99

MBB 2012 (Virgin Mobile)

Time for an update. Virgin Mobile (powered by Sprint), has 4G hotspots

Of course, the 3G/4G mobile hotspot is $119.99 new. But look at the UNLIMITED 4G data.

Broadband in the shadows

In reading Eric Mack's article regarding rural broadband, it got me thinking. I looked up a map for Austin, Texas, and for the most part, subscription is pretty good in the 80-100% range. (http://investigativereportingworkshop.org/investigations/broadband-adoption/htmlmulti/broadband-adoption-map/). But stray just a bit outside, and this drops to 20-40%. Mind you, this is just subscription, not availability.

Out in the sticks, both cable and DSL are available for a price. DSL is stuck in the 1.5MBps range, while cable is higher. However, the subscription rate to broadband appears to be 20-40%.

Connected Texas published a report which shows that shows that Texas is going mobile.

However, while there is mobile broadband likely available in the areas where fixed broadband is at 20-40%, the speeds is not even 3G, so, mobile broadband is not really an option/choice in place of fixed broadband. It is very likely that folks that do not subscribe to fixed broadband actually have a mobile phone and a mobile phone that is capable of mobile broadband. BUT there is no 3G/4G from the cell towers.

If Texas is to claim a high percentage of mobile broadband availability/usage, the mobile providers should make this a reality with at least 3G service.