Wireless data plans

Earlier this week Jupiter analyst Julie Ask posted on her blog that Vodaphone was planning to offer a pre-paid mobile data plan that didn't lock users into a monthly payment or annual subscription. I'm not sure if paying by the byte is the way to go but it's still better than the by-the-byte monthly plans out there.

IMHO, the network operators need to make the all-you-can-eat data plans more affordable, especially for the high-speed data networks like Verizon's EV-DO network.

Ask rightfully states that unless you're a frequent traveler or your company is paying, it is hard "to justify $60 to $80 per month in data access fees"

My Cingular GPRS unlimited plan is $25 a month. The speeds seem slower than the old 14.4 dial up days so I can't wait to get my hands on a smartphone with both high-speed data and wi-fi capabilities like the Samsung i730. However, $44.99 a month for Verizon's EV-DO is just too expensive, especially when it's not available in the San Francisco Bay Area yet.

The carriers need to lower the unlimited prices to home broadband prices. This will drive adoption, network traffic and ultimately revenue for their services, since it allows users to explore the network and try new things....

via Julie Ask's Jupiter Blog