FYI US Mobile has an interesting developmment

[kenn10]

It sounds as if they may be offering seemless service access cross multiple vendors simultaneously. I am very happy with US Mobile and saving a ton of money with a shared data pool between phones. The data pool is common to the phones regardless of which vendor you use. My pool services both T-Mobile and Verizon accounts on my plan.

Could next week's big US Mobile mystery news be support for more than one network at once?

It seems that the new teaser might have to do with more than just Dark Star, as an upcoming multi-network feature may also be launching.

www.androidauthority.com

 

[atsak]

I wonder if they'll let me use it primarily in Canada. AT&T doesn't care, but the rest do and have a "primarily used in the USA" restriction. I can't find anything about it on their web site.

 

[kenn10]

I haven't seen any language about it. Post in their Reddit and I'm sure they will respond:

https://www.reddit.com/r/USMobile/

 

[wardmundy]

Here's a link to a 7-page PDF summary of the CEO's responses concerning their new unlimited plan.

 

[kenn10]

It looks like they're saying it is unlimited, even for hot-spot within reason. But if you replace your home internet with usinig hotspot, they'll catch it and disallow. Sounds like they don't care while you're roaming or away from home. Again, it all depends on whether excessive hotspot usage is flaged.

 

[Halea]

Here's a link to a 7-page PDF summary of the CEO's responses concerning their new unlimited plan.

I hate to say this but the CEO basically has told his audience to "bear with him and he will be playing by ear this time around".
He is basically saying "unlimited" is until "the straw breaks the camel's back", and frankly there is nothing wrong with that approach, except maybe, he should come forward and say it clearly rather than in half-words.
Even Tmobile's home internet service has some hyperbolic language giving the company the right to limit your bandwidth and/or your speed if you "abuse" the product, although the nature of the term is ill defined, or actually not defined at all! I guess it's the nature of the beast...
At the end of the day one needs to take the "big-picture" into consideration, aka "the aggregate of what's you're getting for the price that you're paying".
Some peculiar use cases will be dissatisfied. Some, probably many will be satisfied. And this is how the game is played in this day and age!
But all things considered, given the monthly rate, I think the deal still stands out as an excellent deal.

 

[kenn10]

If you're using 500 gig of hotspot data in a week, I have no doubt that their AI that monitors the system will catch it. They don't talk about it much lately but they have an extensive monitoring system using AI. It makes ongoing recommendations about the best carrier or how to maximize your plan. I suspect they will let the system monitor and watch for outliers and then make decisions as the exceptions pop up. He made it clear that this is not to be used as a replacement for home internet service. I suspect its going to be a good deal for those who find AT&T service acceptable.

I used hotspot data from two phones on Sunday and Monday when high winds knocked out trees and poles and took out our internet backbone. I used about 8 gigs of my 10 gig data pool via my Warp plan and raised no flags. I would have used more data had the cell tower not been gridlocked from everyone else using it during the internet outage.

 

[kenn10]

I’ve had lots of questions about the hotspot usage on the new Unlimited Premium plan on Dark Star, Well US Mobile just updated their fair usage policy and I will copy and paste it below so everyone can see the specifics on the policy.

Prohibited Uses – The following uses of hotspot data are strictly disallowed:

1. Replacing Home Internet – Using the hotspot as a substitute for a dedicated home internet connection, including, but not limited to:
Relying solely on the hotspot for household internet needs instead of subscribing to a residential broadband service.
Routinely using the hotspot for high-bandwidth activities that are typical of home internet usage, such as:
Streaming high-definition content on a TV, gaming console, or other non-mobile devices.
Downloading large files (multi-gigabyte games, software, or videos) when home Wi-Fi is available.
Use as an internet connection in a mobile home or RV will be considered home internet replacement and is disallowed.

2. Continuous or Always-On Connectivity – The hotspot may not be used as an ongoing, always-active internet connection, including but not limited to:
Using the hotspot as a primary internet source for work, gaming, or streaming on a daily basis.
Keeping the hotspot connected for extended, uninterrupted periods.
Example: A user who works remotely and continuously relies on the hotspot for their entire workday or as their sole internet source, even outside a fixed home/location, is in violation.

3. Reselling or Sharing the Connection – Users may not:
Provide or sell hotspot access to third parties.
Share the connection in a way that mimics an ISP (e.g., a home network setup distributing the hotspot connection to multiple users for prolonged use).

4. Unauthorized Devices – The plan is strictly limited to mobile phones and tablets. Use on any other devices, including but not limited to, the following devices is prohibited:
Routers, modems, or any network extension devices.
IoT (Internet of Things) devices, including smart home hubs, security cameras, or cloud-based virtual machines.
Any non-mobile device designed to function as a permanent internet connection.

Hotspot Abuse Indicators & Enforcement
US Mobile actively monitors network usage to prevent abuse. The following patterns may trigger potential enforcement actions and/or a manual review:

1. Excessive Hotspot Usage Patterns
The majority of a user’s data consumption is via hotspot, with little to no direct phone usage.
The user exceeds 200 GB of hotspot usage within a billing cycle or 25 GB in a single day.
The user consistently uses more hotspot data than regular mobile data over consecutive days.

2. Unauthorized Device Usage
Any activity detected from non-permitted devices (e.g., routers, modems, IoT devices).

3. Continuous and Uninterrupted Hotspot Usage
The hotspot remains active for long, uninterrupted durations, indicating that it is functioning as a replacement for traditional home or business internet.

The above patterns are not exhaustive; additional patterns or meta-data that US Mobile determines are indicative of abuse may also trigger enforcement actions and a manual review.
Enforcement Actions:

If US Mobile observes any of the above patterns or a potential violation of these terms, the following actions may be taken until a manual review is completed:

Throttling – Reducing hotspot speeds after a threshold is exceeded.

Temporary Suspension – Hotspot access may be disabled temporarily.

Termination of Service – Repeated violations or extreme abuse may result in account suspension or termination.

 

[wardmundy]

In other words, don't use the HotSpot for any of the normal things that people use HotSpots for.

 

[Samot]

In other words, don't use the HotSpot for any of the normal things that people use HotSpots for.

Such as? Browsing? Checking email? What normal things are you referring to exactly? Because even at 1080p, that's about 8 hours of video.

 

[kenn10]

I've never understood how someone could need unlimited data if they are just using their phone without hotspot.

 

[Samot]

I've never understood how someone could need unlimited data if they are just using their phone without hotspot.

I work from home which means the amount of time I have to travel to/from an office or location is rather limited. But I did do a bunch of errands and traveling back and forth to places in the last month. Because of the roughly 6-8 hours of consistent driving (any thing that took more than 20 minutes) I used about 2G of data on Apple Music alone. My hotspot usage for my laptop was about 1G. Then roughly another 1G in various other apps. If I was traveling back and forth to an office daily my Apple Music data would be much higher than 2G.

Since WWE is now on Netflix in Canada, my Netflix usage has gone up because I'll throw on Raw or Smackdown while I'm out in the garage or doing things around the house so I can watch it without having to drag my laptop every where around the house. Now imagine people much younger than us that use their phones for everything. Watching videos on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, X, etc. etc. etc. all of this can start to add up over a 30 day period.

 

[mbellot]

Watching videos on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, X, etc. etc. etc. all of this can start to add up over a 30 day period.

It adds up to some serious brain rot.

 

[wardmundy]

Keep in mind that U.S. Mobile advertised this as Unlimited HotSpot. The good news is U.S. Mobile will grudgingly give you your money back if you press them hard enough and long enough. Took me about 30 minutes. The Reddit evidence you will need is attached. It shows the CEO saying RV usage was perfectly fine only to turn around days later in their revised Terms of Service and say RV usage was prohibited. Kinda funny that a company is called U.S. Mobile when the CEO and all the reps have middle eastern names.

Bottom line: Visible+ from Verizon is currently $35/month with truly unlimited hotspot usage and no bait and switch. Use our referral link for $20 off.

 

[S777A]

It sounds pretty good. Is it better than T-mobile?

 

[wardmundy]

It sounds pretty good. Is it better than T-mobile?

No.

 

[KNERD]

Maybe this would be a better idea? Hello Elon?

https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/satellite-phone-service

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These Are the Phones That Work With T-Mobile's Cellular Starlink Service

T-Mobile's cellular Starlink service can run on Apple's iPhone 14 and up, the Samsung Galaxy S21 and above, and more. But if you're on a rival carrier, make sure your phone is unlocked.

www.pcmag.com

 

[kenn10]

Starlink has a long ways to go to become a ubiquitous smartphone service. Enough to text right now but it will take a lot of LEO satellites to provide full voice and data capability. Even then, if you're in an area with crappy or no cell service, you won't be able to use it indoors unless you also have a Starlink data system or some other internet access and can get on the wifi.

 

[dghundt]

Didn't Visible have some service bumps in the road after the initial family/friend group sign ups?

 

[kenn10]

When I had Visible, sign up and billing was no issue. The problem I had with Visible was that the data was so de-prioritized that you could barely use it. When travelling along an interstate, the navigation could not get enough data to keep up. I eventually dumped them a couple of years ago and went with T-Mobile's seniors plan. Then they raised the rates and were not putting any investment to improving service in my area. That's when I discovered US Mobile and switched.

I have not experienced any de-prioritization issues on my T-Mobile (Lightspeed) or Verizon (Warp). My T-Mobile service still sucks in my home area but is excellent where their service is prominent. My Verizon service is just LTE in my home area but gives exellent 5G service when I'm out of the area. Having both T-Mo and Verizon on one phone has worked out quite well for me.

AT&T (Dark Star) with US Mobile has been a disaster for everyone trying it. They can't get Visual Voicemail or RCS working on a lot of phones and people's account authorizations on the AT&T network just drop for no reason. I would recommend against any Dark Star implentations until they shake out all the problems. AT&T also has the slowest 5G/LTE network of the three carriers.