Sprint May Change Wireless Contract to Limit Data Usage

Here's some bad wireless contract news for Sprint Data subscribers.

According to sources at the Sprintusers. com forum, Sprint will be updating its Terms Of Service or wireless contract in mid-July and will be capping its mobile broadband data usage at 5GB. A sad bit of news for subscribers who enjoyed the unlimited services of "best data" carrier.

Here's the statement that conveyed the decision:

Sprint reserves the right to limit throughput speeds or amount of data transferred and to deny, terminate, modify, or suspend service if usage exceeds 5GB per month in total or 300MB/month while off-network roaming. Check your subscriber agreement rights on Sprint.com

Before this disheartening announcement, Sprint was praised for offered truly unlimited mobile broadband. Remember that once the new Terms Of Service or Cwireless contract policy becomes active, users who go over the 5GB cap, or a 300MB roaming cap will incur extra fees. This policy will be applied to both network cards as well as tethering mobile phones to laptops.

Sad as it may seem this decision is not out of line with other carriers. AT&T and Verizon Wireless also impose the same limitations to subscribers. I guess, it's in Sprint's interest to place the cap on mobile broadband data usage. However, these means that many Sprint subscribers will migrate to other carriers. I thought Sprint was trying to keep their subscribers from migrating to other networks.

Some experts say that the CAP could be rolled out in advance of the QChat introduction. Sprint may have a vested interested in cleaning up their network throughput because QChat will replace the older iDen Direct Connect and requires EVDO Rev A. The impact of the data cap on the widely anticipated WIMAX rollout is an object of interest for those in the know.

Anyway, this is being seen by some as a good opportunity to cancel their Sprint wireless contract due to a material change in the policy. Disappointed subscribers have the normal 30 day window to cancel without paying the ETF or early termination fee fee. If you have been waiting for a good opportunity of getting out of a Sprint wireless contract then this maybe your chance.