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There are significant logistical differences between the US and Switzerland. One has 327 million people and an area of 9.8 million square kilometers (36 people

by einr 8y ago

There are significant logistical differences between the US and Switzerland. One has 327 million people and an area of 9.8 million square kilometers (36 people per Km2). The other has 8.4 million people and 41 thousand square kilometers (216 people per Km2). Okay, but here in Sweden, with a population density of 22 people/km2, my mobile 4G internet plan has unlimited data, unlimited calls and messages for $55/month. I use it for both my phone and my 4G router at home. It's my only Internet connection since I live in a very rural place (a village of ~150 inhabitants in the north). I get about 13 Mbps downloads -- it would be much better if I was closer to a tower. In cities in Sweden, which are all very small and not very dense, you can usually get 100 or 1000 Mbps fibre connections for something like $40 a month. I am also not aware of a single cell data provider in Sweden that has ever tried to disable or charge for tethering.

peterwwillis 8y ago
Sweden has the 4th highest internet usage in the world, the 5th highest mobile broadband usage in the world, and the second fastest average internet speeds. So, you may not be the best comparison either. In Wyoming, USA, the population density is 2.31/km2. But 100% of the people can get at least 10Mbps internet, 79% have >25Mbps internet. But again, big states, bigger country, and due to both governmental differences, differences in internet providers, and the different costs of providing service in different regions, we don't spread the cost of service out evenly. It looks really easy when you're looking at the problem from 40,000 feet. On the ground, it's much more complicated. I don't get the deal with tethering here, either, but I think there are probably reasons for it. If any provider here just threw tethering in for free, while undercutting the cost of the competitors, people would flock to them. The fact that this doesn't happen means it's probably hard to make money on it, for reasons unknown.
- usefulcat 8y ago
  I've had tethering for years from t-mobile in the US. I've had at least two different plans over that time, and I don't recall ever having to explicitly request it or pay extra to get it.
  - checkyoursudo 8y ago
    In 2006~ish, I think I had to pay t-mobile about $10-20/mo to be able to tether my Moto Razr at fairly low speeds but unlimited data. By the time I jailbreak'd an iPhone for use on the network, I didn't have to pay anything extra beyond the plan data, so it's been quite a long time.
  - peterwwillis 8y ago
    Like all the other US providers, plans change frequently, very few have unlimited plans, and none that I know of have unlimited-speed unlimited-data tethering plans. Currently, for $45, the best you can get on T-Mobile is 4GB of unlimited-speed tethered data, and for $70 you can get 512KB/s tethering. The cheapest mostly-unlimited data plan (including fewer limits for tethering) for one line costs $95. Older plans, which had cost less and had less limits, have been mostly phased out. Another sad irony is to get the cheaper plan, you have to get a credit check, which dents your credit score, just to acquire a "pre-paid" plan. Also, T-Mobile's website seems to have been scrubbed of their prepaid plans, so probably you can only find details via interrogating their salespeople.

by einr 8y ago

peterwwillis 8y ago

Sweden has the 4th highest internet usage in the world, the 5th highest mobile broadband usage in the world, and the second fastest average internet speeds. So, you may not be the best comparison either. In Wyoming, USA, the population density is 2.31/km2. But 100% of the people can get at least 10Mbps internet, 79% have >25Mbps internet. But again, big states, bigger country, and due to both governmental differences, differences in internet providers, and the different costs of providing service in different regions, we don't spread the cost of service out evenly. It looks really easy when you're looking at the problem from 40,000 feet. On the ground, it's much more complicated. I don't get the deal with tethering here, either, but I think there are probably reasons for it. If any provider here just threw tethering in for free, while undercutting the cost of the competitors, people would flock to them. The fact that this doesn't happen means it's probably hard to make money on it, for reasons unknown.

usefulcat 8y ago
I've had tethering for years from t-mobile in the US. I've had at least two different plans over that time, and I don't recall ever having to explicitly request it or pay extra to get it.
- checkyoursudo 8y ago
  In 2006~ish, I think I had to pay t-mobile about $10-20/mo to be able to tether my Moto Razr at fairly low speeds but unlimited data. By the time I jailbreak'd an iPhone for use on the network, I didn't have to pay anything extra beyond the plan data, so it's been quite a long time.
- peterwwillis 8y ago
  Like all the other US providers, plans change frequently, very few have unlimited plans, and none that I know of have unlimited-speed unlimited-data tethering plans. Currently, for $45, the best you can get on T-Mobile is 4GB of unlimited-speed tethered data, and for $70 you can get 512KB/s tethering. The cheapest mostly-unlimited data plan (including fewer limits for tethering) for one line costs $95. Older plans, which had cost less and had less limits, have been mostly phased out. Another sad irony is to get the cheaper plan, you have to get a credit check, which dents your credit score, just to acquire a "pre-paid" plan. Also, T-Mobile's website seems to have been scrubbed of their prepaid plans, so probably you can only find details via interrogating their salespeople.