Carriers assume most people most of the time won't use their full allocation of minutes and data -- this is 'breakage' and is built into their pricing. If they

Carriers assume most people most of the time won't use their full allocation of minutes and data -- this is 'breakage' and is built into their pricing. If they charged on usage, the rates would look worse even if it was 'honest'. It is something I would love to see, but the market can never make it stick. I don't understand your point about a 'cheap local provider' -- they are all using the same towers, even if you get better rates from a cheaper Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) like Boost or Mint. Their rates are lower because they buy data in bulk and just manage sales and support. You don't arbitrarily get to choose city vs rural coverage, it is the same network infrastructure in the end.