Bigger Data packs for 4G hotspots

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Bigger Data packs for 4G hotspots

woollettg

50 posts

Geek

#171982 7-May-2015 16:59

Hi
For the skinny reps who read this forum.
Could you please add bigger data only "combos".
I'm into Ingress and have a yagi/hotspot. Yet can only buy small blocks of data on the weekly options.
I don't want text or voice, just data and lots of it. say 1-3GB/month at a reasonable price.

Yabanize

2350 posts

Uber Geek

#1300032 7-May-2015 17:03

Have you seen https://www.skinny.co.nz/data-pack/

woollettg

50 posts

Geek

#1300457 8-May-2015 09:51

OK... Then expiry dates. WHY do you telcos do this? WE have paid for the data, it should roll over as in other plans. 2 Degrees does this also, one of the reasons why I ditched them.

Graeme

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

Uber Geek

#1300486 8-May-2015 10:03

woollettg: OK... Then expiry dates. WHY do you telcos do this? WE have paid for the data, it should roll over as in other plans. 2 Degrees does this also, one of the reasons why I ditched them.

Graeme

1) network planning - they need to be able to forecast when the data will be used
2) it costs money to keep customers on account, even if they aren't using the network - if you bought data that never expired, then you could spend a small amount up front, then be a 'customer' for ever, calling them up to check your balance etc, but only spending 10s of cents per month. You would be hugely unprofitable.

3) the way plan economics work is based on the assumption that people on average will only use a certain proportion of the data (e.g. 50%). If the data never expired, then this assumption would change to 100%, and so the network component of the plans would cost twice as much. Would you be willing to pay double the price for data that never expired?

woollettg

50 posts

Geek

#1300585 8-May-2015 12:15

From a consumer point of view that does suit the telcos profits well indeed.

Why discriminate against hot spots as opposed to multi-medium phone plans? Their data rolls over. Why should my hot spot the data not roll over?

On another matter which is linked is the the cost of plan and the network.

Most of us aren't stupid enough given the price of data to watch ultra HD videos off UTube or Netflix.
Yet we have new generations of networks - 4G and eventually 5G that cost huge amounts of money to build being pushed at us, that the telco's pass on to consumer.

I would be quite happy to elect a slower speed like say 2-5 mbps but more data at the same price point. I really can't see ANY advantage to having a 35mbs connection that will DEVOUR my costly data cap in 30secs.
Am I the only guy who sees the stupidity in this? MOST of US just don't need the speed that 4G offers!!!

Just my 2 cents

Behodar

10502 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1300611 8-May-2015 12:35

woollettg: MOST of US just don't need the speed that 4G offers!!!

You may not directly benefit from the increased speed, but 4G is much more efficient with spectrum. I'm in an area that's historically had very congested 3G but now has 4G. As more people buy 4G-capable phones, the 3G congestion is dropping off (it's about twice as fast as it was a year ago, although still only about a third as fast as it was back in 2010). Due to the more efficient nature of 4G it'll apparently be quite a while before congestion becomes a major problem there.

old3eyes

9119 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1300641 8-May-2015 12:54

Yabanize: Have you seen https://www.skinny.co.nz/data-pack

The problem there is you have to get a data only SIM. You can't use them on a normal phone SIM which is a pain. It seems like a throwback to the Telecom days where they had different SIMs for data and voice..

Regards,

Old3eyes

old3eyes

9119 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1300647 8-May-2015 12:58

NonprayingMantis:
woollettg: OK... Then expiry dates. WHY do you telcos do this? WE have paid for the data, it should roll over as in other plans. 2 Degrees does this also, one of the reasons why I ditched them.

Graeme

1) network planning - they need to be able to forecast when the data will be used
2) it costs money to keep customers on account, even if they aren't using the network - if you bought data that never expired, then you could spend a small amount up front, then be a 'customer' for ever, calling them up to check your balance etc, but only spending 10s of cents per month. You would be hugely unprofitable.

3) the way plan economics work is based on the assumption that people on average will only use a certain proportion of the data (e.g. 50%). If the data never expired, then this assumption would change to 100%, and so the network component of the plans would cost twice as much. Would you be willing to pay double the price for data that never expired?

I disagree with the above post . We pay for the data why should it expire in say 30 days and don't give me the BS about points 1 and 2 .

Regards,

Old3eyes