Plans now include hotspotting

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Plans now include hotspotting

corksta

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#282660 4-Mar-2021 16:53

I came across this by accident and hadn’t seen any communication around it, but I noticed my Endless Group plan now comes with 100GB of full speed data, up from 40GB, with up to 10GB of that being allowed for hotspotting, all for the same price.

Their website also shows the Endless $79 plan getting 5GB of hotspotting included.

So just a small PSA there for anyone else who didn’t know. Also, about time they caught up with including hotspotting in their plans!

jjnz1

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#2667853 4-Mar-2021 18:05

What happens if you put the Spark 100gb simcard in a 4g router? You only get 10gb data?

cokemaster

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#2667857 4-Mar-2021 18:14

They’re a few years late. It’s great that they’re going upwards from 40GB but it still feels like a budget airliner when they only allow for 10gb hot spotting (only marginally better than charging for it).

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networkn

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#2667869 4-Mar-2021 18:33

Same with VF (not sure when that was introduced) when I checked my plan.

chevrolux

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#2667872 4-Mar-2021 18:44

I'm wondering how they actually count the traffic separately? Do they just inspect hops or something?

jjnz1

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#2667873 4-Mar-2021 19:21

I was looking at options last month of moving my business connections to Spark, and was told by an account manager that new truely unlimited plans are currently being trialed.

Basically you pick an unlimited plan and then pick a max download speed and you get truly unlimited data up to that speed.

Ie 5mb unlimited, 20mb unlimited, 50mb unlimited etc.

I wonder if these will be subjected to weird hotspotting caps? Or no hotspotting.

networkn

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#2667905 4-Mar-2021 20:14

chevrolux: I'm wondering how they actually count the traffic separately? Do they just inspect hops or something?

I used to inspect hops, but the beer makers complained it slowed them down!

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#2667925 4-Mar-2021 20:30

@jjnz1 I sincerely doubt that they’d offer flat rate mobile services based on speed outside of a very limited pool.

It’s very difficult to guarantee speeds on mobile networks due to capacity, coverage and the fact that it would completely cannibalise their fixed wireless base.

Maybe something that they could consider on 5G where you have a bit more headroom but 5G is significantly limited by its coverage footprint.

I suspect softcaps/throttle on cap plans will be around for some time.

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Oblivian

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#2667962 4-Mar-2021 22:25

chevrolux: I'm wondering how they actually count the traffic separately? Do they just inspect hops or something?

I think TTL. Taking 1 of each packet. So if you have a 2nd device or hotspot acting as a router. Drops before it gets to the 2nd device.

Or something like that.

boosacnoodle

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#2668095 5-Mar-2021 09:49

Oblivian:

I think TTL. Taking 1 of each packet. So if you have a 2nd device or hotspot acting as a router. Drops before it gets to the 2nd device.

Or something like that.

Correct

gehenna

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#2668160 5-Mar-2021 11:21

$59 plan doesn't.

MikeB4

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#2668162 5-Mar-2021 11:26

I noticed the change on my plan ($79p/m) a couple of days ago. I did a focus survey last month about this but had not received any comms regarding changes to my plan.

antonknee

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#2674774 15-Mar-2021 11:18

jjnz1: I was looking at options last month of moving my business connections to Spark, and was told by an account manager that new truely unlimited plans are currently being trialed.

Basically you pick an unlimited plan and then pick a max download speed and you get truly unlimited data up to that speed.

Ie 5mb unlimited, 20mb unlimited, 50mb unlimited etc.

I wonder if these will be subjected to weird hotspotting caps? Or no hotspotting.

Vodafone in the UK use this model - their plans are "fastest available", up to 10 Mbps, up to 2 Mbps.

Actually I notice so do Vodafone AU, the headline data is at max speed and then the endless portion is throttled to 2/10/25 Mbps. They have an endless mobile plan with a whopping 500gb of included max speed data...