Sprint PCS - Need info on Sprint broadband access

Author

Need info on Sprint broadband access

George

2007-01-27, 10:34 pm

I'm trying to help a friend of mine get high-speed internet access.
He lives too far from town to have cable or DSL access, and is
currently on dial-up.

I've tried to look through the various Sprint web pages, but am
confused about a few things. Maybe someone can help clarify things.

1. Does the $59.99 unlimited broadband plan also require you to
subscribe to voice service to get that price? My friend has no
interest in Sprint cellphone service. He would just want the
internet service.

2. Same question about the discounts/rebates on the card itself,
the ones that reduce the card cost so much - any special
requirements to get those?

3. Is there an activation or setup fee?

4. Are all the cards sold now EVDO rev A cards? If not, wouldn't
it be best to get a rev A card since the network upgrade appears to
be nearing completion? If it matters, we're in Tulsa, OK, and the
coverage maps don't show rev A being here yet.

5. Is there a desktop version of the card? Or a way to make it
work in a desktop in a PCI slot?

5. Do you get a public IP when you establish the connection?

6. Is it really unlimited as to download volume? No "fair use"
speed cutbacks after so many megabytes?

7.. Does this whole thing actually work pretty well as someone's
primary internet access?

Any help would be appreciated.

Paul Miner

2007-01-27, 10:34 pm

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 18:07:36 -0600, George <gh424NO824SPAM@cox.net>
wrote:

>I'm trying to help a friend of mine get high-speed internet access.
>He lives too far from town to have cable or DSL access, and is
>currently on dial-up.
>
>I've tried to look through the various Sprint web pages, but am
>confused about a few things. Maybe someone can help clarify things.
>
>1. Does the $59.99 unlimited broadband plan also require you to
>subscribe to voice service to get that price? My friend has no
>interest in Sprint cellphone service. He would just want the
>internet service.

No.

>2. Same question about the discounts/rebates on the card itself,
>the ones that reduce the card cost so much - any special
>requirements to get those?
>
>3. Is there an activation or setup fee?
>
>4. Are all the cards sold now EVDO rev A cards? If not, wouldn't
>it be best to get a rev A card since the network upgrade appears to
>be nearing completion? If it matters, we're in Tulsa, OK, and the
>coverage maps don't show rev A being here yet.

Check Sprint's web site for current data card availability. I would
get a Rev A capable card, if it were me. They are backward compatible
so you're not giving up Rev 0 capability.

>5. Is there a desktop version of the card? Or a way to make it
>work in a desktop in a PCI slot?

Yes, there is a USB version of a data card, I believe, but I haven't
actually used or seen one other than on the web site. In addition,
vendors like Kyocera (KR-1) and Linksys/Cisco (WRT54G3GST), to name
two, make adapters that take a Sprint data card on the WAN side and
provide WiFi access on the LAN side, enabling easy hookup to a desktop
PC. They aren't PCI, though.
http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/kr1-router/
http://evdo-coverage.blogspot.com/2...a-kr1-evdo.html

>5. Do you get a public IP when you establish the connection?

Yes.

>6. Is it really unlimited as to download volume? No "fair use"
>speed cutbacks after so many megabytes?

Unlimited.

>7.. Does this whole thing actually work pretty well as someone's
>primary internet access?

My boss lives out in the country and has a choice of dialup or Sprint
data. He lives about a mile from a brand new Rev A tower that
primarily provides service to the highway, but he gets great data
service, all things considered. It obviously won't be to everyone's
liking, though, so choose wisely.

--
Paul Miner

Notan

2007-01-27, 10:34 pm

George wrote:
> I'm trying to help a friend of mine get high-speed internet access.
> He lives too far from town to have cable or DSL access, and is
> currently on dial-up.

<snip>

> 5. Is there a desktop version of the card? Or a way to make it
> work in a desktop in a PCI slot?

http://www.elandigitalsystems.com/adapter/u132.php

--
Notan

PMP4Hire

2007-01-28, 3:33 pm

"Does the $59.99 unlimited broadband plan also require you to
subscribe to voice service to get that price?"

When I subscribed to this service last Fall, the $59 p/m assumed
you were already a Sprint user. Otherwise, the price was $79
p/m to nonSprint users. Tmobile has the same policy except the
price is much lower, $20 p/m for Tmobile users, $30 p/m for
nonTmobile users, their system is very slow, like dialup.

Tom

Joel Kolstad

2007-01-29, 10:33 pm

"Paul Miner" <pminer@elrancho.invalid> wrote in message
news:smrnr21diql60p5
031aeu2elbe0ibg2uet@
4ax.com...
> Unlimited.

True, there isn't a speed cutback or similar, but I'm willing to wager a fair
amount that if you start downloading gigabytes per month, Sprint will
eventually simply decline to do business with you any longer.

I suppose that if you're out in the boonies this might be less of a problem
than if you're in, e.g., a big city, since in the boonies you're perhaps less
likely to be "displacing" revenue while you're downloading those DVDs...

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