Verizon's Mobile Data Beta Opportunity

[pc747]

​

BingeOn, Music Freedom, are some of the data free programs offered by T-Mobile. We knew it was a matter of time before the big 2 (Verizon and At&t) came up with their own money making program to bring in customers with data as the bait. Verizon is offering such a program that is currently in the works.

Yes this is a business and Verizon's product is the largest LTE data across the nation. What better way to make more money than to get businesses like Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services to buy up data that Verizon can then "give" to their customers. Streaming services win because it can be used as a form of advertisement to bring in new subscribers. Verizon wins because they are getting money.

What do you feel about what Verizon is going to do with their version of "sponsored data"?

Sources: You can now sign up to get free “sponsored data” on Verizon
Verizon Mobile Data Beta Opportunity

 

[Sajo]

I will sign up when music streaming is added. I am not much of a movie / TV watcher....but listen to a lot of music. I hope they eventually add some music apps to the list.

 

[pc747]

Sorry I had to edit the OP and title as sponsored data was not the title Verizon was using.

 

[boidsonly]

Remember when they needed to throttle users to "manage" their networks? Now they are adding to the congestion? VZW is too much.

 

[pc747]

Remember when they needed to throttle users to "manage" their networks? Now they are adding to the congestion? VZW is too much.

They need you unlimited data hogs to slow down your usage to make way for them to make more money.

 

[cr6]

They'll have to pry my UDP from my cold dead fingers. Muwahahaha!

S5 tap'n

 

[kodiak799]

What does net neutrality have to say about this? LMAO

 

[liftedplane]

What does net neutrality have to say about this? LMAO

they aren't offering them better bandwidth, just letting them pay for the data instead of the customer right?

They'll have to pry my UDP from my cold dead fingers. Muwahahaha!

S5 tap'n

I'm right there with ya

They need you unlimited data hogs to slow down your usage to make way for them to make more money.

rofl I can't stop laughing at this. BRB while I go torrent the entire collection of star wars and marvel movies on my phone.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Why does the link to sign up take me to "betabound"? VZW isn't handling the sign up process themselves?

And I agree on the type of content. If they added Play Music, I could decrease my data package drastically.

 

[The Stig 04]

Glad I still have my unlimited. 50gigs so far with no tethering and I still have 10 days.

deal with it!

 

[kodiak799]

they aren't offering them better bandwidth, just letting them pay for the data instead of the customer right?

That's kind of a distinction without a difference when you are talking limited data plans - they're selling bandwidth/access which is essentially the same thing as a guaranteed speed.

For the record, I think the whole NN debate has been horribly misguided.

 

[liftedplane]

That's kind of a distinction without a difference when you are talking limited data plans - they're selling bandwidth/access which is essentially the same thing as a guaranteed speed.

For the record, I think the whole NN debate has been horribly misguided.

I disagree, it's selling free bandwidth, not increased bandwidth or "priority" bandwidth.

There's a huge difference between priority and free.

Though I do agree then entire NN has gone down the wrong path.

 

[kodiak799]

I disagree, it's selling free bandwidth, not increased bandwidth or "priority" bandwidth.

But ultimately data is data, and speed is just a function of bandwidth. I'm saying in the case of data caps, "free data" is the same as increased bandwidth - you now use more data, Netflix data, because of this just the same as you could with a faster broadband connection not constantly buffering.

Netflix buys bandwidth to give to its customers, and that gives it an "unfair advantage" because a consumer preferring Netflix because of data caps is effectively the same as preferring Netflix because it streams faster....in both cases it's Netflix stepping-up to subsidize their users' bandwidth, a cost they almost certainly pass-thru which is why it was never really a NN issue.

 

[pc747]

But ultimately data is data, and speed is just a function of bandwidth. I'm saying in the case of data caps, "free data" is the same as increased bandwidth - you now use more data, Netflix data, because of this just the same as you could with a faster broadband connection not constantly buffering.

Netflix buys bandwidth to give to its customers, and that gives it an "unfair advantage" because a consumer preferring Netflix because of data caps is effectively the same as preferring Netflix because it streams faster....in both cases it's Netflix stepping-up to subsidize their users' bandwidth, a cost they almost certainly pass-thru which is why it was never really a NN issue.

Good point but at the end of the day, as we are seeing now, big corporations can afford billion dollar lawyers on retainer to find ways around what ever they want to get around. I am not surprised that VZW has found away around NN, what I am surprised was the fact they were not first.

I feel this is about to open pandora's box because big cable is going to look at law makers like "are you going to do something, no, ok we will do what they are doing then". So all the petitions and debates were all for nothing as all it did was delay the inevitable. Now we can argue that NN is technically still intact because one service is not given a priority with speed and bandwidth. We will see how far this goes and how far big corporations are able to go over the lines.

 

[shockracer]

Get ready for VZW music radio....