Sprint to Throttle “off-network” data usage, No “Truly Unlimited” Data For iPhone 4S / 4 Users

Since the introduction of the iPhone 4 and 4S on Sprint, the carrier has been airing numerous TV ads, highlighting their “Unlimited Data” for the iPhone. However, on Thursday, a statement from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse revealed that Sprint is doing exactly what they said they wouldn’t, throttling top 1% of data users on their network. This means that those who over use what is supposed to be unlimted data, are going to be downgraded to slower 2G speeds.

For those that want to abuse it, we can knock them off,” [Sprint CEO Dan] Hesse said at an investor conference Thursday. He said Sprint pares back data use for about 1% of users, a practice known as throttling.

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“You’d be shocked how much data you use in a month,” Sprint asks in a recent television advertisement. “What happens if you go over? With Sprint, you don’t have to worry; only Sprint offers truly unlimited data.

In a Sprint ad, with AT&T and T-Mobile, Sprint points out that T-Mobile throttles its users, not carrying out what they promised. It seems now that Sprint has come to the realization that they must cut back in order to prevent a meltdown of their networks.

Hesse later clarified his statement, pointing out that users who roam on partner networks, such as Verizon with their Sprint iPhone and use more than 300 MB will be throttled.

However, it is interesting to note that most buildings and offices in major cities such as New York City and Los Angeles, often prevent the Sprint network from operating on the iPhone properly. In that case, many users are limited to partner networks and will have used well over 300MB on their iPhone over the course of a billing period.

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