How do telecommunications companies maximize their profit when it comes to customers’ data usage? Well, before I attempt to answer this question, let me preface everything by declaring up front that I’m not a tech wizard by any means. Like most people, I know my way around a computer and a smartphone for most basic uses and applications, but I’m at a loss when it comes to describing or explaining the intricacies of how this technology works. Having said that, I don’t think it takes expert knowledge to draw the conclusions I do in this post. As a matter of fact, some basic common sense along with an understanding of how our capitalist system works is more than enough. Let me start with the facts…
I am a Sprint customer. I currently own a Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone with a Sprint unlimited data plan. On a recent Saturday, I opened the YouTube app on my smartphone to watch a music video. At the time, I was connected to Sprint’s 4G LTE mobile network, rather than a Wi-Fi signal. When I clicked on the video, I got a message saying that the connection to the server was lost. I tried a number of troubleshooting steps (power cycle, soft reset, uninstall app updates, etc.), but nothing resolved the issue. I attempted to contact Sprint, but of course nobody was available outside of normal business hours (no 24-hour live customer service from Sprint). I then disconnected from the mobile network and connected to an available Wi-Fi signal. The YouTube video played without a problem on Wi-Fi. I went back to the mobile network, and the same error message appeared again. Hmmm…
Something else that has happened related to data usage is when I’ve moved from an area with 4G LTE coverage to one without it. At that point, my phone automatically connects to the much slower (and therefore less data-intensive) 3G network, if available. However, when I return to an area where I know there is 4G LTE coverage, the phone often remains on the 3G network instead of switching back to 4G LTE, which obviously keeps data usage lower.
It’s no secret that telecommunications companies want to charge their customers for data plans (unlimited and otherwise) while limiting traffic on the network as much as possible. Comcast, for example, admits to throttling Internet speeds when customers go above a certain amount of data per month (there’s much more to write about Comcast, but they will probably get a whole separate future blog post). Sprint encourages customers to connect to Wi-Fi whenever available rather than the company’s mobile network under the guise of prolonging the phone’s battery life. It may indeed be true that connecting to Wi-Fi prolongs a phone’s battery life, but that’s beside the greater point that Wi-Fi doesn’t cost Sprint anything while connecting to their mobile network does. Even the phones are designed to make it real easy to connect to Wi-Fi (swipe down>>>click “Wi-Fi” button… two steps) while making it significantly more difficult to connect to the mobile network (Apps>>>Settings>>>Network Connections>>>More networks>>>Mobile networks>>>Mobile data>>>click check box… seven steps). I’m probably the farthest thing from a conspiracy theorist, but these companies spend A LOT of money paying people to figure out ways to increase profit. So I don’t think I have to be sized for a tin foil hat for suggesting that these companies do the things described above ON PURPOSE!
What follows from all this? It appears that Sprint (and surely all other telecommunications companies as well) sometimes disables the network for data-intensive apps like YouTube in order to keep their customers from using too much data, even when these customers are paying for “unlimited” plans. These companies can do things like this on the weekends, not only because this is ostensibly the time when customers use their phones the most, especially for entertainment purposes (thereby using the most data), but also because tech support is not available to “solve” the connectivity issue. By the way, when I got back on YouTube later during the week, SURPRISE... the problem was gone! Of course, these companies can explain these problems away as isolated incidents that they had no control over.
It’s a shame that we live in a society where on the one hand, corporations could be getting away with such underhanded tactics just to increase profit, and on the other hand, most people are too ignorant or dependent on these companies’ products and services to do anything about it. For related news and information on this issue, visit stopthecap.com.
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