After Dow Jones misconstrued some comments by Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, Sprint has come out with an official statement saying they do not throttle regular subscribers under their unlimited data plans.

Reports that Sprint throttles the top one percent of data users are false. Here are the facts:

• Sprint does not throttle any postpaid phone data users for on-network or off-network usage. Sprint is the only national carrier offering smartphone users truly unlimited data with no throttling, metering or overages while on the Sprint network.

• Sprint does have terms and conditions which prohibit certain types of data use that may impair other customers’ usage or harm or interfere with the network. At yesterday’s investor conference, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse was referring to Sprint’s right to terminate service of data abusers who violate Sprint’s terms and conditions. Customers who abuse our network by violating the terms and conditions will be contacted by Sprint in an effort to have the customer change their usage to comply with their subscriber agreement. Customers who do not change their usage and remain in violation of the terms and conditions may be subject to actions reserved by Sprint, including but not limited to termination. Consistent with our advertising, engaging in such uses will not result in throttling for customers on unlimited data-included plans for phones.

So, there you have it. Sprint doesn’t throttle regular paying subscribers under their unlimited plan, including those with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. They do, however, throttle the top 1 percent of heavy data users under their roaming agreements with carrier partners (such as Verizon).

Source: Sprint

According to a leaked internal Sprint memo, all Sprint iPhone 4S handsets sold starting today will have their SIM card slots locked to Sprint. It has never been fully clear how Sprint was shipping its iPhone 4S models but it now looks like they were originally shipping them with unlocked SIMS.

According to the memo, the SIM locking will be done during the iPhone’s activation process and it will be done invisibly. The customer will not see any notification of it happening.

What does this mean for any new Sprint iPhone 4S users? Well you will lose the ability to use a local SIM card if you travel out of the U.S. You will now have to have a roaming agreement in place with Sprint and pay the much higher call and data charges. One bit of good news, today’s decision does not impact current iPhone 4S Sprint users; we assume that this means their SIM card slots remain unlocked.

Source: SprintFeed

Sprint and Verizon will offer the iPhone 4S with an unlocked micro-SIM card slot according to information given to Macworld. The iPhone 4S is the first iPhone that can be classed as a world phone which means it has a GSM and CDMA radio. This is particularly useful if travelling overseas where CDMA networks are few and far between.

In simple terms, this means that users of Sprint or Verizon who buy an iPhone 4S and travel overseas will have the ability to install a local micro-SIM card in their phone; to use on GSM networks. AT&T will still offer the iPhone 4S with a locked micro-SIM card slot; which means users can roam on overseas GSM networks but do so via AT&T agreements with local carriers. This leads to a huge increase in call and data charges with this method.

If you use Sprint or Verizon and travel overseas, having an unlocked phone could save you a considerable amount of money. The downside however is that your number will be different when using a local micro-SIM card. Sprint’s iPhone 4S will be unlocked from day one but Verizon will do it on request after 60 days; as long as your account is in good standing.

Source: Macworld

AT&T has announced new international data roaming packages, and while they aren’t great, they are better than what’s been available before. Here’s the spin:

“Mobile data is a huge part of our customers’ wireless experience—whether they are in the United States or traveling around the globe,” said Bill Hague, executive vice president of International, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We’ve long offered more phones that can be used internationally than our competitors, and now we’re delivering industry-leading value with redesigned international data packages.”

And here are the rates:

• 50MB package for $24.99/month compared to the current 20MB package for $24.99/month
• 125MB package for $49.99/month compared to the current 50MB package for $59.99/month
• 275MB package for $99.99/month compared to the current 100MB package for $119.99/month
• 800MB package for $199.99/month compared to the current 200MB package for $199.99/month

Of course, if you use the 800MB plan more than 3 times, you’ve spent as much as an unlocked iPhone direct from Apple…

[AT&T via WPCentral]

Note: We’ve posted a new version of this article, updated to include iPhone 4S and Sprint.

While many have been waiting a long time for the Verizon iPhone, the same CDMA network that gives Verizon its terrific coverage and reliability brings with it a host of other problems, including the famous lack of simultaneous voice and data and limited international roaming, but also some lesser known issues such as split SMS messages and greatly reduced conference calling options.

None of these are new to the Verizon iPhone but they are new to iPhone now that it’s on Verizon, and new to users who haven’t experienced CDMA before. We’ll take a look at them after the break.

No simultaneous voice and data

Verizon runs on CDMA2000 using EVDO Rev. A for 3G data (see our wireless networking guide for more on what those terms mean). EVDO Rev. A does not support simultaneous voice and data the way AT&T (and other GSM carriers) HSPA networks do. That means if a call comes in while you’re using 3G data — surfing the web, Skyping, sharing your connection via personal hotspot — you can either ignore the call and continue using 3G data, or answer the call and effectively put your 3G data connection on “pause”. If you’re on a call you won’t receive email or push notifications and if you try to surf the web or download an app you’ll be informed you’re not connected to the 3G network. Once the call ends, 3G data reconnects and you can start using the internet again.

If you’re on Wi-Fi as opposed to 3G data you can make calls and use data without a problem. It’s only 3G that cuts out during calls.

Verizon has chosen not to roll out EVDO Rev. B, which does support simultaneous data in favor of more quickly deploying a 4G LTE network (currently a hybrid CDMA-voice with LTE-data network, in the future a Voice over LTE network). They are rolling out Voice over Rev A (VoRA) aka SVDO which will allow for simultaneous voice and data on future CDMA/EVDO phones, but not the Verizon iPhone. (See The Cell Phone Junky for more on the technology.)

Limited international roaming

GSM/HSPA, the standard used by AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, is far closer to being an international standard than the CDMA/EVDO technology used by Verizon. While there are a few other CDMA/EVDO networks in North America and Asia, GSM/HSPA is supported throughout most of the rest of the world, including Europe. If you use a Verizon iPhone there are a limited number of countries where you’ll be able to roam. Verizon does offer loaner GSM phones for international travelers but that’s not as seamless a solution as GSM iPhones that can intrinsically roam around most of the world.

SMS/Text splitting

SMS/Text messages are limited to 160 characters. On AT&T and other GSM iPhones, if a message exceeds 160 characters it will still be shown as a single message to both the sender and receiver. On Verizon once an SMS hits 160 characters, any additional text is split off into a second message, after 320, a third message, etc. The same content is still delivered, it’s just not presented as nicely. (In some cases the message parts might even appear out of order which is even more annoying.)

Limited conference calling

Verizon’s CDMA network only supports “3 way calling” so you can only enter into a conference call with up to 2 other people (3 including yourself) at the same time. It doesn’t matter if iPhone can handle more, Verizon’s network and hence the Verizon iPhone is limited to 3-way calling.

Likewise, 9to5Mac points out that handling conference calls is also more challenging on the Verizon iPhone since you can’t take one party “private” or hang up on one caller while keeping the other active. (It hangs up on all callers.)

Apple provides the following diagram in their knowledge base:

That network

So yes, overall there are a lot of limitations to the way CDMA handles voice. However, if Verizon has great coverage in your area, you’re on Wi-Fi when you want to talk and surf, you rarely if ever travel internationally, split SMS/Text messages don’t bother you, and agile conference calling isn’t a must-have business feature for your iPhone, you may not care.

Otherwise it’s a compromise. Decide what’s most important to you and which carrier best provides it. If anything is a deal-breaker, then that makes your choice much simpler.

For more information and help check out our Verizon iPhone Forum.

If you have any questions about the Verizon iPhone 4 announcement today, Verizon is ready to give your some answers via their just-published FAQ. Topics include eligibility, pricing, and international roaming:

customers can use iPhone for voice and text in over 40 countries with data service in over 20 countries. For service availability and rate information, visit International Roaming Rates and Coverage. When travelling outside of these 40 destinations, the Global Travel program is the perfect short-term solution for the occasional or infrequent global traveler who needs to stay in touch when travelling internationally.

Hit the link below for more, and if you still have questions head on over to our Verizon iPhone Forum.

[Verizon iPhone 4 FAQ]

Unless the entire internet and print media are wrong, we’re just over 12 hours away from the Verizon iPhone announcement, yet many questions remain about unlimited data, tethering, mobile hotspot, simultaneous voice and data, and international roaming.

Will any of these be supported by a Verizon iPhone? Some of them? None of them? Let’s take a look.

Unlimited data

We’ve already had a leak about unlimited data on the Verizon iPhone. Despite rumblings to the contrary it looks like, for now, Verizon is confident enough in their network to use unlimited data as a way to compete against AT&T’s 2GB cap.

Tethering

iPhone has support tethering since iOS 3 but it took until iOS 4 for AT&T to offer support. With tethering you connect your iPhone to your computer via Bluetooth or USB and your computer can access the internet via your iPhone’s 3G radio. Will Verizon also try to be aggressive here and offer free tethering, will they take AT&T’s route and offer tethering for a monthly surcharge, or will they simply not offer it at all?

Mobile Hot Spot

Unlike tethering, mobile hotspot turns your phone into a wireless internet router, just like a Mi-Fi, so instead of one device via BT or USB, you can connect 5 to 8 devices over Wi-Fi and share the 3G service between them. Sometimes there’s also an additional charge for this, sometimes — like with the Verizon Palm Pre Plus — they’ve given it away for free.

iOS 4 currently doesn’t provide for mobile hotspot so if Verizon is to offer it, there will have to be an iOS update as well. Since there will no doubt be a new CDMA/EVDO radio stack on the Verizon iPhone, perhaps new/different firmware is a given — but will it be new/different enough to warrant a 4.2.2 or 4.3? Even if it does, would mobile hotspot come now and not be saved for an iOS 5 preview even in a couple months? And even with their network confidence, would Verizon want all iPhone users suddenly saddling up 5 to 8 other devices on an unlimited data plan?

Simultaneous voice and data

Currently Verizon’s EVDO Rev-A 3G network doesn’t support simultaneous voice and data. If you’re surfing the web — or doing anything else that uses data — and a phone call comes in, your data connection gets dropped. EVDO rev-B supports voice and data but Verizon chose not to roll it out, jumping ahead instead to LTE which also support voice and data. The Verizon iPhone launching tomorrow probably won’t have LTE and certainly won’t have EVDO Rev-B, and while there’s been some noise about simultaneous voice and data over an updated EVDO Rev-A network, there’s been no evidence to data that Verizon has rolled it out.

So the Verizon iPhone probably won’t support simultaneous voice and data which is bad news for anyone who likes to (or needs to) check email, look up directions, or just escape the boredom of a phone call by hoping on the internet. Since iOS 4 also introduced background data API for things like turn-by-turn navigation, it could limit the ability of cloud-based apps providing voice directions while you’re on a phone call as well.

International roaming

Will the Verizon iPhone be a “world phone”? CDMA can roam on other CDMA carriers, but those are few and far between in a mostly GSM world. Since they don’t use SIM cards, you can’t even unlock them, pop in a local SIM, and avoid costly roaming charges. Verizon has launched combination GSM/CDMA phones in the past however, that came with a SIM card for use outside the US. That’s a big plus for business travelers. Unless Apple has gone with a GSM/CDMA chipset like Qualcomm’s, fitting two radios in one ultra-slim iPhone is probably a non-starter. That means you’ll get to enjoy your Verizon iPhone inside the US but you won’t be able to take it across the pond as anything other than an iPod.

Tune in tomorrow

We might get all the answers, some of them, or none of them tomorrow during Verizon’s press conference. We may get them only before or even at launch. But until then, the questions remain. Are any of them deal-breakers for you?

Have you ever traveled out of the country just to come back home and get smacked upside the head by your AT&T cellular bill? Well one of our faithful readers, Mike, has a very unusual situation… he asked us to share his story with you in hopes of preventing this happening to any other readers.

Mike recently added a International Data Roaming Plan before a trip out of the country. It seemed like all was covered… until he got home and received his latest bill. Here is Mike’s story, in his own words:

I was informed by an AT&T service rep that AT&T had charged me the exorbitant per KB rate for international data useage because I had cancelled my International Data Roaming plan after I returned to the United States. The plan is available on a month-to-month basis, so cancelling it when I got home seemed like an obvious thing for me to have done, since I have no plans to go overseas again in the foreseeable future. But the service rep said that AT&T’s policy (unwritten, so far as I can tell) is that one needs to leave the roaming plan in place for 90 extra days, so that it is still in place when the foreign carrier finally reports the subscriber’s roaming back to AT&T. If the plan is not in place when the foreign data useage gets reported to AT&T, then AT&T’s billing system is incapable of recognizing that I had an international data roaming plan in place on the dates that the foreign carrier says I used its data connection.

Ouch, I could imagine this bill would have really hurt. Luckily for Mike, he spoke with a “very nice” AT&T rep and she credited his account for the appropriate amount. Mike is not alone either, for similar stories be sure to check out this thread in AT&T’s official forums.

And for more information regarding International plans be sure to check out the plans available here. Mike and all of us here at TiPb really want you to be aware of AT&T’s policy. So before you leave the country, if you have any questions be sure to call and ask a service rep! It may just save you a pretty penny… or two…

Thanks for the tip Mike!

The fourth annual iLounge 2008 Buyers Guide works for the iPhone and iPod, and is viewable online for smaller screens like the iPhone, iPod Touch, or laptops. If you prefer, for desktop viewing.

Verizon is lowering their data rates for feature phones in preparation for competition with the iPhone. Expect a snarky comment from Dieter on this one. Unfortunately, their smartphone data rates are still sky-high. And, you can add a Canadian roaming plan for just $20. The Phone they’re thinking about using to “compete” with the iPhone is the Samsung F700, though they might re-brand it as the U940. That’s some “brilliant marketing.” I don’t usually report on “iPhone killers,” but I’m glad to see the iPhone forcing prices down for everybody.

Rumors from AppleInsider indicate that iTunes 7.5 will be coming out in the next couple of weeks. This probably means that any iPhone updates with post-Leopard goodness require an iTunes update. This iTunes update will also bring support for the UK, German, and likely French iPhones. Oh, and it will include better duplicate song management. w00t!

Mark/Space, makers of many popular “Missing Sync” smartphone sync softwares, have announced their intent to release “Missing Sync for the iPhone” later this year. Their software will include Notes.app syncing, SMS backups, better call log management, and a migration tool to copy data from a BlackBerry, Palm OS, or Windows Mobile smartphone.

Or, as noted by the Consumerist, you could just pop out the sim card. You can still check stocks, weather, view videos, check email, browse the web, and do more or less everything except for:

1. make phone calls,
2. use EDGE networks, and
3. use visual voicemail