Writer ponders all-you-can-eat CDMA 1x instead of spotty Wi-Fi hot spots: David Berlind wonders whether devoting his money and equipment to CDMA's 1xRTT flavors, which can provide 70-80 Kbps for $80/month unlimited usage (over Verizon Wireless or Sprint PCS) would be better than coping with isolated, non-roaming-agreement-linked Wi-Fi networks for overall use and availability.
This is the most balanced and fair comparison of 1x and Wi-Fi that's appeared to date. Berlind takes the tack that if he could have bandwidth everywhere at a single predictable price, isn't 70 Kbps or a little higher enough? It's a good question, and will be harder to answer when and if 1xEvDO rolls out in San Diego and Washington, DC -- a lot depends on its real-world deployment and use among early adopters, and the pricing model. Verizon Wireless tipped its hand to Berlind with a trial balloon suggesting that $80 might be the price for unlimited EvDO at several hundred kilobits per second.
One quibble: Berlind points out the lack of roaming agreements across major networks, but this has something to do with how much and where you travel. Because of Boingo and their new rates ($22/month 12-month promotional all-you-can-eat rate as of yesterday), you could make a good case for Boingo + a T-Mobile pay-as-you-go prepay ($50 for 300 minutes, or $8.33/hour, minimum 10 minute charges per use). Boingo via Wayport and others has most of the airports; T-Mobile is supposed to open up San Francisco because of their deal there; AT&T's hold on Denver is the only flaw in a Boingo + T-Mobile combo. [via TechDirt]
What's going to be the burn rate for these 1xEvDO providers? Can Sprint discount their 1x any more? I pay $10/month for unlimited data. (BTW, I DON'T use my Treo as a wireless modem for my laptop.)
BKMD