Sprint cancels unlimited 4G data plans

data ran up against booming demand as Sprint Nextel became the last big US carrier to end unlimited mobile broadband plans, Computer World reports.

Sprint notified subscribers that its unlimited data plans for all devices except phones would be discontinued. On other devices, such as tablets, netbooks and mobile hotspots, the use of Sprint's 4G network will be capped, as use of the carrier's 3G network already was. Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile USA have already capped their mobile broadband plans.

According to PCMag, until now, Sprint has offered three separate mobile broadband plans: 3GB of 3G data with unlimited 4G data; 5GB of 3G data and unlimited 4G; and 10GB of 3G and unlimited 4G.

Under the new option, those data caps will combine 3G and 4G access. If users have the 3G plan, for example, Sprint will offer 3G of combined 3G and 4G per month. Overages will cost $.05/MB, and users will have 100MB of off-network roaming, with $0.25/MB in overages

Networks built with 4G technologies, such as the Clearwire WiMax network that Sprint uses for its 4G service, are more efficient than 3G networks, PC World states.

Because they can deliver more data over a given amount of radio spectrum, they can make it more economical for a carrier to offer a certain amount of data per month or an unlimited plan.

In addition, because 4G networks are fairly new, they are less likely to suffer from the overloading problems that some carriers have cited when imposing monthly limits.

However, US carriers have been moving away from unlimited plans as the amount of data flowing over mobile networks has grown dramatically and showed no signs of slowing down. A recent survey by investment bank Credit Suisse showed that mobile networks in the US were running at an average of 80% of capacity.