The Telecom Scammers' Latest Ploy To Screw You For More Cash

Fees, surcharges and taxes make wireless companies tons of money.

Do you watch movies via a wireless connection on your laptop, tablet, smartphone or even TV set? If so, have you received a love letter from your service provider informing you to either go on a digital data diet or plan to pay more to suck down more streaming 1s and 0s? If not, it will arrive shortly.

The leading wireless companies are changing the usage and pricing models they have long used, shifting the industry from one with “unlimited” plans to “limited” deals.

These new limited plans tier data downloads to the ability to pay. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile have either introduced or plan to introduce “data cap” or throttling programs on their 3G and 4G wireless users. Sprint remains the only leading provider offering an unlimited data plan that isn't subject to throttling.

When thinking about your latest wireless toy, it's important to remember two key facts. First, according to Europe’s Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCED) the U.S. ranks first in total wireless users, with 200.2 million subscribers as of June 2011. However, it ranked ninth in terms of users per 100,000 people of a nation’s population, with 65.5 per 100/k – this compares to #1 Korea (96.3) and #2 Sweden (93.6).

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