Comment on I have unlimited cellular data on my phone but not if I use it as a hotspot.
KevonLooney@lemm.ee 3 months agoPeople don’t think these things through. Google can’t possibly be cheaper than a wireless carrier because they don’t own any towers. Wireless carriers will make sure Google doesn’t sell cheaper than they can sell it themselves.
Also, things like Metro PCS (before T-Mobile bought them) just have lower network priority. So “cheaper” just means crappy service. Good luck making a phone call at a sporting event or concert.
bus_factor@lemmy.world 3 months ago
They absolutely can, several carriers who use other carriers are cheaper than who they lease service from. They won’t be paying consumer prices to use those towers.
It all depends on what margins they have, what extra services they provide, and whether they have other ways of monetizing you. They might even be reselling at a loss to boost their initial market share. In Google’s case, it’s safe to assume they want your data and sacrifice some margins to get it.
KevonLooney@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Which ones?
bus_factor@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I can’t be bothered to research every plan to answer this question, but Mint Mobile was dirt cheap while using T-Mobile service. They probably still are, but it arguably doesn’t count anymore since T-Mobile acquired them.