[Technologic80]

Just want to say that I love Sprint so far - have had them since last December (switched from at&t)... I get a discount for working for a govt entity, and the price for the blackberry unlimited package cannot be beat!!

I just realized that I can tether my blackberry 8330 to my laptop while Im at the cabin, after downloading the program from Sprint (Sprint Smartview). Im getting decent speeds at 40%, which is excellent considering Im 40 miles from any civilization or nearest town. I know the major cellular service up here is Alltel, so Im sure its on their network.

My question: I have unlimited data and blackberry, and free roaming. Am I going to be charged for roaming while tethering?

[juwaack68]

As long as you are in the US, you will not have any data roaming charges.

However, if you have a BIS data plan and do not have the Phone as Modem feature ($15/mo) and use the tethering a lot, Sprint may ding you for each KB you use. They seem to let 'casual' use go in this scenario, but constant use will send up a flare.

And are you up in da UP, eh?

[Technologic80]

Each kb?! Wow. That'd be a killer bill, seeing that I used 7mb total today...lol.

I was in Paradise, UP, now Im in the Lewiston area (LP).

From what Ive read on the web, as long as I dont use huge kb's all of the time (1gb or more/less), then Sprint kind of brushes it under the rug? Is this true?

I just dont want to get my bill on the 20th and have to take out a small loan to pay for it!

[juwaack68]

Probably true. I've used my BIS device for occasional tethering and never had a fee. But I don't know what the limit is and don't want to find out.

[Technologic80]

Update:

The vision of me receiving my phone bill and running to the nearest bankruptcy lawyer once I saw the total had me frightened, so I called Sprint.

Some very nice gentlemen told me in his best indian accent (sounded so authentic too!) that since I have unlimited data plan and free roaming, that I can absolutely tether my blackberry to my laptop at no addt'l charges to me.

I guess the real test will be when the bill comes. I do not plan on using it very much anyways (have comcast broadband @ home) but when I do go away it sure is nice to be able to connect!

[SueWNY]

Sprint is very strict about roaming now. If the majority of your data usage is done while roaming they will terminate you. Same applies if more than 800 of your plan voice minutes are used while roaming. Read the fine print on the website and be careful.

[joeygator]

Did Sprint block this on the Simply Everything plan recently? I had success and the feature on my account now says courtesy BES rather than BES Buy up. They are both free but I think when they changed me I lost the ability to tether. Any thoughts out there?

[djm2]

I believe that the simply everything plans block tethering. Irritated the heck out of me because prior to re-upping I explicitly asked about that and was assured that since I was getting the BES package that all was good for tethering; turned out to be false. I have a complaint in, but since I did not record the phone call I suspect that I am SOL.

[cakvalasc]

BES is a Buy Up for Simply Everything plan for $20.00 it was stated originally for that plan, was never suppose to be free.

Tethering and Phone and modem were never suppose to work with any of the everything data or simply everything plan. Sprint has gone across the board and disabled PAM over the last few months.

Roaming while tethering can get you a nasty letter and they may cancel you if you go over 800 minutes or 300mb of transfer over a 3 month period if only used little nothing will be done about it from sprint side.