Sprint Has Blocked Phone Use As A Modem Angering Users

One of the things that many users of 3G enabled smartphones buy their devices for is so they can use them as modems for their notebooks and netbooks for Internet access on the go. Most mobile phone providers frown on this and some like AT&T outright block the capability for high-end devices like the iPhone.

A poster going by kevinapg has written at the Sprint suggestions forum that Sprint has blocked the ability to use mobile phones as a modem without notice. According to the poster when he purchased his device he was told that by using the Sprint Smartview software, he could use the handset as a modem and reportedly, he has used it as a modem for years. Kevinapg says he is investigating a law suit against Sprint.

Sprint now says that it has disabled this feature and the only way to use the handset as a modem again is to reduce the minutes to 900 rather than the users current Unlimited Plan. The other option is to pay a separate monthly fee for mobile broadband. A Sprint forum employee posted a response saying, "PAM has never been included in the Everything plans, so a lawsuit won't get far. It would be different if it had ever been offered as an included option, but it hasn't." In other words, hahaha try it.