Will Windows Phone 7 Have Tethering at No Extra Charge? Maybe, Maybe Not...

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.wmexperts.com/usb-tethering-coming-wp7-no-extra-charge?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+wmexperts+(WMExperts)' target='_blank'>http://www.wmexperts.com/usb-tether...rts+(WMExperts)</a><br /><br /></div><p>It's your classic "Tweet &amp; Delete": a fellow named <a href="http://twitter.com/rj_dudley/" target="_blank">Richard Dudley</a> tweeted that all Windows Phone 7 devices would have tethering - as in, connect to your laptop and get Internet access via your phone - at no extra charge. Then he said his statement was a mix-up, and deleted all the evidence of his statements. I'd rather see retractions/corrections on Twitter rather than deletions, but the way Twitter is constructed right now, you can't attach a correction to a previously made Tweet.</p><p>At any rate, the issue of tethering is an interesting one. I've always liked the fact that I could tether my phone to my laptop or netbook when I needed a connection, but with WiFi available in so many places, I probably only use it half a dozen times a year at most. What about you? How important is tethering to you on your phone, and how often do you use it?</p>

[teabag]

I travel a lot on business, especially in Europe where Wifi often not free. I would have to have hundreds of different and quite expensive Wifi accounts. For me, therefore, with a decent roaming data contract and tethering is essential.

[paschott]

I'm probably in a similar boat - I don't use it very often, but I hate the idea of having to pay extra just for those times that I do need it. Sometimes I'm visiting family who don't have an internet connection. Sometimes the local internet connection is just out or really, really bad. Having to pay some ridiculous monthly fee for those times is out of the question. I'm okay with it counting against my monthly usage as I never abuse it by watching videos or downloading really large files, but I do use it to browse with a desktop browser or sometimes to handle work. It really sounds like this is just another way for the carriers to gouge their customers. I'm disappointed that this earlier tweet was in error. I appreciated that the carriers could hide the functionality (if they chose) but couldn't actually kill it. I'd hate to see WP7 take a huge step backwards in this department.

[Mountain343]

Tethering is probably more important to me than the ability to actually make a phone call! Many colleges and uni's have turned off wifi on campus to save money in this era of budget cuts, and yet most of my classes require online assignment submission in what they term "hybrid" classes.

I guess I am just going to the wrong places since I've never found a prevalence of free wifi. I like to study in the park by the duck pond or down by the pool at my complex, hotels I stay at all charge $2+ a day, and one good thing about being tethered at most places is that you are neither using the companies property, nor their internet. While tethered I don't have to worry about people snooping my PW's or worry about sites blocking common public ip's.

Maybe it's just me, but even when wifi is available, unless I'm doing something that requires large files, I stick with tethering.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

I demand my notebooks to have integrated HSDPA. :D

[heliod]

I also do a lot of business travel, but contrary to the colleagues above it is to Latin America and there I am in a different situation.

I mainly travel to visit distributors, so in most cases I have Wifi networks available when I need them, at the hotel and at the distributor's office. If I need them somewhere on the way I usually can find a cafe around with free WiFi.

When do I use tethering? Usually when I am in private trips, there are no offices around for me, and those vacation hotels charge infamous prices for their networks. In these cases I like to have the ability to either pay my roaming charges, or (better) buy a local prepaid SIM card with a decent internet plan and use it for the time of the trip.

It is a pity that the operators in most places are still to understand that prepaid cards with phone + internet are a great offer for tourists, and it is still very difficult to find those.

Helio

[V-iPAQ]

given that WP7 is

1) not for business
2) trying to get where iPhone 2 was

we can guess that tethering won't be included.

[BrotherDave]

I never used to want to tether, but now that I bus to work three times a week and the wifi on the bus is flaky and contentious, I have been waithing for a good tethering solution (I assume thethering on a bus work ok?) I hope this story turns out to be true.

[Jason Dunn]

I demand my notebooks to have integrated HSDPA. :D

Do your carriers allow you to have a spare SIM in the notebook that uses the same data plan as your phone? Carriers in North America force you to buy a second data plan beyond what you're paying for your phone and ISP. I simply refuse to pay for Internet access a THIRD time, so I've never had a laptop with integrated 3G.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

I must've mentioned this before; I'm on a multisim service; one number split across 2 cards (my service provider allows up to 4) for a small fee of a few US$ a month.

And tethering charges? Unheard of.

Edit: Dug up the old thread on the multi-SIM service (http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/f396/us-carriers-make-multiple-sims-reality-96230.html).

[TheBigCheese]

I use tethering a few times a month on my Touch pro so, yes it is important to me but I use cut and paste 10-20 times a day and that is essential so, no Win Mo 7 for me. Besides, Microsoft's attitude on fixes for critical software bugs on the existing line of CE based software has soured me on ever getting a phone with Microsoft software.

There is so much deficient on WIn Mo 7 that I am surprised anyone is planning on using it, at least for a year. If it survives that long and Microsoft fixes what's wrong, maybe it has a (very) slim chance but IMO, it will always be a niche product with sub 10% market.

[Jason Dunn]

Besides, Microsoft's attitude on fixes for critical software bugs on the existing line of CE based software has soured me on ever getting a phone with Microsoft software.

If it helps, that particular pain point has been fixed. :)