MetroPCS starts throttling LTE, hikes unlimited plan rates
updated 11:10 am EDT, Tue April 3, 2012
MetroPCS makes over data plan tiers, intros caps
MetroPCS has just revamped its LTE smartphone plans. The unlimited plan is up by $10 per month, now at $70, and is the only one whose speeds won't be throttled. It does include unlimited voice, texting, and data, however, along with the MetroSTUDIO Video on Demand service. The option has disappeared to pick between MetroSTUDIO and Rhapsody Unlimited.
The lesser plans include a $40 that grants the first 250MB of data per month at up to 4G LTE speeds, with the remaining capped. The $50 plan ups that to 2.5GB, while the $60 plan adds Rhapsody Unlimited Music streaming and downloading and 5GB of 4G speeds.
The previous plans had unlimited data but streaming multimedia was restricted to 100MB on the $40 plan and 1GB on the $50 plan. Once those limits were reached, customers couldn't stream content at all until their next billing cycle. Users can now move up anytime during the month to get more data and/or faster speeds.
The changes are signs that MetroPCS' growth is on its way to exceeding its current network capacity. The regional carrier may need to buy access to other carrier's networks or attain more spectrum for its current offering. [via FierceWireless]
