Is it possible to make a unlimited data plan with no calling no number no texing or anything but data? (assign a number to the account but not active or pay per use)
metalexa: Get the nexus, then get $15 plan with $35 data and use a SIP client to connect with Asterisk.
Only thing is, there were some issues with port block. droidhacker can fill you up on that.
Absolutly, as that is the business model as designed today. However, I'm sure they can make it work. A dead mobile carrier is a bad one, I support their need for profit. If Google Voice were in Canada, the Chat plan + Unlimited Data would do fine, since Google provides vm, sms and other services, I just wouldnt give out my Wind phone number and only the Google Voice one. It would be a great value, but my point is that I would still be paying that $15 for nothing (Regardless of the fact that I would be saving tons of money at the same time).
I do have 5 DID numbers set up to the server and don't want to deal with another one
Asterisk is amazing. If you can hookup the nexus (or any other phone). Let us know, we can do the same :)
Btw, as droid mentioned, you can get the $55 data stick, take the SIM card out and put it in a AWS compatible phone.
@nmkhan Re:
"@droidhacker: True, but at the same time, how do you know their backend is not voip? Vodafone has a voip system at the backend. so does telenor."
They definitely DO use some means of voice-over-data network in the back end -- EVERY provider does. What needs to happen though is that the entire system needs to come closer to the surface in order for the entire phone system to collapse. There are aspects of the system that are a century out of date, but the main thing is that VoIP is extremely light in terms of "provider" -- anyone with a public IP address can be a VoIP provider. Your phone "number" will look exactly like an EMAIL address -- user@host, and you should be able to dial ANYONE with a universal email/voip address (yes, you could even use the SAME address, so you only need the ONE on your business card).
This gives way to much more intelligible calling where someone's voip address actually makes sense to them rather than using a number that is hard to remember.
It also gives way to truly unlimited calling where you aren't location-limited, there is no such thing as "long distance", and you can't actually be charged for any aspect of the call (except possibly data roaming, but in most parts of the world, you can easily find free data -- i.e. wifi in a public park).
I know it sounds like a lofty dream, but it is the way that communications are heading, and there are only a few things holding us back... 1) Comfort -- old people don't adapt very well, 2) The existing phone providers who force it on us, 3) The necessity of remaining in communication with people who haven't made the upgrade.
Most places I know of actually are using VoIP. The office I work in for example, is entirely on VoIP. I also noticed the phone at the windmobile/blockbuster store -- it was a 4-pair network cable running into it and not an old-fashioned 1-pair phone line.
I know exactly what you mean and how this will help people and all that. But, how does pushing this help Wind as a company? I know WIND is great, honest, groundbreaking etc. etc. but at the end they are here to make money. They will only accommodate us only after making sure they have enough room to make some green stuff.
I agree 110%
I have wanted to do this for years but the providers always had high fees and it was hard... In the US many Wimax providers had started to pop up wishing one would pop up in Canada so that I would be able to buy a Wimax phone and do this same thing.
The way providers should run is you should pay a fee for using their towers/bandwidth and do anything you want with the service just like a ISP. If you dont understand the how the system works and how to set up a VOIP server you may pay for a phone number and features like that but you should still have the freedom of using the service to the way you want it to be used and not restricted.
@nmkhan RE "Only thing is, there were some issues with port block. droidhacker can fill you up on that."
Actually been working on this... and the situation is a little more interesting than I originally thought. I have it confirmed from the head techs at windmobile (was on the phone for about an hour communicating with customer service and through them, the head techs [not to be confused with tech support -- these were actually the implementation guys]) and what I found out is that my assumption about the APN was actually correct.
The APN to ultimately be using is "broadband.windmobile.ca".
But unfortunately, it is in "beta" (so to speak), so we do not *YET* have access to it.
Windmobile phones have 3 APNs configured in them (locked out of view in the phone I looked at, so I couldn't read the settings).
Broadband.windmobile.ca -- the good one.
internet.windmobile.ca -- the one that blocks ports and caps downloads to 14MB.
somethingelse.windmobile.ca -- I really wasn't interested in this since it is just for MMS.
Now apparently the broadband.windmobile.ca apn currently has a username and password on it to keep people out while finalizing it.
You might have remembered reading something in one of the FAQ's (I don't remember which) that said something about cutting your downloads when roaming to make sure that you don't go too nuts on your bill from that. THIS appears to coincide with the internet.windmobile.ca APN!!! (since this is the behavior that we observe when using it!!!)
So what is going to happen eventually is this;
broadband.windmobile.ca will be opened up for a properly unlimited connection. When you're roaming, broadband.windmobile.ca will NOT be accessible, so it will fall back to internet.windmobile.ca to keep your bill within reason. It keeps you from downloading too much and keeps you from connecting to any weird services that might do weird things like download software updates in the background.
I got them to write up a report containing all of the technical details about my phone, the use I require from it, current settings, and limitations based on the current settings (particularly comparing the current use to the $10 fido "unlimited browsing" addon except that we are paying $35 for it).
They assured me that they would get back to me on this soon, so I'll call them back tomorrow.
@nmkhan Re "I know exactly what you mean and how this will help people and all that. But, how does pushing this help Wind as a company?"
Never said it would benefit them.... Just that I would really like it ;)
But since you ask -- it is always beneficial to be prepared for when it is an absolute necessity... for some people, it is already becoming one -- and these are customers that would be beneficial to get hold of.
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