Asian Carriers Move Away From Unlimited Data Plans

Some of Asia's mobile-phone operators are moving away from offering unlimited data plans as they launch fourth-generation wireless services in an effort to increase revenue and recoup billions of dollars spent to upgrade networks.

Limiting data use and charging subscribers for excessive Web browsing on mobile devices may help boost carriers' return on their investment at a time when many operators in the region have seen their earnings pressured due to falling voice revenue and hefty smartphone subsidies. With the shift to charging subscribers for extra data usage, the region's carriers are hopeful that they can boost their revenue. Currently, most Asian operators offer unlimited data for third-generation mobile services. But as carriers move to offer speedier services on their 4G networks to keep up with a surge in demand for online services such as music and video streaming, excessive data usage has strained their capacity. 4G networks can handle three times more data than current 3G networks.