Last week we noted that Walmart had joined the wireless industry, by offering a new prepaid cellphone service and "unlimited" wireless data. In joining the industry Walmart also apparently decided to embrace the wireless industry's definition of unlimited: namely something with very real limits. Despite a website that advertises unlimited wireless data, consumer group Public Knowledge dug into the Walmart terms of service and found service that's anything but unlimited. From the "Walmart Straight Talk" phone service TOS:
Straight Talk Unlimited talk, text and data plan Features cannot be used: (1) for access to the Internet, intranets, or other data networks except as the device’s native applications and capabilities permit, or (2) for any applications that tether your device to laptops or personal computers other than for the use of Wireless Synch.
On the positive side, early indications are that unlike some other capped wireless services that claim they're unlimited, Walmart's wireless data service really doesn't come with an actual cap. Not that they'd need one; their selection of phones is fairly pathetic, consisting of the kind of old-school crippled devices that make hitting any kind of real cap nearly impossible anyway. These phones were designed for users who don't use data and the TOS reflects this. As such, this remains a good deal for some customers, despite Public Knowledge's complaints.



That said, any usage limits still need to be made painfully, obnoxiously clear to the consumer. One would have thought this was clarified when New York's Attorney General fined Verizon for pretending service with a 5GB monthly cap was unlimited in 2007. It looks like Walmart's wireless service is running over Verizon's national network, so should Walmart decide to carry more sophisticated data-hungry phones, you'll likely see this issue pop up again.