It was the hybrid service provider, Republic Wireless, in the US, we believe, that re-instituted “unlimited” under its true definition in

“unlimited data plans”

…not long ago, and the news came as a welcome banner to mobile phone users.

Now, ‘unlimited’ returns to the United Kingdom as well, as T-Mobile adopts the unlimited data horizon once again. No ceilings, no caps and no warnings: Unlimited truly is unlimited once again.

Whilst Republic Wireless relies on automatic WiFi use when it is available, T-Mobile will rely on its 4G network and solid WiFi and 3G coverage to support heavy use areas.

Regan Whitehead, T-Mobile’s Senior Proposition Manager, declared that T-Mobile is:

“…investing £1.5 billion over the next 3 years in our network” and “committed to making sure that position of best [3G]network in the UK … and provide a great experience for customers whether that’s on Wi-Fi, 3G, [or] 4G in the future.”

T-Mobile is undoubtedly also relying on the everywhere-available Last Mile project that provides WiFi across the country. Most people have used free WiFi to connect their smartphones to the Internet during heavy surfing sessions, which frees the bandwidth servers for the provider.

With the announcement of unlimited data plans, however, in which Three has also ventured a small way, T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network expansion is something to highly anticipate.

How long will Vodaphone, O2 and others hold onto capped plans when T-Mobile is serving a data smorgasbord for only £36 per month?

As the Yanks say, Providers,

“Get a clue, will ya?”

Users across the United Kingdom are increasing their data usage as technology makes viewing and listening clearer and better. Social networking is on the rise. Surfing, shopping and game-playing are also increasing.

Once word of T-Mobile’s and Three’s extended, no-limit data plans get around, how long, indeed, can the other carriers tolerate the potential draining of their customer pools and profit margins?