NetZero Returns with Semi-Free Mobile Broadband Service

NetZero, now there's a name we haven't heard in awhile. If you've been riding the Internet wave long enough, you'll recall NetZero used to offer free dial-up service in the late 1990s to anyone willing to put up with a persistent banner ad. It didn't work out so well and NetZero eventually switched to a paid model like everyone else, but kept its name. Well, NetZero is at it again, this time teaming up with ClearWire to offer free 4G mobile broadband. Sort of.

NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband data plans actually start at $10/month, and each plan delivers download speeds of up to 10Mbps and uploads speeds of up to 1.5Mbps. There are no contracts to sign and you can upgrade your service at any time. And to get you hooked, NetZero says you're welcome to the try the service for free for a full year.

There are hardware costs involved. All data plans (and yes, that includes the free one), requires the purchase of either the NetZero 4G HotSpot ($100) and or NetZero 4G Stick ($50), so your upfront investment is $150 total, either of which is "much less than the cost of most comparable contract-free devices available today," NetZero points out.

The free service is capped at 200MB, and once your free year is up, you have to subscribe to one of the data plans. $10/month gets you 500MB, $20/month for 1GB, $35/month for 2GB, and $50/month for 4GB. There are no overage fees; if you hit your limit, you can buy extra data, upgrade to a higher capacity plan, or simply hang tight until next month.