This is one of those topics that really gets me fired up. I apologize for the rant in advance.
I doubt there will ever be unlimited again, and I can see prices just getting higher and higher for access. So many devices are now cell dependent and every family has 3,4,5 of those devices, all sucking data from the network. The networks can't handle it and then it just makes it bad for everybody, unless you live within a block of a tower.
I use a mifi device exclusively for internet access. I have satellite for tv. I'm in an area they claim has 4g data speed, and my mifi says 4g with 5 bars. Yet It's rare I can watch a youtube video so "streaming" isn't going to happen for me.
I pay for 30 gigs of data, but after 10 gigs, I get punished with slower speeds (I fail to see the logic in that, but whatever). I have actually had a download speed of 1.2 kilobytes. The only thing slower than that is zero. (no download ability at all). Yet they tell me I should have around 1.5 MB, until they slow me down, then it is supposed to be about 128kb (whoopee!) which is about dialup speed (for those who remember dialup, you probably feel my pain)
Talking to customer service and tech support is a complete waste of time since no one has a clue. I have been given 5 different reasons why my data service is bad, and in the 4 months I've been "discussing" the issue with them, nothing has improved.
So my answer to your question is "probably never". It's just too lucrative for them to leave it the way it is, and like Dutchmen said, it's only going to get worse.
