Good news for anyone considering a shorter-term stay on AT&T's HSPA network. AT&T has announced that it has gone official with its new Early Termination Fee (ETF) policy. Customers can now expect to have their ETF reduced by $5 for every month that they pay their bill. What that means is that customers won't have to [...]

[Update] Post updated. Perhaps my original wording was a bit harsh. It's one way or the other. A recent test conducted by the Consumers Union found that two-thirds of AT&T customer representatives either lied about AT&T's termination fees (which are now pro-rated), or were misinformed. The group made 12 calls to AT&T and were provided false and inaccurate [...]

No, you can’t use the recently increased SMS text message rates to cancel your plan sans Early Termination Fee (ETF), but starting in 2008, Sprint customers will be able to take advantage of pro-rated ETFs. Like Verizon Wireless , AT&T , and T-Mobile before it, Sprint will only charge ETFs commensurate with the remainder of the customer’s wireless contract. In other words, the penalty for canceling your contract will be proportional to the length of time you have remaining on your contract. Oh, and starting November 12, Sprint customers will be free to change their rate-plans without being forced into a contract extension. And, in Sprint’s push to improve customer service (ostensibly to boost their struggling bottom line ), the company will be welcoming new customers with “welcome calls.” Sprint will also start notifying customers of large overage charges and bring better handset discounts to existing customers. Now, this is a good idea. Better customer service and pro-rated ETFs are more likely to boost your core business than the gimmicky, over-priced, subscription-based, mobile gaming service Sprint Arcade . In the end, we’re just glad that all four national carriers have officially jumped on-board the pro-rated ETF bandwagon. It’s a nice bandwagon, and we like riding it! Source ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:AT&T Wireless introduces pro-rated Early Termination Fees (ETF)T-Mobile gives in, allows pro-rated early termination feesSprint: Yes we raised our SMS text message rates, No you can't cancel your contract without an ETFSprint cuts ties with troublesome subscribersVerizon Wireless gives customers freedom to change plans