Many of the 3G carriers offer the ability to share WiFi to mobile devices that can use the wireless internet. It would be great if this was included into your unlimited phone plan but this is simply not the case. Each provider has an additional charge of about $20 per month for this added feature. This is an extremely high price and I do not see how it can be justified by the mobile carriers.
The price for some at home high speed internet services are anywhere from $19.99 to about $30 per month roughly around the same price range as the services to use your mobile 3G phone and pump out that connection and turn it into a wireless or tethered internet connection. I do not see that many people who are willing to pay such a hefty price. Unless you are on the road or commute by train and must submit work online it just does not make much sense.
The main reason this price point is a bit absurd is that people who are technically inclined can access the administrative properties of their phones whether they are Android or iPhones and can manipulate the phone in such a way to obtain this service for free. All you have to do is a quick search for how to root your phone which is the term used for going into the phone and gaining the administrative access to manipulate the phones properties. If the directions seem complex there are a plethora of YouTube videos that provide a step by step guide.
Cell phone providers do not want everyone getting a paid service for free, and really what company would want that to happen? The fact of the matter is they provoked the rooting of phones by offering unlimited data plans and then saying that you are not allowed to tether WiFi to devices unless you pay yet another monthly fee on top of the unlimited data plan you already pay for. Then it technically is not an unlimited data plan it is an unlimited select services plan.
As long as people are pushed they will find solutions to potential problems and many people just do not take kindly to being lied to so blatantly with the sneaky billing tactics of cell phone companies. While I usually do things by the book I can see why people would circumnavigate the providers. Tethering WiFi could be a great selling point for business people, older adults on the road or people who just want the latest and greatest technologies. However they need to make the price more attractive or people will just find ways around it by rooting their phones and hampering the integrity and speed of the wireless networks.