The reason why people pay for Spotify is because it started out as a tiered service.

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As I wrote last year, perhaps the most important development in the U.S. mobile landscape in 2011 was that all but one of the major carriers have abandoned unlimited data plans in favor of tiered service.

CNN: Analyst: iPads, Kindles, GPS units to be cheaper in 2012

Completing its work this summer, Google started offering free, as well as tiered-price, Internet service that brings broadband to thousands of homes and businesses.

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Mr. Shammo said Verizon's 4G network, which is based on technology called Long-Term Evolution, can deliver between 1 and 12 megabits per second of data, allowing for tiered pricing structure similar to home wired Internet service.

WSJ: Verizon Considers Charging for Wireless Data Based on Speed

Rackspace also said it is installing a tiered pricing system for its open cloud products, starting with its Cloud files object storage service.

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