Wireless carriers on the hunt for tethering applications; banning them from Android Market

The only way to share your smartphone's internet connection with another device, a laptop for example, is to sign up for a tethering service with your carrier and get the feature enabled. Or is it? Some of you may be aware that applications, which allow internet sharing without opting in for an additional subscription, do exist and can spare you from that extra fee. Needless to say, carriers are not too happy about that and have now taken measures against unauthorized tethering.

It seems like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile have started blocking wireless tethering applications from the Android Market in an effort to prevent users from sharing their internet wirelessly without paying for that. There is no word whether Sprint will follow their steps soon or not, but it wouldn't be surprising if the carrier springs into action as well. The very existence of such apps is nothing out of the ordinary since subscribers can be charged anything from $10 to $45 monthly for the premium service. On the other hand, some third-party tethering applications come for free and their only major drawback is that they require a rooted device in order to run.

So, what do you think about carriers implying restrictions on unauthorized wireless tethering? Don't you think that when subscribers pay for data, they should be able to use it in any way they please? Feel free to let us know in the comments.