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Free tethering for iPhone for a one time fee? $15 iTether app pops up on iTunes

(CBS/CNET) - An iPhone tethering application has slipped into the iTunes App Store today, but may not last there for long.

The $14.99 app called iTether allows iPhone customers to use their smartphone data plan to power the Internet connection for their PC or Mac through a USB cable.

Carriers have traditionally frowned upon these kinds of applications, which encourages heavy data usage. In times when they have offered these capabilities, usually in the form of a hotspot feature, they charge a monthly fee. The iTether app works after just a one-time fee.

Past tethering applications have either been rejected from the iTunes store or pulled quickly after they launch. If you're looking for a tethering app, you may want to move quickly.

The carriers have gone as far as send warning notices to heavy users. Many of them have policies in place to slow down the connection of a user that is deemed an excessive bandwidth hog.

For more on this story, go to CNET News

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