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AT&T has verified to MacRumors that customers currently holding unlimited data plans will be able to keep those plans when upgrading to the iPhone 5, and will now get 5GB of data before being throttled. On 3G smartphones, users would get throttled after 3GB of transferred per month.

Additionally, unlike Verizon, which is no longer offering unlimited data customers discounted pricing on new handsets -- even with a new, two-year contract -- AT&T will honor its subsidized pricing policies even for its customers with unlimited data plans.

However, AT&T customers who aren't using the company's new Mobile Share plans will not be able to use FaceTime over Cellular.

AT&T customers who are eligible for an upgrade can order an iPhone 5 16GB for $199 beginning on Friday through the Apple Online Store or att.com/iphone. Users can see if they're eligible for an upgrade by checking AT&T's upgrade eligibility checker.

Article Link: AT&T's Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan Customers Get 5GB on LTE Before Being Throttled
 

its93rc

macrumors 6502a
Feb 8, 2012
538
520
Texas
NO FACETIME FOR YOU! OR YOU! OR YOU! - AT&T

I don't even use Facetime, so this is like amazing news.
But I don't think there's LTE in my area yet... I take that back &
reiterate my first sentence.
 

monkthehonk

macrumors member
Apr 14, 2009
43
1
must be a sign of how bad its gotten, but being allowed to use 5 GB of my "unlimited" plan on a new phone gets me hyped.
 

bigjnyc

macrumors 604
Apr 10, 2008
7,820
6,662
YES!!!! Don't really care about facetime, I use it so rarely, and once I jailbreak I can use it or cellular data anyway.
 

bb426

macrumors 6502
Jun 7, 2011
421
132
California
Greed.

If you throttle my data after 5 GB, I'd expect to be able to use my data however way I want. If I want to FaceTime for days over my LTE connection and use it up after a day, so be it. I barely even use FaceTime; and when I do, there are very few to zero times that I'm not actually near wifi, mine or public.

I am happy, however, that they're still letting grandfathered customers keep the unlimited. Even if it doesn't truly mean "unlimited" (which is a marketing term at best).

All about pennies, nickels and dimes.
 
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djaisling

macrumors newbie
Sep 12, 2012
14
3
I wonder if they will let everyone who already has an iPhone be eligible to upgrade early? Otherwise I'm stuck until November of next year haha
 

TechieGeek

macrumors 6502
Mar 12, 2012
260
561
You know what this means? Buy unlocked iPhone 5 handsets and bring them to T-Mobile for $20 unlimited, unthrottled data :) enjoy faster HSPA+ than any other carrier in refarmed markets, and rest assured that your phone will switch over to LTE in 2013! :D
 

burnside

macrumors 6502
Jun 8, 2010
474
14
YES!!!! Don't really care about facetime, I use it so rarely, and once I jailbreak I can use it or cellular data anyway.

Exactly. I use FT only at home and not in public anyway. The big thing here is that those who would be forced to move to a share plan which would cost more money now don't have to worry. I would have had to pay $20+ more a month.
 

ndpitch

macrumors 6502
Jun 9, 2010
278
24
So wait a minute. If this is what I think, I'm not all that upset to be honest. My old unlimited plan gets me 5 GB of way faster LTE data, without having to buy an LTE plan? I'm down.

I guess what really matters is...what would it cost me to have a similar plan that's not my $30/month unlimited plan? If it's cheaper than that, then this might be stupid, considering I rarely use more than 2 GB of data (not sure if I ever have, I've just never let my unlimited plan go).
 

chalmers4three

macrumors member
Jul 15, 2012
84
16
People hate AT&T over this, but I don't see screams over Verizon forcing people to give up unlimited.

the Verizon spin machine has done a great job throwing ATT under the bus the last couple years and the "i hate large American companies" people have bought it hook, line and sinker.
 

Superdrive

macrumors 6502a
Oct 21, 2003
772
56
Dallas, Tx
I bought a white iPhone 4 the day it came out. I have to wait until 11/28 in order to receive the full discount. At this point, an iPhone 5 16GB will run $449. Ouch.
 

goobot

macrumors 603
Jun 26, 2009
6,478
4,366
long island NY
Im just wondering, if i dont get LTE in my area does that still mean i would get a 5 gig cap even if i'm on 3g?(Hspa+ 4g).
 

CrAkD

macrumors 68040
Feb 15, 2010
3,180
255
Boston, MA
so reward users with 5GB of LTE with unlimited but penalize them by holding facetime back....makes no sense let me get to 5gb however I want.
 

Mr Fusion

macrumors 6502a
May 7, 2007
841
1,061
What speed will they throttle it to after 5 GB of LTE data? Will it just switch to regular 3G speed (which in most places their network is so saturated and slow it's "throttled" by default..)
 

imwoblin

macrumors 6502
Jun 9, 2007
435
176
I have the original grandfathered unlimited deal from the original iPhone and am currently using the 4S. I just ran the upgrade checker (link) and it tells me I qualify for an upgrade at a higher price. It also stated "Some services on your current device may be replaced by similar iPhone services during upgrade."
I wonder what that's all about?
 

skellener

macrumors 68000
Jun 23, 2003
1,786
543
So. Cal.
I don't care. There is NOTHING ATT can do to keep me as a customer. I am done with their crappy network forever!
 
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