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AT&T Simplifying Texting Plans, Enlisting Best Buy in Battle Against Verizon iPhone

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In a pair of reports today, Gear Live shares some information reportedly leaked from Best Buy's internal systems showing how the retailer and AT&T are gearing up to downplay the impact of the Verizon iPhone set for launch next month.


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The first report indicates that AT&T will be simplifying its text messaging plans as of January 23rd, doing away with the existing plans offering 200 messages per month for $5 or 1500 messages per month for $15 and replacing them with a single plan offering 1000 messages per month for $10. The unlimited messaging plan priced at $20 per month will remain.

The document indicates that users currently on either of the two messaging plans being discontinued with be grandfathered in and be able to stay with their current plans, even through device upgrades.

According to the second report, Best Buy's training documents for its retail staff are offering arguments (apparently reprinted from a BGR report from last week) noting that with Verizon having spent significant time at CES 2011 earlier this month touting its 4G network and forthcoming devices, the Verizon iPhone will already be outdated at its launch.
Verizon's entire presence at CES last week was focused on one thing and one thing alone: 4G. Its LTE network is now live in 38 markets and a flurry of 4G phones will launch in the coming months. But their iPhone... the smartphone millions of Verizon Wireless subscribers have been dying for... is a 3G device.
Click to expand...
The presumption is that Best Buy will not be carrying the Verizon iPhone for some time after the device's launch, making it advantageous for the retailer to convince customers to purchase alternative phones available in its stores. But at the same time, the company's arguments also curiously seem to argue against the AT&T iPhone, which is also a 3G device and available from Best Buy.

We've similarly heard from AT&T employees, even those who are not involved in customer-facing positions, who have received "talking points" from the company about why the iPhone on AT&T is better than the Verizon iPhone. Among the key talking points being highlighted by AT&T: network speed (memo claims 35% faster than Verizon on average nationally), ability to talk and surf simultaneously (memo claims one-third of customers use it daily), global network coverage, and Wi-Fi hotspots.

The memo goes on to note that AT&T is proud to have partnered with Apple over the last three and a half years on a ground-breaking device and that it continues to be on "great terms" with Apple. Finally, AT&T points to the fact that two-thirds of its iPhone users were already AT&T customers to begin with, and 80% of iPhone subscribers are on family or business plans, which make it more difficult to switch carriers.

Article Link: AT&T Simplifying Texting Plans, Enlisting Best Buy in Battle Against Verizon iPhone
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/01/19/atandt-simplifying-texting-plans-enlisting-best-buy-in-battle-against-verizon-iphone/
Basically it depends what situation you're in. If you used to use about 1000 texts, and were paying $15 for the 1500 plan, then this is good news. But if you just use a couple hundred texts, and were using the $5 plan, then it's bad news. The cost of a minimum plan just increased.
 
US carriers are just awful. They keep pushing new networks and never build out last year's promises. While the various flavors of 4G are nice there really isn't all that wrong with the existing 3G networks.

I'm seeing speeds upwards of 5Mbps on 3G - just as good as my 4G service. If companies would stick with one standard until it was available across the country we would all benefit. Instead network expansion is driven by the marketing department.
 
ATT is going to have to do better than changing the text plan and issuing talking points.

VZW received a huge free 10 minute commercial from Jim Rome yesterday. He tried 3 times to do a phone interview with Aaron Rogers and all 3 times his ATT iphone crapped out. After the third time, Rome went off on ATT and how horrible their service has been for him and others. Best part is that he's an admitted phone freak and has all sorts of phones from all the carriers. He went down the carrier list explaining how each of them had better service than ATT. Ouch.

Quote: "Love the phone, hate the service"..."VZW cannot get the iPhone fast enough"
 
freediverdude said:
Basically it depends what situation you're in. If you used to use about 1000 texts, and were paying $15 for the 1500 plan, then this is good news. But if you just use a couple hundred texts, and were using the $5 plan, then it's bad news. The cost of a minimum plan just increased.
Click to expand...

How does your cost increase? It says you can keep your $5/500 plan indefinitely, even through device upgrades. Nobody is going to force you into this new plan.
 
freediverdude said:
Basically it depends what situation you're in. If you used to use about 1000 texts, and were paying $15 for the 1500 plan, then this is good news. But if you just use a couple hundred texts, and were using the $5 plan, then it's bad news. The cost of a minimum plan just increased.
Click to expand...

Actually you stay at $5 unless you are opening a new account.
 
Why do people still crank out these huge piles of textmessages when they can write emails to their smartphone-carrying friends for free?

All my personal friends have iPhones, Crackberrys or HTC Android devices... The rest has Nokias with internet access.

I can understand up to 10 textmessages per month, but 1000??? C'mon...

vSpacken
 
Shackrat said:
Should be $10 for unlim. Text is such a ripoff!
Click to expand...

Agreed, its horrific for individual plans or 2-person family plans.

I recently moved my inlaws into our plan and its now MUCH MUCH more palatable to pay $30 for unlimted family text.

Also got my iphone costs down to $55 a month. Can't beat that by very much.
 
vollspacken said:
Why do people still crank out these huge piles of textmessages when they can write emails to their smartphone-carrying friends for free?

All my personal friends have iPhones, Crackberrys or HTC Android devices... The rest has Nokias with internet access.

I can understand up to 10 textmessages per month, but 1000??? C'mon...

vSpacken
Click to expand...

pft...my wifes sister is on our plan, 21 days into billing period, she's over 4000 texts.
 
"AT&T points to the fact that two-thirds of its iPhone users were already AT&T customers"

That is total BS.
 
ATT should also point out how much better there network will be now that they have so much more bandwidth for those customers who have left and went to Verizon.
 
I get unlimited SMS for free with Google Voice. (yes I know picture messaging still doesn't work).
Can't get my family wiened off paying ANYTHING for texting soon enough. Facebook is helping that cause though...
 
If AT&T (or any carrier) really wants to make news with changing text messaging plans include text messaging within the already paid for data plan. Text messages are data (a small amount of data too), so include them in the data plan rather than making users pay an absurd amount for something that really isn't costing the carriers much of anything.
 
dpru said:
I pay $5/month for unlimited texts with Sprint. Sucks to be yall.
Click to expand...

But the trade off is that you get to be on Sprint. You may pay 1/4 the price, but (at least here in North GA) you get about 1/4 of the coverage.
 
JUST TODAY I was on the phone with an ATT rep and I said "I wish there was an in-between plan between the $5 for 200 and $15 for 1500." She said, "I do too, sir."

I ended up upgrading to the $15 plan. Looks like it will be for about one month.
 
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