Since unlimited is throttled at 2GB, who is going to switch to ATTs new $30/3GB plan?

[ap3604]

Of course everyone has already seen the new AT&T data plans coming out this Sunday, but seeing the new prices and data amounts it brings up an important question:

Since AT&T legacy users with "unlimited" data plans ($30/mo) now get throttled after a mere 2GB of data to near useless speeds, why not spend the same amount and actually get 3GB on the new plan instead of only 2GB on the old "unlimited" plan???

Anyone here already set on making the switch to the new 3GB plan for the extra data?

 

[ap3604]

Guess it seems rather quiet with the jailbreak coming out...

Either that or people just don't want to accept / admit the change?

 

[roxxette]

Where i live "unlimited data" was capped at 1gb and speed downgraded to 256kb , recently they bumped the cap to 5gb !!! but now speed downgrade to 128kb if anyone likes to know Carrier is Orange and country Dominican Republic

 

[Stealthipad]

I wish they would just come up with a plan so that you simply pay for what you use. I am still on unlimited but know it will not last for ever. Some months if traveling I would use a LOT other hardly any data.

I just want to be charged with what I use at a reasonable rate and forget the gimmick plans from the carriers

 

[goosnarrggh]

I wish they would just come up with a plan so that you simply pay for what you use. I am still on unlimited but know it will not last for ever. Some months if traveling I would use a LOT other hardly any data.

I just want to be charged with what I use at a reasonable rate and forget the gimmick plans from the carriers

In Canada, two of the discount operators (sub-brands of the main carriers) have introduced self-adjusting data plans.

With Virgin Mobile, they are only available for feature phones and the very lowest-end smartphones. With Koodo, they are available for all phones except Blackberries.

Basically, you start out with a base price of $5 per month for the first 25 MB. (With Virgin, if you don't use any data at all for the month, then the base rate is $0 -- but as soon as you use the first bit of data, you're bumped into the $5/25MB bucket.)

As soon as you exceed 25 MB, you're automatically bumped into the 100 MB tier, for $5 extra - a total of $10 for the month. (You always automatically reset back to the lowest tier at the start of the next month.)

Once you exceed 100 MB, you're upgraded to the 300 MB tier for another $5 extra - a total of $15 for the month.

Over 300 MB, you're bumped up to the 1GB tier for another $5 - a total of $20 for the month.

Over 1 GB, you enter the 3GB tier for an additional $10, or $30 for the month.

Above 3 GB, you pay an overage rate of 2 cents per MB, or approximately $20 per GB (all overages are rounded up to the next MB).

 

[Alisstar]

Data isn't throttled at 2GB. Last month I used over 6GB and I wasn't throttled. That has been the case for me, at least as of today.

 

[utwarreng]

Stop spreading misinformation. AT&T's unlimited data plans aren't capped or throttled at 2GB. They're throttled when you're in the TOP 5% of data users, NOT when you pass the 2GB barrier. I use 3-4GB of data per month and have never been throttled.

 

[GraphicsGeek]

Stop spreading misinformation. AT&T's unlimited data plans aren't capped or throttled at 2GB. They're throttled when you're in the TOP 5% of data users, NOT when you pass the 2GB barrier. I use 3-4GB of data per month and have never been throttled.

I got a text last month saying I was in the top 5% after using 2.1 GB on my unlimited plan. So the OP isn't all the way wrong. I think the consensus was it depends on your location. There's a massive thread on this. To answer the OP's question, I may switch depending on if I get another text or not from AT&T. I'm usually between 3-4 GB/month.

 

[Small White Car]

I got a text last month saying I was in the top 5% after using 2.1 GB on my unlimited plan. So the OP isn't all the way wrong. I think the consensus was it depends on your location.

If it really different depending on location then, yes, the OP is all the way wrong.

I can't say "it's raining everywhere" and then get partial credit because it's raining somewhere. Nope, that statement would just be considered wrong.

 

[Lancetx]

I'm seriously considering switching to the 2GB plan for $25 (before it goes away on Sunday) from my $30 unlimited plan since I have never used more than 500MB in a month so far anyway.

My co-worker that is also on the unlimited plan has started getting the top 5% warning texts this month even though she's only used 1.6GB so far with 10 days left in her billing cycle. This is in the Dallas area too which is one of AT&T's most robust network locations, so I'm not sure that location matters anymore.

To start throttling users at around 2GB is absolutely ridiculous and defeats the entire purpose of having the "unlimited" data plan in the first place. So I'm heavily leaning toward just taking my chances with the 2GB plan and saving the $5 per month anyway at this point.

 

[jaynone]

Wow, I've got a 6 gig for $30 plan here in Canada. I thought it would have been much cheaper down south.

 

[Ste Nova]

I feel sorry for you guys over there, I usually download 20gb and upload 25gb a month, one month a had 60gb down no caps, no thottling

 

[SAD*FACED*CLOWN]

I've been unlimited since the first iPhone (and I make sure to use my data) and I go over 2 GB often skyping with my friends overseas...never been throttled and never got a text...

 

[ap3604]

To the people who say "AT&T doesn't throttle" I got this directly from AT&T's website with a simple google search

http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB410281&cv=820&ct=5900004&pv=3#fbid=5Yf6LSAC_Ay

I'm a smartphone customer with an unlimited data plan and received a message that you might reduce my speeds if my data usage in a billing period is among the top five percent of all smartphone customers. What does that mean?

Like other wireless companies, we're taking steps to manage exploding demand for mobile data. Many experts agree the country is facing a serious wireless spectrum crunch. We're responding on many levels, including investing billions in our wireless network this year and working to acquire additional network capacity. We're also taking additional, more immediate measures to help address network congestion.

One new measure is to reduce the data throughput speed experienced by a small minority of smartphone customers who are still on unlimited data plans. These customers represent only five percent of our smartphone data customers but they use an extraordinary amount of data each month. On average, they use about 12 times more data than the average of all other smartphone data customers.

http://www.att.com/esupport/article...ent+of+smartphone+customers?#fbid=5Yf6LSAC_Ay

How much monthly data usage is typical for someone in the top five percent of smartphone customers?

Data consumption by all customers, including the top five percent of smartphone data customers, varies by month and by market. As of August 2011, the average data use across the country by the top five percent of AT&T smartphone customers was 2GB per month.

Sure you might not get throttled... YET... but its coming for you too soon enough which is why I posted this question

 

[dehory]

I wish they would just come up with a plan so that you simply pay for what you use.

They have. It's called GoPhone.

 

[Pumapayam]

Documents on how to raise the throttling limit

To the people who say "AT&T doesn't throttle" I got this directly from AT&T's website with a simple google search

http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB410281&cv=820&ct=5900004&pv=3#fbid=5Yf6LSAC_Ay

[/SIZE]
http://www.att.com/esupport/article...ent+of+smartphone+customers?#fbid=5Yf6LSAC_Ay



Sure you might not get throttled... YET... but its coming for you too soon enough which is why I posted this question

So, doing the math, if the top 5% is 2.00 GB and as of recent, throttling seem to start at around 2.00 GB, or as they state 12 X more that the average user. That would mean 95% of people are using 0.17 GB

So if the lower 95% starts averaging 0.50 GB, that would push throttling up 6.00 GB.

I directly, these new plans will help raise the throttling ceiling limit we currently are experiencing.

FYI I got my notice at 5.20 GB last month.

 

[mrsir2009]

I wish they would just come up with a plan so that you simply pay for what you use. I am still on unlimited but know it will not last for ever. Some months if traveling I would use a LOT other hardly any data.

I just want to be charged with what I use at a reasonable rate and forget the gimmick plans from the carriers

Yeah, but phone companies generally aren't reasonable. The gimmick plans are designed to squeeze as much money out of you as possible (by doing stuff like making you pay for unlimited when they throttle it after 2GB, or making you pay for more than you need), while still trying to make you believe your getting a good or reasonable deal.

We'd all love reasonable and honest deals from phone companies, but it isn't happening.

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I feel sorry for you guys over there, I usually download 20gb and upload 25gb a month, one month a had 60gb down no caps, no thottling

Holy crap... You must live in a massive city

 

[mgipe]

Clearly, AT&T is hoping to push more customers out of its unlimited plan.

 

[Stealthipad]

Yeah, but phone companies generally aren't reasonable. The gimmick plans are designed to squeeze as much money out of you as possible (by doing stuff like making you pay for unlimited when they throttle it after 2GB, or making you pay for more than you need), while still trying to make you believe your getting a good or reasonable deal.

We'd all love reasonable and honest deals from phone companies, but it isn't happening.

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Holy crap... You must live in a massive city

Some some extent this is true but there is also the a$$hole user who will download movie after movie via 3G slowing the net work for all of us. For those who do this they should have to pay for the bandwidth.

There are many who would and will take advantage if the carrier let them. This forum is proof of that!

 

[ZipZap]

I got a text last month saying I was in the top 5% after using 2.1 GB on my unlimited plan. So the OP isn't all the way wrong. I think the consensus was it depends on your location. There's a massive thread on this. To answer the OP's question, I may switch depending on if I get another text or not from AT&T. I'm usually between 3-4 GB/month.

Perhaps for that month you were in the top 5%.

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So, doing the math, if the top 5% is 2.00 GB and as of recent, throttling seem to start at around 2.00 GB, or as they state 12 X more that the average user. That would mean 95% of people are using 0.17 GB

So if the lower 95% starts averaging 0.50 GB, that would push throttling up 6.00 GB.

I directly, these new plans will help raise the throttling ceiling limit we currently are experiencing.

FYI I got my notice at 5.20 GB last month.

Keep in mind the top 5% will vary month to month.

 

[chakraj]

Some some extent this is true but there is also the a$$hole user who will download movie after movie via 3G slowing the net work for all of us. For those who do this they should have to pay for the bandwidth.

There are many who would and will take advantage if the carrier let them. This forum is proof of that!

Ya greedy people using a service they paid for to do whats advertised on that service. Just like all of those people who buy cups of coffee and drink the whole thing, or buy cars and them drive them all over the country. Just because you pay for something doesnt give you the right to use it as advertised what do they think this is the USA. well its not anymore, unless you own a bank or are in the governmet, but the rest of us better just start liking what we are told to like, or we will get the hose.

 

[ap3604]

Ya greedy people using a service they paid for to do whats advertised on that service. Just like all of those people who buy cups of coffee and drink the whole thing, or buy cars and them drive them all over the country. Just because you pay for something doesnt give you the right to use it as advertised what do they think this is the USA. well its not anymore, unless you own a bank or are in the governmet, but the rest of us better just start liking what we are told to like, or we will get the hose.

I'd actually liken it more to driving an 8mpg Hummer across country in the middle of an oil crisis as a better example

 

[chakraj]

I didnt know we are in the middle of a spectrum crisis. Who told you that? Oh ya ATT told you that. Well didnt they also say they are sitting on the largest amount of un used spectrum of any company. But they are only doing that to creat their own crisis so they can make even more money.

But wait, if I am right then ATT would be raising their price for Data, oh ya they are .

Those evil SUV drivers using gas when there is a fake gas crisis going on, and all of you evil spectrum users downloading netflix when ATT is trying to have a fake spectrum shortage to drive up the price of the huge unused spectrum they have.

 

[SpaceKitty]

Though I rarely use more than .5GB, I'll probably switch and then start using it more than I did before. I used to use my XM radio app on 3G just to use it on 3G and now I'll likely do that again since it won't be throttled.

 

[Stealthipad]

Ya greedy people using a service they paid for to do whats advertised on that service. Just like all of those people who buy cups of coffee and drink the whole thing, or buy cars and them drive them all over the country. Just because you pay for something doesnt give you the right to use it as advertised what do they think this is the USA. well its not anymore, unless you own a bank or are in the governmet, but the rest of us better just start liking what we are told to like, or we will get the hose.

Good to see you are coming around to thinking the "right" way now!