AT&T CEO's "Only Regret" is Offering Unlimited Data Packages

[Macboy Pro]

The AT&T network is infamous for its inability to keep up with the iPhone explosion.

I will give them kudos for being the only wireless network that has an app to report connection issues, AND they're unionized.. plus I like them as a company more than I like verizon, even despite their horrible billing department. You could lose a semi in that billing department, it's insane!

Actually, they did keep up for the most part and if you noticed, a large majority of the AT&T Haters, stayed on AT&T when the antiquated Verizon network was made available.

Did you complain when the iPhone was sold out for months on end when released? Did Apple keep up? Funny how AT&T is the greedy company while Apple has $100B+ in the bank and still rapes it customers with pricing. Don't see anyone complaining but good grief, how dare AT&T make money for its shareholders.

 

[^^BIGMac]

Total douche.

 

[SpectatorHere]

Unlimited is the Future

It's amazing that a CEO of one of the world's largest cell phone companies doesn't understand the basic dynamics of his industry.

The future is unlimited data, high speed, always on mobile computing/communication. We're still probably a few years away from this, but it won't be long.

The Internet is not going to have brakes placed on it. Speeds will continue to increase, component prices will fall, and interconnectivity will win out.

Won't be long until we look back on metered plans and phones that don't hold more than half a day's charge will be laughable.

 

[apptech]

Business model

Apple made its huge profits by not following the traditional business model!

 

[Can't Stop]

In defense of USA phone carriers

1. USA carriers allow much more voice minutes than European/Asian carriers.
2. USA carriers have family plans that combined with more voice minutes pretty much evens out the cost of European single plans and are allow more cost savings.

It's the USA individual post paid plans users who get raped by the USA carriers.

But someone on 4-5 lines on post paid family plans with $400 subsidy per iphone pay about the same as many European plans and probably a little less.

For example with my 4 lines (unlimited text), unlimited data on 3 iphone lines, unlimited any mobile calling to any carrier, 10 home line unlimited calling and all my rollover minutes (which is basically unlimited for most people) my total bill is $175 including taxes. That averages out to about $44 USD per phone line per month.

Than add that ATT gives me a $400 plus subsidy per iPhone.

You can see family plans are where the savings are in the USA system.

Shoot me when i start paying 175 bucks. Oh look my last bill was … wait for it … 30 bucks for 3 phones. That includes 10 hours, 2000 sms and 1 GB of data. Enough for me. I will be paying 6 months with 175.

 

[DubOverdose]

I think people are overreacting to this. All he's saying is that their unlimited data pricing model doesn't work. He's also saying that free messaging services are wiping out the existing pricing model.

Telecom is a capital-intensive business that is quickly changing. Companies have to continuously invest in infrastructure to remain relevant. Randall definitely understands where telecom services are headed... I've heard him talk about it before.

 

[SpectatorHere]

Yep

Its people like this that kill innovation and drive our economy down. If everyone thought like him we would still be riding horses and sending telegrams because technology like cars and telephones hurt his margins! This guy needs a reality check and to be fired from AT&T! I'll be switching from AT&T just because of comments like this. When the whole rest of the world doesn't charge for text messaging, especially at outrages rates of over 10 dollars a month for a few bytes of data and this guy is complaining then there is something wrong with the company. Greed Greed and more Greed, AT&T I've been a customer for over 15 years, back when it was Cingular. But with this guy at the helm I want to get as far away as possible!

And you're not going to have to make some consumer stand either. ATT will either offer you the data you need at the speed and price you want, or someone else will.

Wireless and mobile computing are the fastest moving industries in an increasingly fast world market. Innovation in hardware is coming on six month cycles. Even Apple needs to watch out for this. Apple needs bigger screens, more durable designs and LTE. I doubt they'll be the next the RIM, but like ATT, Apple better be sure to continue to innovate or people will simply move on.

 

[Macboy Pro]

It's amazing that a CEO of one of the world's largest cell phone companies doesn't understand the basic dynamics of his industry.

The future is unlimited data, high speed, always on mobile computing/communication. We're still probably a few years away from this, but it won't be long.

The Internet is not going to have brakes placed on it. Speeds will continue to increase, component prices will fall, and interconnectivity will win out.

Won't be long until we look back on metered plans and phones that don't hold more than half a day's charge will be laughable.

Actually, he knows his industry and his comments reflect it well. He should not have offered unlimited data because at the time, they could not support it. No company can keep up. They can't even rollout a platform before its outdated with the next greatest thing.

The only companies that offers unlimited data is Sprint and T-Mobile and they are not even close to the same league as an AT&T or Verizon.

I wish they had the technology to provide unlimited 3G (and NOT 4G or LTE). Would be really nice to give all the flipping whiners who have unlimited data unthrottled access to what they originally purchased. Then the rest of us can use the 4G and LTE we are paying for.

----------

I think people are overreacting to this. All he's saying is that their unlimited data pricing model doesn't work. He's also saying that free messaging services are wiping out the existing pricing model.

Telecom is a capital-intensive business that is quickly changing. Companies have to continuously invest in infrastructure to remain relevant. Randall definitely understands where telecom services are headed... I've heard him talk about it before.

FINALLY, someone who understands reality and doesn't just complain. I completely agree with you. This innovation and technology is not free and when it needs replacement every 6-12 months, you have to recoup some money and can't give it away for free.

----------

Yeah. But we can spin it this way also. Verizon was nothing until those super mergers of Bell Atlantic, Air Touch, nynex, GTE.

We can go on and on.

What we really have here is two major mobile operators in the USA and that's why we still need to keep Sprint and T-mobile USA in business to keep AT&T and Verizon from raising prices more.

And you need the government to open up more spectrum for expansion of technologies. As long as it is regulated, these companies are held back. This is why they try and buy each other, to obtain spectrum, not customers. Google search it.

 

[SpectatorHere]

I think people are overreacting to this. All he's saying is that their unlimited data pricing model doesn't work. He's also saying that free messaging services are wiping out the existing pricing model.

Telecom is a capital-intensive business that is quickly changing. Companies have to continuously invest in infrastructure to remain relevant. Randall definitely understands where telecom services are headed... I've heard him talk about it before.

He's mistaken about the price structure though. We are very close to being able to provide whatever data people need ALL the time. So, it won't be a question of metering, it will simply be a utility fee people pay. It isn't as if we consume a finite resource like water or gas when we download, so it doesn't make sense to meter.

Just consider the femtocell antennas already available. How long until that coverage is ubiquitous if the cell companies don't give unlimited data over their towers? And they must all know this as they are raising data caps.

I don't think the guys is even right about the past. What if ATT hadn't given unlimited plans? People would have still been constrained by slow protocols and inefficient mobile hardware to use much bandwidth. That's all changing.

 

[praktical]

At&t

The part that sort of bowled me over was the statement

“I remember asking the question: Are we investing in a business model, are we investing in a product or are we investing in Steve Jobs?” Mr. Stephenson said. “The answer to the question was, you’re investing in Steve Jobs. Let’s go after this thing. And we went after it, and the rest is history.”

Somehow I do not see a lasting partnership of Apple and AT&T

Jus my 2 cents here

 

[aleksoctop]

My only regret is ever joining up with AT&T in the first place

 

[rgravell]

What we really have here is two major mobile operators in the USA and that's why we still need to keep Sprint and T-mobile USA in business to keep AT&T and Verizon from raising prices more.

agreed...theres really no choices besides at&t and verizon if you want pretty good coverage and decent data services. tmobile, sprint, and the regional carriers cant keep up with the two duopolies we have going.

 

[Genetheninja]

Does he really expect us to feel bad for him? I understand wanting your company to succeed however, this pushes companies to innovate and make their product better...

 

[jogley]

Wow. Yet another reason AT&T is such a joke, what a greedy bastard.

 

[441965]

Ouch!

Just one more reason to drop ATT.

 

[SpectatorHere]

It's not the government

Actually, he knows his industry and his comments reflect it well. He should not have offered unlimited data because at the time, they could not support it. No company can keep up. They can't even rollout a platform before its outdated with the next greatest thing.

The only companies that offers unlimited data is Sprint and T-Mobile and they are not even close to the same league as an AT&T or Verizon.

I wish they had the technology to provide unlimited 3G (and NOT 4G or LTE). Would be really nice to give all the flipping whiners who have unlimited data unthrottled access to what they originally purchased. Then the rest of us can use the 4G and LTE we are paying for.

----------



FINALLY, someone who understands reality and doesn't just complain. I completely agree with you. This innovation and technology is not free and when it needs replacement every 6-12 months, you have to recoup some money and can't give it away for free.

----------



And you need the government to open up more spectrum for expansion of technologies. As long as it is regulated, these companies are held back. This is why they try and buy each other, to obtain spectrum, not customers. Google search it.

You and this CEO still look at this as phone service. Phone with data tacked on that costs money to support and provide.

ATT is an ISP. Period. They'll figure that out soon enough or they'll go away.

Provide the most data at the cheapest price or someone else will. And that's the future. ATT need not invest at all, so it's good they're going along, but still, they're misguided. They should see the buildout as an opportunity to beat Comcast (for instance) in newly understood marketplace...not bemoan the profits they could be making in the fantasy world of yesterday where they didn't need to provide all this bandwidth.

Anyway, I don't hate ATT or anything. It's very understandable a company that got big as a voice provider/wireless provider might not be wise enough to understand where their industry will be. They did quite well under the old system of metered and timed everything, imagine the institutional inertia against truly unlimited data.

 

[rgravell]

And you need the government to open up more spectrum for expansion of technologies. As long as it is regulated, these companies are held back. This is why they try and buy each other, to obtain spectrum, not customers. Google search it.

this doesnt change the fact that essentially the anerican mobile system is set up on a duolopy of at&t and verizon. tmobile, sprint and regionals cant afford to expand their bases because of lack of funds to purchase the spectrum thats around. its a classic catch 22, they cant afford to expand because they only bring in x dollars, but only have x dollars becase they dont expand. if the government released spectrum it would have to be a bid to the highest payer, at&t/verizon would snap it up before anyone could attempt to be the high bid.

 

[IlluminatedSage]

Actually, he knows his industry and his comments reflect it well. He should not have offered unlimited data because at the time, they could not support it. No company can keep up. They can't even rollout a platform before its outdated with the next greatest thing.

The only companies that offers unlimited data is Sprint and T-Mobile and they are not even close to the same league as an AT&T or Verizon.

I wish they had the technology to provide unlimited 3G (and NOT 4G or LTE). Would be really nice to give all the flipping whiners who have unlimited data unthrottled access to what they originally purchased. Then the rest of us can use the 4G and LTE we are paying for.

----------



FINALLY, someone who understands reality and doesn't just complain. I completely agree with you. This innovation and technology is not free and when it needs replacement every 6-12 months, you have to recoup some money and can't give it away for free.

----------



And you need the government to open up more spectrum for expansion of technologies. As long as it is regulated, these companies are held back. This is why they try and buy each other, to obtain spectrum, not customers. Google search it.

The govt does not need to open up any more spectrum, history has shown the constant technical advancements to allow more to go over existing frequencies. When you also take into account that the wireless companies have many frequencies being used on different standards.... It is in reality tons of frequency waste!

You have companies like AT&T with:
Analog network
Edge network
3G network
Lte network

If a company like AT&T wireless got rid of analog and edge.... It would have tons of extra capacity. What companies like AT&T want is a political reason to lobby for more frequencies so they can block added competition in the future.

No reason for us to lose am radio or other stuff for cell phone data, Technology exists to maximize its usage already, the cellular industry just doesn't want fully leverage it.

 

[firemedicmark]

Is this talking about the unlimited iphone or ipad plan...or both??

 

[SpectatorHere]

The govt does not need to open up any more spectrum, history has shown the constant technical advancements to allow more to go over existing frequencies. When you also take into account that the wireless companies have many frequencies being used on different standards.... It is in reality tons of frequency waste!

You have companies like AT&T with:
Analog network
Edge network
3G network
Lte network

If a company like AT&T wireless got rid of analog and edge.... It would have tons of extra capacity. What companies like AT&T want is a political reason to lobby for more frequencies so they can block added competition in the future.

No reason for us to lose am radio or other stuff for cell phone data, Technology exists to maximize its usage already, the cellular industry just doesn't want fully leverage it.

I agree with you.

And, I don't hate ATT for trying to make money. But, I don't need to fool myself thinking they're on my side, or that what's good for them is good for everyone else.

ATT is just some company that automatically withdraws money from our accounts every month. They don't do anything special that another company wouldn't be happy to provide me. And as soon as someone offers a better deal to me, I'll just have the money deducted and sent to those other mopes.

 

[vampyr]

my only regret

My only regret at the launch of the iPhone was having to deal with AT&T's greedy business model.

Like everyone else has noticed. This guy, and this company is greedy. What a difficult country we live in when the corporations have too much power and freedom to nickel and dime the customer for everything they can, and yet the only solution to prevent this is to have more government control over things like this, and yet still we don't want the government interfering in our daily lives.

So what is the answer to this? Greed is what got our country to its position as a global economic leader.

Personally, I think Apple is greedier than AT&T. How much cash is Apple sitting on? Have you ever read any news about Apple helping out the community or investing their cash into non-profit programs?? Guess how much an iPhone REALLY costs to make? ALOT LESS THAN $499

 

[Tones2]

Yeah, $17.4 billion in sales and $2.1 billion in profits for AT&T attributed directly to the iPhone. That's a 12% profit margin on a service, not product, in a very competitive smartphone marketplace. Get back to your ice cream sandwich where profitability is the real joke.

AT&T is building infrastructure and selling phones. It's not a service. Jeez.

Again, I think the AT&T signal sucks in my area, but I also think that Apple holds back technology to make future profits. And Apple makes triple the profitability. They both suck, really. But you fanboys are always too blind to see how Apple is gouging us for profitability because they CAN. Now THAT"S greedy, Open your eyes.

This is no different than ANY company really, though. It's just that Apple holds no special place in that world and are no different than AT&T.

 

[bsolar]

Personally, I think Apple is greedier than AT&T.

All companies exist to make money, it's obvious they are "greedy" and not the key issue in my opinion. The key issue is the mentality of "my business model needs to be protected so that I can keep doing what I do for the time being".

 

[IlluminatedSage]

You do realize that the $375 is not a punishment for canceling your contract prematurely? You are paying back the $375 the carrier paid towards your new device in trade for your two year commitment. Thus you paid $199 for your iPhone vs. $649.

People's ignorance regarding ETF fees never ceases to amaze me.

Bs, that amount ought to go down monthly on a prorated basis, instead it is used as a flat amount penalty to keep people in contracts or make them Pay to leave

 

[SpectatorHere]

My only regret at the launch of the iPhone was having to deal with AT&T's greedy business model.

Like everyone else has noticed. This guy, and this company is greedy. What a difficult country we live in when the corporations have too much power and freedom to nickel and dime the customer for everything they can, and yet the only solution to prevent this is to have more government control over things like this, and yet still we don't want the government interfering in our daily lives.

So what is the answer to this? Greed is what got our country to its position as a global economic leader.

Personally, I think Apple is greedier than AT&T. How much cash is Apple sitting on? Have you ever read any news about Apple helping out the community or investing their cash into non-profit programs?? Guess how much an iPhone REALLY costs to make? ALOT LESS THAN $499

Profit is only a sin when impedes progress. Apple is still, more or less, leading. I don't like their legal patent wars, but they created the first, and probably still the best, truly mobile Internet device (iPhone).

Now, they have slowed their innovation to a great degree over the past two years, but let's be realistic, the iPhone is going to go down in technological history....hard to top that.

...But, why no hdmi out? Why no easy printing solution? Why are the phones so fragile? Why stuck on the same screen size from 2007? Why can't I read my phone outside in the sun?

This isn't to bash Apple at all. I still have my iPhone and love the reliability and rich ecosystem, but it's weird to see them lag.