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AT&T Introduces New Smartphone Data Plans w/3GB and 5GB Options
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Ugh. I read the "AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots" part as all plans include Wi-Fi tethering, my second look completely dashed my hopes.
So basically, they want to screw over people on the low tier plans (250MB) by charging them $5 more a month for only 50MB more data. Gee thanks AT&T :roll eyes: $20 for 300MB works out to $1/15MB versus $1/16.6MB before. 500MB would be halfway reasonable, but seeing as I am getting 2GB for $25 it makes no sense.
Now if I want tethering it will be a nice extra $5 a month. At least I can still keep my current plan.
AT&T listen to me. Allow tethering for free on every (limited) plan. A lot less people will despise you if you do this. And you still make money, because when people start tethering, they start buying more data for $10 a gig.
This is yet another money grubbing move by AT&T to try and make everyone go up to one plan higher than they want to. Low tier users are getting jipped, so they bump up to the 3GB. Those on the 3GB want to tether, so they must bump up to 5GB.
The cost of data should go down over time, not up.
So basically, they want to screw over people on the low tier plans (250MB) by charging them $5 more a month for only 50MB more data. Gee thanks AT&T :roll eyes: $20 for 300MB works out to $1/15MB versus $1/16.6MB before. 500MB would be halfway reasonable, but seeing as I am getting 2GB for $25 it makes no sense.
Now if I want tethering it will be a nice extra $5 a month. At least I can still keep my current plan.
AT&T listen to me. Allow tethering for free on every (limited) plan. A lot less people will despise you if you do this. And you still make money, because when people start tethering, they start buying more data for $10 a gig.
This is yet another money grubbing move by AT&T to try and make everyone go up to one plan higher than they want to. Low tier users are getting jipped, so they bump up to the 3GB. Those on the 3GB want to tether, so they must bump up to 5GB.
The cost of data should go down over time, not up.
As someone who used to sell cell phones (Best Buy Mobile), it is difficult to say whether or not your unlimited plan will go with you when you upgrade a device. As some users have pointed out, you are signing a new contract.
I cannot speak for ATT stores or whatever, but at Best Buy Mobile, when a customer had an unlimited plan, we would always try to grandfather that over. Depending on how good your sales associate is, they may or may not try to call ATT's retail support line.
Generally, it has been all right. I've had customers upgrade from Blackberry phones with Blackberry unlimited data plans to iPhones. The customers want to keep their unlimited data plan, but the feature codes are different (there's a difference between Blackberry unlimited data, iPhone unlimited data, and smartphone unlimited data). I called ATT and the rep basically "grandfathered" them in. I use quotation marks because they kept the "unlimited" part of their original plan, but they didn't have an iPhone unlimited data plan before that. Sorry, it's confusing...lol hope you understand.
All I can say is YMMV. If you do it at an ATT store, they'll probably try to just get you to switch off your unlimited (if/when you upgrade to the next iPhone, I'm not talking about the present). If you do it at a Best Buy, depending on how lazy your sales associate is, they may get you to say on unlimited. Best Buy neither makes nor loses money when you change features/grandfather in, etc. So there is no incentive not to call into ATT national retail support.
It's difficult to say whether original iPhone/smartphone/BB data plans will be grandfathered in. The original unlimited plans are now 2 "generations" old. The current (soon-to-be-previous) "generation" was the $15-200mb/$25-2GB plan, the new "generation" will be the $20-300mb/$30-3GB/$50-5GB plans. Previously, it was easier to keep grandfathered plans because it was just 1 "generation" apart. So it is difficult to say due to how old that plan now is.
I cannot speak for ATT stores or whatever, but at Best Buy Mobile, when a customer had an unlimited plan, we would always try to grandfather that over. Depending on how good your sales associate is, they may or may not try to call ATT's retail support line.
Generally, it has been all right. I've had customers upgrade from Blackberry phones with Blackberry unlimited data plans to iPhones. The customers want to keep their unlimited data plan, but the feature codes are different (there's a difference between Blackberry unlimited data, iPhone unlimited data, and smartphone unlimited data). I called ATT and the rep basically "grandfathered" them in. I use quotation marks because they kept the "unlimited" part of their original plan, but they didn't have an iPhone unlimited data plan before that. Sorry, it's confusing...lol hope you understand.
All I can say is YMMV. If you do it at an ATT store, they'll probably try to just get you to switch off your unlimited (if/when you upgrade to the next iPhone, I'm not talking about the present). If you do it at a Best Buy, depending on how lazy your sales associate is, they may get you to say on unlimited. Best Buy neither makes nor loses money when you change features/grandfather in, etc. So there is no incentive not to call into ATT national retail support.
It's difficult to say whether original iPhone/smartphone/BB data plans will be grandfathered in. The original unlimited plans are now 2 "generations" old. The current (soon-to-be-previous) "generation" was the $15-200mb/$25-2GB plan, the new "generation" will be the $20-300mb/$30-3GB/$50-5GB plans. Previously, it was easier to keep grandfathered plans because it was just 1 "generation" apart. So it is difficult to say due to how old that plan now is.
Your math is upside down. You start with MB/$ and then end with $/MB so it is actually cheaper if you use all of your MB's. But most people don't use all they pay for, so it amounts to an increase.
Why can't the $30 capped plan have tethering? If we only get 3GB why can't I use it on my computer as well.
There's a couple of problems with the idealism behind your statement:
1) Given that pentaband HSPA antennas are still highly uncommon, the idea that we'll get an LTE antenna that supports the majority of the LTE bands that are deployed and that are to be deployed anytime soon is somewhat bogging for me.
2) There will still be incompatibilities between the four major US carriers in the future Funnily enough. First off, Verizon and Sprint's fallback is CDMA/EV-DO; AT&T's fallback is HSPA+. This fallback is important for when you're in areas where LTE coverage is weak or doesn't exist. Then there's the matter of spectrum. Verizon is using certain chunks of the 700 band as well as the 1700 band for LTE; AT&T's chunks of the 700 band are incompatible with Verizon's. Sprint, meanwhile, is going to be using the 850, 1900, and 2600 bands. The ultraregionals are primarily deploying in varying chunks of the 700 band and/or the 1700 band. That's going to be a lot of fun for OEMs and their suppliers; I bring this up because, to my knowledge, there isn't an antenna that'll support anything being a single carrier's frequencies at the moment. And, in Apple's case, they prefer to have their iPhone be as single of a model as possible, so you're going to have to factor in the 800, 1600, and 2100 bands being used overseas. This block of text is largely based off of memory and there may be some mild inaccuracies.
The networks of the big four aren't entirely incompatible. Verizon and Sprint have identical technologies and frequencies for their 2G and 3G networks; the only thing stopping you from changing carriers without changing phones is the need for their phones to be reprogrammed due to their lack of a SIM card. AT&T and T-Mobile use identical technologies for their 2G and 3G networks, but only share frequencies for 2G; the lack of widespread phones that support 850/1900 in addition to 1700-2100 is what prevents cross-compatible 3G phones.
I guess it pays to be an early adopter and get grandfathered in. Wow. I thought this stuff was supposed to go down over time, not up.
Yeah! I agree with you- why would they not want everyone to be able to tether on any limited plan? They buy more data... And complain about it less...
This only makes sense if they have phone service through the Internet. That way, we can hope that they stop overcharging phone and text. Ultimately all we need is Internet service.
Anyway, what's the point of high speed connection like LTE when they charge arms and legs for mere 5gb?
Anyway, what's the point of high speed connection like LTE when they charge arms and legs for mere 5gb?
Honestly, I never noticed any visible antennas when I was travelling in China. The providers even promise that if you find an open place that you cannot receive any signal, call them and they will cover that area.
Be happy you had unlimited. Rogers, the largest provider in Canada make American providers seem like angels. I'd KILL for unlimited data, my app downloads alone take up there fair share of data.
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I just turned off wifi and started streaming music. Next I'll keep turning iTunes match on and off with 3g data enabled. Maybe now I'll be pushed into the top 1% of users, well over my usual 200-400 MB per month and I'm grandfathered on an unlimited plan. Eat this ATT!
THIS exactly. I have the grandfathered unlimited data plan for $30/month. Just the other day i reviewed my data usage over the past 12 months and realized I never go above 2 GB in a month, and I was planning on dropping down to the 2GB/$25 per month plan to save $5/month (and to enable tethering once in a while). Apparently that option will be gone come Sunday.
Now I'm not sure if I should drop to the 2GB plan before Sunday or just hang on to my unlimited data. . . which I don't need.
Actually, it's $15 for 200MB (13.3MB/dollar). So $20 for 300MB is a better deal if you use it all (15MB/dollar).
So what do you imagine will happen? Will the next iPhone not have LTE, or will we go back to having different models for different carriers?
yeah but if you want the lowest data plan available it's still $20...that's ridiculous