More specifically, all carriers need to implement something to end the rash of unlimited plan abusers. There is no reason why someone should be using 60gb of mobile data and bragging about it on the internet (very prevalent with the average TMo/Sprint crowd)
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AT&T Introduces 'Sponsored Data' to Allow Businesses to Cover Cost of Mobile Data Downloads
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More specifically, all carriers need to implement something to end the rash of unlimited plan abusers. There is no reason why someone should be using 60gb of mobile data and bragging about it on the internet (very prevalent with the average TMo/Sprint crowd)
Yeah, now we get to paid more money to other companies instead of AT&T and they can retain profit!
Most likely it will be like one post noted a few days ago.... He had a Spotify account with unlimited song streaming that does not count against your data.
I doubt it ATT killed the unlimited data plans when they where the first to do away with it. and came with the data Trier Which I believe is way to low at the Very lest they should of started you out with 10GB and went up from there but We will see in the next 10 years as Computers fade away and Tablets are the only computers we have they will increase the data Triers
Since AT&T sold unlimited data to customers at one point then its not "abuse" if those customers use that much data in one month. However, that would be hard since data is generally--though not always-- throttled after 5GB in a billing period.
It's the carriers who regret selling these plans that want you to believe its "abuse". It's not. The carriers also sell capacity to MVNO's for additional revenue as as their own discount brands.
AT&T should offer "unlimited" data plans with tiered throttling cutoffs. 2GB, 5GB, 8GB, etc. That would be a lot more reasonable. That way you don't get charged extra for going over and have the option to purchase more data if necessary. If someone wants to use 30GB of data, let them pay a $300 phone bill to do it. It would stop the abusers (who's going to use 100GB while throttled to EDGE?), and it would eliminate the overages.
But of course they don't want to do that. The overages bring in too much revenue. So the reason that they stopped offering unlimited because of the abusers or network load is BS. Throttling is a pretty easy solution. They won't be getting my business again anytime soon.
But of course they don't want to do that. The overages bring in too much revenue. So the reason that they stopped offering unlimited because of the abusers or network load is BS. Throttling is a pretty easy solution. They won't be getting my business again anytime soon.
It was still abuse then. Do you remember when AT&T's UMTS network basically collapsed nationwide post-iPhone 3G? It was because of this exact reason. Post unlimited plans, AT&T offers by far the most reliable and fastest data networking in the industry.
Sprint is still feeling the heat from this. They don't offer fast speeds anywhere.
Yeah... it's this type of shady business practice that made me leave At&t... it's the same as the City of LA's plan to generate more revenue was to have more street cleaning days so they can ticket more people and gather more fines... ridiculous.
Ugh, destroying network neutrality by bribing customers...
Even if they call it "sponsored", this is anything but free. If Netflix has to pay for traffic, remember where Netflix gets their money from ...
The difference is, currently there is *some* competition. If traffic prices are too expensive, you can switch. However, Netflix can't make its users switch, so it's stuck paying whatever price they demand. And therefore Netflix customers will have to pay that price.
Fight for network neutrality!
Even if they call it "sponsored", this is anything but free. If Netflix has to pay for traffic, remember where Netflix gets their money from ...
The difference is, currently there is *some* competition. If traffic prices are too expensive, you can switch. However, Netflix can't make its users switch, so it's stuck paying whatever price they demand. And therefore Netflix customers will have to pay that price.
Fight for network neutrality!
I love this; I wish T-Mobile would do something like it too. I'm perfectly happy with the 250MB plan because of the cost but it'd be nice to have maps not count or something so I don't have to worry about directions or whatever.
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Well, not really. AT&T heavily pushed the "unlimited" nature of the plans. Yes, it was stupid of them. It lacked foresight. But it was all their own doing.
Why would an average consumer in 2007 think "unlimited" meant less?
I don't think that is what it means.
It is more like ATT wants Netflix to pay for my data usage so that I can watch Netflix on cellular data.
Similarly, Facebook pays ATT is I use Facebook app and so on.
ATT is pretty cunning here. Also, frankly I won't mind if businesses start paying for my data use but I do not like this trend.
Basically say YouTube for example. Google could pay AT&T, and then users on AT&T wouldn't have to pay for data consumed on YouTube. It's similar to companies "picking up your tab". So then the big companies pay AT&T off to get more users. If the same video is on YouTube and Vimeo, but if I don't have to pay data for YouTube, which am I going to pick? This scheme is going to kill startups in the long run. Pay for dominance.
When I was in the UK, I got a prepay SIM for my Mac Mini for GBP10 (or NZ$20) which gave me 1G for a month
Looked at the same thing when I was in Vegas and they wanted US$70 (NZ$87), so I did NOT buy one.
I would strongly suggest that the profit margin for prepay data is HUGE (i.e. much greater than 300%) and the US is ripping its customers off. Even in NZ where we are isolated from the world and most traffic is international we can get a sim +1G data prepay for NZ$30 (i.e. about US$24), and for that I can use my phone as a wifi hotspot and share my data with my laptop etc.
Oh and for that NZ$ I also get access to over 700 wifi hotspots where I can use 1GB/day for FREE
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There's nothing in this article that said ATT gave a crap about customers. All it said was it can charge businesses now too.
Internet access is increasingly seen as a utility. And just like all other utilities, it should have absolutely no relation to the devices/services you link to it.
i.e. Whether I use a Dyson or Hoover vaccuum, I pay the same electricity charges.
Whether I use a Maytag or Bosch dryer, I pay the same gas charges.
Anything else is just a MASSIVE slippery slope to the point that the carrier acts as the gatekeeper to ALL progress and innovation, which in the long term, is extremely terrible for consumers and competition.
i.e. Whether I use a Dyson or Hoover vaccuum, I pay the same electricity charges.
Whether I use a Maytag or Bosch dryer, I pay the same gas charges.
Anything else is just a MASSIVE slippery slope to the point that the carrier acts as the gatekeeper to ALL progress and innovation, which in the long term, is extremely terrible for consumers and competition.
It's more complicated than that.
Cingular was jointly owned by SBC and BellSouth.
SBC bought out/merged with AT&T, renamed itself to AT&T, and then bought out BellSouth.
This merger led to Cingular being rebranded as AT&T. What happened to the old AT&T wireless (a separate entity owned by the original AT&T company) is explained elsewhere in this thread.
The current AT&T is based upon the the old Southwestern Bell Corporation (renamed to SBC after merging with Pacific Bell and then AT&T after buying out AT&T).
One can imply that AT&T is doing this to help customers by possibly reducing their data consumption.
EXACTLY . They have no problem taking your money regardless of how crappy of a job they're doing .
If AT&T sold unlimited data and then found that their network couldn't handle the traffic then that is their problem--not the consumer. Unlimited data users are simply using the product that was sold to them.
I think this is brilliant. That means we can get by on the 300MB plan most likely.
Amazon, NYT, CNN, and Google need to get onboard.
More likely means you'll still pay about the same for your "smaller" plan, but now ATT is making more money off of businesses. At the end ATT is the one who wins, not consumers.