AT&T iPhone Customers Can Keep Unlimited Data Plan for Next iPhone

[ShockTroop]

Good Idea

Capping usage makes the network faster for everyone. As public wifi becomes more prevalent, data usage on ATT networks will be a thing of the past. I personally never leave wifi. This means I will save $15 a month. In this kind of economy every little bit helps.

 

[p-rice]

I hope the 200mb plan is enough for the rumored iChat feature on the 4th gen iPhone.. I'm already grandfathered with the current unlimited plan but I would love to have my parents on the cheaper plan so we could video chat. They currently have 2g iPhones with no data plan because 30 bucks additional for each phone is ridiculous if they don't ever plan on using much of the Internet besides email.

 

[rkswat]

Shoot, these caps do it for me. It's over the top. My wife and I were finally going to switch to AT&T but now were gonna wait for Verizon this Fall.
I'm sure I wouldn't go over 2GB/month but just the fear of the limit would make me not enjoy the phone's abilities.

AT&T FTL. They are crazy if they think I'm going to switch to some plan that's only $5 cheaper over my unlimited plan. I don't come close to using 1GB of data per month, but these new plans are stupid and ridiculous. An extra $15 if I go over 200MB's???? OMG, talk about a mark up. Make the 2GB $10 cheaper and we'll talk. Until then, kiss my black a...

Both of the above statements are just as ridiculous the second time reading them. You both say you won't hit the data cap yet you're going to leave at&t...... For what? PLUS if you already have an iPhone nothing will change. You are both very special people.

...As you can see, even if you use 2GB, my method works out to be cheaper, the savings add up substantially when you use more than 2GB

What are you talking about? Cheapest way if you're a high volume user and already have an iPhone is to jailbreak and buy miwi. Then your bill doesn't change. Glad to see you really thunk it out though.

People just attached it as the last two were 3G and 3GS. So it could be called iPhone 4.

No.... iPhone 4g means 4th generation .

Seems like it would make sense for a poor starving artist to spend $30 on a hard wired internet connection instead of $110 on a mobile one.

Not if he needs a cell phone too, may as well kill 2 birds with one phone.

 

[Warbrain]

No.... iPhone 4g means 4th generation .
.

Thanks for the laugh. You do realize that 4G has a specific connection in cellular telephony, right? Calling it iPhone 4G implies that it will support 4G networks. It won't. Calling it iPhone 4 makes sense as that means fourth gen.

 

[alcides11]

Does Video Conferencing use 3G service?

I hope the 200mb plan is enough for the rumored iChat feature on the 4th gen iPhone.. I'm already grandfathered with the current unlimited plan but I would love to have my parents on the cheaper plan so we could video chat. They currently have 2g iPhones with no data plan because 30 bucks additional for each phone is ridiculous if they don't ever plan on using much of the Internet besides email.

I thought I heard or read a rumor that the video conferencing feature was going to be over Wi-Fi connections only, I could be wrong.

But if it is Wi-Fi only, other than people not liking that, it will at least not affect your 3G data used numbers.

 

[vizkiz]

I figure AT&T did this because most customers are between 200MB and 250MB per month and will have to get the $25/month plan. Why else would they do this instead of having a 250MB/month plan like with the iPad?

I'll be keeping my unlimited plan for now. I usually don't use that much (between 200MB and 250MB/month ) but when I go certain places, my iPhone becomes my primary computer.

Here's another question:
Is AT&T measuring a GB in the true measure, 1024MB per GB, or the way HD manufacturers were measuring it for years, 1000MB per GB?

 

[mackworth]

I stream radio on my way into work and I tether to my iPad on my way home. Plus lots of surfing on the weekends.

The most I have ever used is 600MB but I don't do a lot of video streaming.

 

[abbstrack]

Pandora, Rhapsody, Slingbox.... The 3 most used apps on my Iphone. I can go through 2 Gig after only a few sessions of sitting in my car waiting for my kids' (fill in blank) practices to end. Was waiting for Fathers day for Ipad but now i need to get one before Monday.

also considering multitasking is on the way, I can see data usage going up astronomically. now you will be able to listen to pandora, while using your navigon or tom tom app to get you about town..this will be profits for at&t once people switch from unlimited and can't go back..i dont even think a personal data analysis makes sense at this point, since multitasking will be a whole new ball park. All these people thinking that b/c they only use 250mb of data currently will be fine have another thing coming, unless they plan on seriously restricting usage of their iphones (after begging for years for the exact same features that would require more data usage).

i'll stick with my unlimited plan thank you very much. screw you and your tethering at&t. Your 3G in NYC sucks anyway and trying to tether my laptop would probably make me throw it on the ground out of frustration.

i did a data usage analysis for the past 8 months, and i went over 650mb once during a road trip..that was when i only had navigon and google maps running,...now add to that streaming public radio or pandora or slacker, checking email, twitter, etc...constantly running..i see myself being a HEAVY data user with OS4...as it should be since these smartphones are designed for just that..data. don't be fooled into allowing yourself to be capped.

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

From AT&T usage numbers:

65% * 0.1GB = 7 GB
33% * 1.0GB = 33 GB
2% * 5 GB = 10 GB

So the 2% are using about 20% of the bandwidth!

That is crazy!

Its called the Pareto Principle. Look into it some time. It rules the world.

 

[ericinboston]

Although I am a current iPhone user...yes, I know this topic is alllllll about new customers...


1)I would never sign up for a capped data plan...for anything...phone, ISP, computer, whatever. It's 2010...get with the program, ATT.

2)Even if I were fed drugs and did sign up for a capped plan, 2GB is the cap?!...especially when the "old days" were $5 more expensive and were UNLIMITED?! That's a pretty low cap for us internet surfers that visit websites with lots of photos and check/read their email that typically have a few megs of attachments PER DAY. And what about all that wonderful hype (Apple with their advertising) about watching YouTube?...that's right out the window.

3)I just checked my usage...out of 22 days I've used 44MB. Now, I use my iPhone 99% of the time at home...and I can tell you that over the past 22 days this phone was only used 1 time outside my home (which gives me WIFI) for data usage. Therefore, if I were to multiply 30 days by 44MB, I would be at 1320MB or 1.32GB per month. And that's low usage (if you ask me)...how do I know?... I can tell you that 44MB per day is very low for me (again, Youtube, email attachments, websites, GPS, my apps hitting the web) because that 1 day I used it was simply on a road trip...all highway usage. When I got to my locations I was on WIFI. That highway usage was maybe 4 hours worth of data usage/surfing.

4)There is no way (currently) for Apple or ATT to offer a breakdown of the data usage...such as web surfing vs. apps vs. iTunes vs. GPS, vs. YouTube etc. And it's my fault that websites these days are megabytes large in their bloated design?

5)Let me guess...there's no automatic text messages from ATT or Apple that I am approaching my cap. That's probably an additional $1.99 "service" on my ATT contract.

Overall, this new policy stinks. I haven't seen any charts, but I think I'm a pretty light ATT data usage person...and already close to the monthly cap that they want to force upon new users.

-Eric

 

[alcides11]

What is a Gigabyte to AT&T

I figure AT&T did this because most customers are between 200MB and 250MB per month and will have to get the $25/month plan. Why else would they do this instead of having a 250MB/month plan like with the iPad?

I'll be keeping my unlimited plan for now. I usually don't use that much (between 200MB and 250MB/month ) but when I go certain places, my iPhone becomes my primary computer.

Here's another question:
Is AT&T measuring a GB in the true measure, 1024MB per GB, or the way HD manufacturers were measuring it for years, 1000MB per GB?

Well I did not refresh before posting this so sorry if it is a dupe.

Under the monthly data chart on my AT&T Data Usage page, it has this note:

"Note: 1 Megabyte (MB) = 1024 Kilobytes (KB); 1 Gigabyte (GB) = 1024 MB."

 

[JakeTheMac]

For everyone doubting that anyone goes over 2GB's probably every person here does. I do 8GB's a month (Average)... But I do tether some. Is the tethering for an extra 20 dollars a month unlimited or combined with the 2GB Limit? Also if you usually don't do two then save yourself the money if you go over its 10 more dollars. The 200MB thing is BS, I do more than that in a day without tethering. Stream some music, watch some videos, read a couple websites and 200MB.

This is stupid but It doesn't affect me at all since, I have the unlimited, I will keep the unlimited, and I won't update until 4.0 is jailbroken so I can continue to tether on my new iPhone HD. I imagine this phone is going to go on sale that week...

 

[Mr. Chewbacca]

I used Pandra for ~10 hours last weekend in my car. I it was about 150 mg of data. Now it was on Edge, so that may make a difference?

Ya but I'm pissed that as an existing customer I do not get the choice to go unlimited. Seems like several people on this forum go over as it is. Multi-tasking is just going to make that usage go up.

This seriously sucks for me. I use just over 1gb now but I pretty much only use it at work. Looks like it will have to stay that way!

 

[mustang_dvs]

Email the CEO, I did
randall.stephenson@att.com

Done. I asked for official comment on whether existing EDGE iPhone customers are grandfathered upon upgrade, after June 6.

 

[SAD*FACED*CLOWN]

You can keep your old data plan when you upgrade your phone. But I question whether your old plan will include new 4G service. I bet it won't.

I bet it won't either...considering AT&T does NOT offer 4G service

 

[rkswat]

Is AT&T making these policy adjustments on the fly? They float this limited data ripoff plan and now they're doing BP like damage control to prevent the massive hemorrhage of existing customers. Unless Lord Jobs is planning to untether himself from AT&T next week and allow multiple carriers for his precious iPhone 4, Prince Schmidt at Googleplex must be salivating at the new iPhone killer known as AT&T.

How is at&t the "iPhone killer"? If anything the new pricing points will attract MORE iPhone users. The high mandatory data cost is what kept a lot of people from opting for the iPhone.

at the fanboys saying this is a good thing. Apple could announce that each iphone purchase comes with a punch in the throat and the response here would be "I need that, what a great change."
All this means is that there won't be any wifi hotspotting with the iPhone OS, which just means Google is going to just continue to own the lame iphone OS.

LoL, what ever you say man. Read my above statement. Seeing as all the "fanboys" already have an iPhone the change most likely won't mean a damn to them. Sorry but your attempt at looking cool is major fail.

Thanks for the laugh. You do realize that 4G has a specific connection in cellular telephony, right? Calling it iPhone 4G implies that it will support 4G networks. It won't. Calling it iPhone 4 makes sense as that means fourth gen.

Oh I know what the term 4g means when you're talking about the 4g network..... Ask any non retarded person on the forum what the term iPhone 4g means.... go ahead...... yeah you get it now?

 

[Krio]

This new pricing on all smartphones might finally allow me to get into an iphone via walmarts $97 3gs. As a poor college student I could never justify the extra $30 a month minimum data plans all the major carriers force you to buy when you get a smart phone with 2 year pricing. I currently carry my call only cell phone along with my ipod touch for games, movies, music, and the internet when I find wifi. Saving $180 a year over the unlimited $30 is well worth the small effort to make sure I'm on wifi if I want to watch youtube and the 200mb would easily cover all my email, general browsing with images disabled, and texting using the Textfree app.

I know the $ per kb is pretty high, but I like to think of it as buying a tub of mayo from costco for $20 when I know it will go bad before I use all of it myself vs a jar from walmart that I will use up just before it goes bad for $10.

Not only is ATT freeing up the network for 98% of their 3g users (not just iphone), but they are lowering the cost to own a smartphone. Sucks to be in the 2%, but from a business standpoint you are adding customers with the lower price point, saving current customers money, and speeding up their network for the most part.

I know they will be sending messages about % left, but anybody know if they will offer the option to "hardwire" your limit so that once you hit 200mb all you have is a phone rather than charging for the difference?

Now the ipad on the other hand, you can't back out of unlimited data pricing that fast unless you've got a good reason. I'm hoping since the ipad is unlocked Jobs will be announcing several other wireless carriers as options on the ipad the same day and among them will be an option with a higher gb cap.

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

1)I would never sign up for a capped data plan...for anything...phone, ISP, computer, whatever. It's 2010...get with the program, ATT.

I'm interested....what "plan" is this you speak of that offers zero caps? You make it sound like AT&T is doing something different than everyone else in the USA.

4)There is no way (currently) for Apple or ATT to offer a breakdown of the data usage...such as web surfing vs. apps vs. iTunes vs. GPS, vs. YouTube etc. And it's my fault that websites these days are megabytes large in their bloated design?

Read up on Net Neutrality legislation in the pipeline lately? When the current Administration is done totally screwing up the ISP industry, landline and wireless both, you'll end up with AT BEST metered pay-by-the-drink services. At WORST is capped services for all data, regardless of what apps consume/produce it. This behavior is going on in all ISP's right now who are threatened with legislation that will hamper their ability to "shape" your bandwidth usage by apps. Its a commercial response to a legislative threat.

 

[Warbrain]

Oh I know what the term 4g means when you're talking about the 4g network..... Ask any non retarded person on the forum what the term iPhone 4g means.... go ahead...... yeah you get it now?

And to make it easy and simple we should call it iPhone 4 until we know the name next week.

 

[SAD*FACED*CLOWN]

Although I am a current iPhone user...yes, I know this topic is alllllll about new customers...


1)I would never sign up for a capped data plan...for anything...phone, ISP, computer, whatever. It's 2010...get with the program, ATT.

2)Even if I were fed drugs and did sign up for a capped plan, 2GB is the cap?!...especially when the "old days" were $5 more expensive and were UNLIMITED?! That's a pretty low cap for us internet surfers that visit websites with lots of photos and check/read their email that typically have a few megs of attachments PER DAY. And what about all that wonderful hype (Apple with their advertising) about watching YouTube?...that's right out the window.

3)I just checked my usage...out of 22 days I've used 44MB. Now, I use my iPhone 99% of the time at home...and I can tell you that over the past 22 days this phone was only used 1 time outside my home (which gives me WIFI) for data usage. Therefore, if I were to multiply 30 days by 44MB, I would be at 1320MB or 1.32GB per month. And that's low usage (if you ask me)...how do I know?... I can tell you that 44MB per day is very low for me (again, Youtube, email attachments, websites, GPS, my apps hitting the web) because that 1 day I used it was simply on a road trip...all highway usage. When I got to my locations I was on WIFI. That highway usage was maybe 4 hours worth of data usage/surfing.

4)There is no way (currently) for Apple or ATT to offer a breakdown of the data usage...such as web surfing vs. apps vs. iTunes vs. GPS, vs. YouTube etc. And it's my fault that websites these days are megabytes large in their bloated design?

5)Let me guess...there's no automatic text messages from ATT or Apple that I am approaching my cap. That's probably an additional $1.99 "service" on my ATT contract.

Overall, this new policy stinks. I haven't seen any charts, but I think I'm a pretty light ATT data usage person...and already close to the monthly cap that they want to force upon new users.

-Eric

the warning texts are free....and why would you multiply 44MB x 30 days you posted that you used 44MB over the course of 22 days?

 

[Mr. Chewbacca]

One more FUC##G thing

AT@T only puts the corp discount on items that are 30.00 or more. So now the data plan is no longer elegable for the discount.

I have a 140.00 bill, they ala-cart so much of it that only ONE thing now qualifies (the first line)

On a 140.00 bill my so called 25% discound amounts to 7.50. Sprint gave me 22% of the ENTIRE bill.

WHY WHY did I leave!!!

 

[timlot]

Hate to see where At&t takes this when they introduce their LTE network. There will be no grandfather plan to save us then. The future is an all data voice
over ip cell network no more minute plans. This was talked about back at CTIA by Ralph and it looks like At&t is priming the pump and getting it customers ready for this tiered data crap. Please stop trying to say this is good. I understand when Apple make a f*up decision some try to rationalize it for whatever reason, blinded by Jedi Jobs I guess, but why do it for At&t.

 

[Warbrain]

Hate to see where At&t takes this when they introduce their LTE network. There will be no grandfather plan to save us then. The future is an all data voice
over ip cell network no more minute plans. This was talked about back at CTIA by Ralph and it looks like At&t is priming the pump and getting it customers ready for this tiered data crap. Please stop trying to say this is good. I understand when Apple make a f*up decision some try to rationalize it for whatever reason, blinded by Jedi Jobs I guess, but why do it for At&t.

They can still do minutes with IP-based telephony.

 

[Psiklops]

I didn't realize that, but after looking at my bill, you're right. With my discount, I'm paying under $25 for unlimited data. Tethering is the only thing that would make me switch.

AT@T only puts the corp discount on items that are 30.00 or more. So now the data plan is no longer elegable for the discount.

I have a 140.00 bill, they ala-cart so much of it that only ONE thing now qualifies (the first line)

On a 140.00 bill my so called 25% discound amounts to 7.50. Sprint gave me 22% of the ENTIRE bill.

WHY WHY did I leave!!!

 

[vizkiz]

I figure AT&T did this because most customers are between 200MB and 250MB per month and will have to get the $25/month plan. Why else would they do this instead of having a 250MB/month plan like with the iPad?

I'll be keeping my unlimited plan for now. I usually don't use that much (between 200MB and 250MB/month ) but when I go certain places, my iPhone becomes my primary computer.

Here's another question:
Is AT&T measuring a GB in the true measure, 1024MB per GB, or the way HD manufacturers were measuring it for years, 1000MB per GB?

Looks like I can answer my own question. According to AT&T's website, they use the proper measurement, 1024MB per GB.
Also, apparently I use less data than I thought. I'll have to watch my usage with the new phone and reduce my plan if necessary.