Discounted Limited Data Plan for iPhone Coming From AT&T?

[anubis]

Something that's always bothered me is that AT&T offers an employee discount where I work on voice and data plans on every phone they offer. Except the iPhone, of course. For Blackberry's, AT&T offers the exact same price points for voice and data as the 3G iPhone ($39.99 for the base voice plan and $30 for unlimited data). However, with my employee discount, I could get the voice plan for $31 and the unlimited data for $20. If I got a Blackberry, I could save $20/month over the 2-year contract (Almost $500) and I would still be able to use unlimited data (Slingbox over 3G, anyone?)

In many ways, the iPhone is years ahead of the competition. In other ways, it's years behind.

 

[iansilv]

I just don't understand why these **** nuts at ATT don't do something like "Unlimited everything" at like 69$ a month- unlimited talk, text and data.

Offer no guarantees for speed, and kill torrents- I'm ok with that. 3g clogged? Sucks. Some people would bitch and moan, but the majority of users would happily use the service for their phone and tethering. Chances are pretty good it would not be drop-out free so large scale downloading and video streaming would stutter, ending that strain on networks pretty quickly.

Think of the savings on sales support, tech support, marketing, pr, advertising- and the increase in subscribers!

If businesses want a guaranteed data speed they can pay for a higher level dedicated plan. But most people just want to be able to surf the net, check email, update their computer, etc. They don't know what a torrent is, and Hulu can stream fine on a lower end connection. If it doesn't, well, they can pay for a higher data speed on 4g when it comes out.

They could call it the "It's 69 bucks for everything now piss off" plan.

 

[Surely]

Whatever, AT&T. What I wanna see from you guys is an intermediate text message plan, like 500 texts. Right now they offer 250 or 1500, I believe, and that's it. It's an obvious ploy to sucker people into the 1500 message plan. Jerks.

I am sure that plans between 250 and 1500 are there, you just have to know how and who to ask.

If I was able to get a voice plan that is in between what is offered, I'm sure it is possible to get a text plan that is in between what is offered.

 

[ji3yjo42ul3]

I just don't understand why this has been so slow to come up. This should have been an option from the beginning.

I think it's just all about money and benefits.... I hope to see good deal for people come up soonest.

 

[ckurt25]

I just don't understand why these **** nuts at ATT don't do something like "Unlimited everything" at like 69$ a month- unlimited talk, text and data.

Uh... Because millions of people LINE UP to pay $100 or more for limited service. Why doesn't Comcast give me every channel including digital, HD and premium, internet service and a phone line for $69.....?

 

[kingtj]

Yep ... this was my complaint too

I had the original 8GB iPhone and didn't really WANT to upgrade to a 3G, specifically for this reason. I saw no "additional value" in the 3G phone that justified paying another $15 per month on my bill, to have the same service options I had before!

I wound up getting "herded" to a 3G phone anyway though, when my original died, out of warranty. Repair cost wasn't reasonable, and I didn't want to pay close to what a 3G phone cost for somebody's 1-2 year old used first gen. iPhone.

If nothing else, I'd at LEAST like to see text messages get "rollover" like they do for voice minutes! If I pay for 200 texts and only use 100, I want my other 100 credited towards my next month's usage limit.

Hey AT&T, how about getting rid of the ridiculous charges for text messages too? With my current plan (original iPhone), I get 200 messages included with my $20/month data plan. Once I go 3G, I'll pay $30 a month and get 0 text messages. I'll have to pay an extra $5 to get my 200 messages again, taking my monthly increase to $15. Lame. Very lame.

 

[Surely]

If nothing else, I'd at LEAST like to see text messages get "rollover" like they do for voice minutes! If I pay for 200 texts and only use 100, I want my other 100 credited towards my next month's usage limit.

Agreed.

That is a reasonable request.

 

[Blue Fox]

Wow, I just read through all the messages and can't believe how much bickering there is about the prices of the plan. No one held a gun to your head to get the iPhone, so why all the bickering about the prices now? I'm perfectly happy paying my $81.xx/month for my service because I WANT it. (and I'm in no way wealthy or "well off")....I wanted the phone, and being that it's a Premium phone, I expect to pay a premium for service.

Companies are out there to make money (obviously). And there is nothing wrong with that.....that's why companies exist. They offer a service, then the customer decides whether or not they want it. That's the way it works. You don't want to pay for it, then don't get it........but constantly bickering about the pricing when you have no idea what it takes to run/maintain & expand a company as large and complicated as AT&T is just foolish and ignorant.

Rant over, I feel better now.

 

[reallynotnick]

If this is seriously the best ATT and can do I am moving to Sprint, don't get me wrong I love my unlocked iPhone but I want a full data plan and unlimited text messaging and Sprint is just way cheaper. I don't want to start a flame war but it's just a fact and right now I don't have the money to be throwing at ATT just to have an iPhone.

 

[ckurt25]

Wow, I just read through all the messages and can't believe how much bickering there is about the prices of the plan. No one held a gun to your head to get the iPhone, so why all the bickering about the prices now? I'm perfectly happy paying my $81.xx/month for my service because I WANT it. (and I'm in no way wealthy or "well off")....I wanted the phone, and being that it's a Premium phone, I expect to pay a premium for service.

Companies are out there to make money (obviously). And there is nothing wrong with that.....that's why companies exist. They offer a service, then the customer decides whether or not they want it. That's the way it works. You don't want to pay for it, then don't get it........but constantly bickering about the pricing when you have no idea what it takes to run/maintain & expand a company as large and complicated as AT&T is just foolish and ignorant.

Rant over, I feel better now.

THANK YOU!!!

"I want (one of, if not) the best phone(s) on the planet and I want to pay 1/2 of what anyone else pays for similar service and AT&T are crooks if they don't give it to me" COME ON PEOPLE......WAKE UP!!!

 

[powaking]

Once Google releases a Google Voice app that pushes their SMS messages then there won't be a need for a text plan. People will be dropping the plans like flies and maybe thats what AT&T is worried about: the background notification that 3.0 is about to offer.

 

[Rot'nApple]

There's an app for that...

Great idea, but as long as there is a mechanism that warns you before you go over data usage.

I highly doubt it as that would be the ethical thing to do. However, they will likely just invisibly start charging you $1/1kb if you go over... huge earning potential.

Ther's an app for that...

Or at least I'm told by the commercials I see on tv.

https://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2009/05/05/atandt-mywireless-mobile-allows-iphone-users-to-manage-atandt-wireless-accounts/

 

[Andruw91]

i think that they may have the $20 plan unlimited for the iPhone and leave the $30 price point for unlimited data PLUS tethering. There was mention a while ago that AT&T was considering a possible $10 add-on for tethering even before 3.0 was introduced.

I like this plan idea. I wouldn't mind paying 20 a month since I don't plan on using tethering at all.

Just curious, but how much data would I be expected to use if I just use it for the internet say 2-3 hours per day. I never had a smart phone and I just wanted to get an idea if they do introduce plans with caps lime 1GB etc.

 

[JCastro]

^^ The AT&T "myWireless" App shows a bar for data used (but since the current plan is unlimited, the bar is grayed out). Not to mention that you can also check your data usage by texting *3282# and they'll send you a free SMS of data used.

I welcome a data plan with limited usage for less......just depends on what the limit is.

My mywireless app shows the amount of data I have used. Nothing is grayed out.

I also welcome a tiered data plan. I don't think I have ever gone over 250mb a month. And I have gone on a long road trip streaming radio over 3G (I wanted to listen to a channel that I could not pick up on the car radio).

 

[Rot'nApple]

If nothing else, I'd at LEAST like to see text messages get "rollover" like they do for voice minutes! If I pay for 200 texts and only use 100, I want my other 100 credited towards my next month's usage limit.

AT&T should do what t-mobile does, at least on the plan I'm currently enjoying, and that is giving 50 texts complimentary.

I don't text and have no need, so why pay. However, occasionally I receive a text from some unknown number and what does this all important text have to say???

"LOL, just because"!

Yep, that's all the message said and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for something like that! AT&T do you hear me now?!

 

[GQB]

Something that's always bothered me is that AT&T offers an employee discount where I work on voice and data plans on every phone they offer. Except the iPhone, of course. For Blackberry's, AT&T offers the exact same price points for voice and data as the 3G iPhone ($39.99 for the base voice plan and $30 for unlimited data). However, with my employee discount, I could get the voice plan for $31 and the unlimited data for $20. If I got a Blackberry, I could save $20/month over the 2-year contract (Almost $500) and I would still be able to use unlimited data (Slingbox over 3G, anyone?)

In many ways, the iPhone is years ahead of the competition. In other ways, it's years behind.

No, its AT&T that's years behind, not iPhone. (Well, years behind in ethical behavior anyway.)

 

[macjiro]

If the Iphone was GoPhone-enabled, i would buy it. Otherwise, no thanks.

 

[Digipimp]

Im definitely on the verge of early termination on my ATT contract and then just using my iphone on wifi which is how i use it most of the time already anyway. Pick up a virgin mobile phone with the $49.99 unlimited plan and $10 unlimited text and I should be good.

 

[Blue Fox]

My mywireless app shows the amount of data I have used. Nothing is grayed out.

I also welcome a tiered data plan. I don't think I have ever gone over 250mb a month. And I have gone on a long road trip streaming radio over 3G (I wanted to listen to a channel that I could not pick up on the car radio).

So it does! I could have sworn it was grayed out or just said "Unlimited" or something. Huh, that's cool. I've used a whopping 75MB so far this month. WOO! A limited-data plan would be good, we'll see if they roll it out. If not, I'm still happy with unlimited.

 

[bigwig]

Hey AT&T, how about getting rid of the ridiculous charges for text messages too?

Why do they even bother charging for text messages? They have so little data that their load on the network is probably indistinguishable from measurement noise.

 

[entropys]

For a point of comparison, in Australia, the majority of data plans are capped.
My provider (virginmobile) charges

AUD$5 for 50mb
AUD$10 for 300mb
AUD$15 for 1gb

and there are three other providers all providing various limited plans.
So, a US$20/month limited plan from AT&T sounds expensive.

For the majority of users, the 300mb package would be more than enough, but if you want a lot of youtube, you would be better off with the 1gb package. I have never exceeded 500mb, and I would be a heavy data user.

The sting in the tail is that if you go over your limit in a month, Virgin charge 15 cents a kb for the extra! That hurts!

 

[archipellago]

free Nokia E71

unlimited texts
unlimited internet
200 voice minutes (any net, any time)

£20 ($28/29) pcm

iPhone isn't worth the ridiculous surcharges....

 

[DELLsFan]

Hmmm - interesting theory... I could believe this... Tethering is definitely going to be a touted feature of OS 3.0, and I know AT&T is going to want to monetize it as much as they can (I'm sure they'd prefer you paid $30 as you do now for normal data usage on your iPhone and then an additional $30 for the ability to tether)... This seems like a decent compromise.

Not yet. SMS message billing needs to be reworked. No more 0.20 per message. No more $20 unlimited texts (single user). No more $30 unlimited texts (family talk). Throw in the text messaging as part of my supposed unlimited data plan now, and they're closer to a compromise in my view.

 

[captain kaos]

Ha Ha!

Erm,

Going by the Slingplayer piece last week aren't you guys with ATT already on a "Limited Data" plan.

 

[Applebyter]

Prepaid Plans!?!?!

Well according to the article the iPhone could be getting pre-paid plans (Go phone or Pay-as-you-go) which I would def. but if they do decide to do the pay as you go. I don't want to be tied down to a contract for 2 years, especially if they upgrade the device (like they are now) a year later. Plus my credit sucks and I'd have to pay 750 bucks just to sign up because of that. I'd pay it but I have been holding off for them to make it pay-as-you-go. I really do hope they do add pay-as-you-go plans..plus it would make Apple happy cause they will bring in more business to people who don't want to be on a contract or don't wanna pay the 750 to sign up. I believe the UK has it for their phones but I could be wrong...can't remember where I heard that at.