Ask your crystal ball if it would be once the iPhone users started dominating their network. What does your crystal ball say?
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For those that think Tethering shouldn't incur an additional fee....
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Ask your crystal ball if it would be once the iPhone users started dominating their network. What does your crystal ball say?
$20 - unlimited iPhone data
$30 - 5GB iPhone & tethering (most people don't even come close to this on the iPhone alone and would satisfy the occasional tether usage w/o increasing our current price.)
$40 - unlimited iPhone & tethering
I think that's fair...but highly unlikely.
$30 - 5GB iPhone & tethering (most people don't even come close to this on the iPhone alone and would satisfy the occasional tether usage w/o increasing our current price.)
$40 - unlimited iPhone & tethering
I think that's fair...but highly unlikely.
Actually I do.
As for the gym analogy - I admit it's flawed.
I never said the fee should be double however.
And for those looking for ala carte pricing - I would HATE to be ATT and have to deal with all the incoming calls each month with people screaming about being overcharged, wanting credits, etc. It's a nightmare waiting to happen if they go that route/model
This how I feel. I'm tired of hearing how crappy ATT's network is compared to Verizon. What would have happened to Verizon's network if the iPhone was on it (instead of ATT)? I think people would be b*tching about how crappy Verizon is and they wish the iPhone was on ATT... that's what my crystal ball says anyways. For me, I haven't had any problems with ATT's network but I do realize that is location dependant.
It's easy to refute most of what you said.
1. AT&T offers a family unlimited data plan. All devices on the plan have access to this.
2. If hook a computer up to my phone only my phone is connect to the network not the computer. I know your not going to agree with that, but it's true. The phone is nothing more then a gateway, it get the information and relays it to the computer.
This would be like my ISP charging me for every computer on my network.
1. AT&T offers a family unlimited data plan. All devices on the plan have access to this.
2. If hook a computer up to my phone only my phone is connect to the network not the computer. I know your not going to agree with that, but it's true. The phone is nothing more then a gateway, it get the information and relays it to the computer.
This would be like my ISP charging me for every computer on my network.
You made the classic straw man's argument, great job but you are dead wrong.
I pay for a data plan.
Whether I use it on my phone or laptop should be no concern to AT&T.
I had free tethering on my Windows Mobile device and thought nothing of it.
Now, your point would hold water if I expected to keep using my phone's data as my laptop used it.
I realize that a carrier might want to circumvent abuse (but in reality, they are just looking for another revenue stream) but they should allow limited tethering (1 hour a day or 5 hours a month, etc).
The only time I need tethering is the few times I fly or at a location with no wi-fi which is rare.
I shouldn't incur a separate $60 charge for those few times.
If I am a business traveller and would use it all the time like a air card, then I can understand.
It's not even close to a straw man's argument. But let's not argue about inane stuff
Who says it's going to be another $60
Who says you're the rule as far as limited usage.
Case in point - I was on a bus from DC to NYC and there was free wi-fi on the bus. One jack*** was on utorrent which killed the ability for pretty much everyone else on the bus to connect
There's ALWAYS going to be someone who abuses the system and ruin it for the rest of us who would use it fairly.
ATT is covering their butts by making it an additional fee to weed out people who might otherwise abuse it.
I see nothing wrong with them protecting their networks (which people already complain about access to) from further loads
OOOOHHHH!!! Me Me!
I'll answer that question!
Because, we have a subsidized phone contract with plenty of potential revenue streams in place for a provider.
Not a single use item that is for a specific user or business.
A Playstation 3 cost probably 3 times as much as a standard Blu-Ray player to produce, but yet is sold for much less then a standard Blu-Ray player.
Whew!, that wasn't so hard.
All bandwidth is limited and is shared. We share the road, for example, and if everyone goes to work at the same time we know what happens to the flow of traffic.
Hence, most (reasonable) people will support a proposal for weeding out the abusers of our common bandwidth. I think we are not arguing against this. The argument is that those who use their bandwidth reasonably should not be metered and charged by the gigabyte or by the hour.
This is the basis of an "unlimited" data plan, but it would probably be more suitable to call it an "unmetered" plan because "unmetered" does not necessarily imply "unlimited."
However, once I pay for an unmetered data plan, I should be able to use that data stream responsibly on any device without additional charge.
Now you are talking about something else.
Protecting their bandwidth by punishing everyone else does not validate the reason they should charge for tethering.
My example solved that issue, they know when you are tethering, so limit it to some acceptable number before kicking in a huge fee.
There, we now agree!!! We can close the thread now.
Better to go back to your original points that you set up which couldn't be argued with.
no.... because people use the network for things the iphone isn't capable of. your iphone can't access torrents and crank out a 1 GB file. If you tether through your phone to your computer then you can....
What you are talking about was the idea that the netshare guys had. They limited netshare to only safari, which essentially turned your computer into a bigger screen for your iphone
Who says ATT can tell whether data is tethered or not?
If they could - don't you think all those with phones that are "broken" would have charges up the wazoo?
The only thing that would makes sense to ATT (not customer) but to ATT is to charge the comperable $30 for unlimited tethering
If you can't tell one form of data from another - caps won't work
Unless to access the tether function, you have to enter a pin code or whatnot which would, as others have termed, meter the account.
If they could - don't you think all those with phones that are "broken" would have charges up the wazoo?
The only thing that would makes sense to ATT (not customer) but to ATT is to charge the comperable $30 for unlimited tethering
If you can't tell one form of data from another - caps won't work
Unless to access the tether function, you have to enter a pin code or whatnot which would, as others have termed, meter the account.
Only if your carrier decides that's how they implement their data plan.
Looking at AT&T's data plan offerings, it's obvious they consider tethering a premium add-on. Their current smartphone data plan adds $30/month for tethering (and this has a 5GB limit). I doubt that will change with the iPhone.
It's all really up to AT&T to decide what they want to do. All the posts about how tethering should be included in the current data plan won't make any difference. No matter how much you say it, it won't make it a reality.
Well actually the phone is capable of accessing those protocols or it wouldn't work while tethering. The phone is acting as a router, my router in my house can access torrents, but it's not capable of doing anything with it. Software limitations have nothing to do with hardware shortcomings.
OOOOHHHH!!! Me Me!
I'll answer that question!
Because, we have a subsidized phone contract with plenty of potential revenue streams in place for a provider.
Not a single use item that is for a specific user or business.
A Playstation 3 cost probably 3 times as much as a standard Blu-Ray player to produce, but yet is sold for much less then a standard Blu-Ray player.
Whew!, that wasn't so hard.
How is that answer the question. if you want tethering you have to pay for it like an Air card. The phone is function like one.
if they gave away tethering like the way you all want it. What reason would their be to buy an air card.....
Like it or not if you want to use your phone like an Air card you need to pay air card prices.
There's be less reason to buy an air card, and more reason to buy an iPhone.
Hmmm interesting loophole now
If one has an aircard. Can they share their internet connection within a network (i.e. windows networking)?
Regardless - an aircard is a monthly plan (subject to 2 year contracts as well I believe) and is $60, not $30... so it IS a little different there
If one has an aircard. Can they share their internet connection within a network (i.e. windows networking)?
Regardless - an aircard is a monthly plan (subject to 2 year contracts as well I believe) and is $60, not $30... so it IS a little different there
That is my entire point in my argument. Using the iPhone for tethering is the same thing as using the iPhone as an Air Card. So the cost for the data plan should be the same. Other wise people would just by the iPhone to use an aircard. It would be cheaper. Consider ATT does not make any money off of iPhone sells it hurts ATT.
The posts in this forum may not make a difference, but when enough people voice their dissatisfaction, they can bring about change. You should know that.
We should also remember that AT&T has not yet announced iPhone tethering policies or prices. Maybe they are listening to focus groups or even some internet forums...
With the iPhone, AT&T has attracted a great many more customers and are making a lot more money as evidenced by their recent earnings reports. The Air Cards alone would not have been nearly as profitable and I would argue that they can forfeit revenue from Air Cards in favor of the much greater revenue potential from iPhones.