Leaving AT&T Due to Throttling of Grandfathered Unlimited Data

[bigsexyy81]

Are you kidding me? No more then 3GB a month? Let's look at some of the basic things that the phone can do while having no access to a wifi connection:

Siri
GPS
Pandora
Netflix
Safari
YouTube
iCloud


I think you get the point. The iPhone is capable of tons of different things that all need data. Bandwidth consumption is bound to increase due to the way technology is progressing whether we like it or not. I can't imagine not hitting less then 2gb every single month and I feel like I am not even a heavy user. That's why I pay for UNLIMITED.

You might not think you're a heavy user, but you are. Especially if you use those apps on a consistent basis.

I mean, I could care less. Use away. It doesn't hurt me at all. But if you do use those services often, you likely fall into the top 5%. And that puts you on AT&T's little list they generate.

I use my phone a good amount. I use Maps like crazy when I'm on the road. Safari a bunch. FB, Twitter, a bunch of push notifications. Email at least two to three times an hour. Words with Friends, iTunes. Pandora, NetFlix, Youtube, yeah yeah. I've never gone over 1.8 GB, and have only exceeded 1 GB two other times in the last 15 months. Because when I get home I'm connected to wifi. Sometimes at work I'll hop on the wifi. Coffee shop, hop on the wifi.

Again, if you don't have a wifi connection at home I could understand... and in that case you don't have much of a choice. I could ring up well over 3 GB if I didn't have internet at home.


At the end of the day, the Thread Starter needs to decide if he wants to pay significantly more for data that won't be throttled. Simple as that.

 

[rjohnstone]

AT&T, for one, is sitting on the most unused spectrum of all the US carriers, a point they liked to boast about before the attempted T-Mobile purchase (at which point they had to try hard to make people forget that little fact).

Perhaps what AT&T should be doing is investing more to deploy that spectrum, as well as to shore up backhaul in places where there is spectrum in use but not enough backhaul at the sites to fully utilize it. They can certainly afford to spend that cash.

They're spending it.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/09/technology/att_network_gets_better/index.htm?source=cnn_bin

The nation's second-largest wireless carrier says it spent roughly $20 billion last year making 48,000 network enhancements across the country. That spending spree bought a 25% improvement in dropped-call performance on AT&T's 3G network, plus added capacity and faster speeds...

The spectrum they currently hold is being used for their LTE roll out, however the T-Mobile purchase was going to be used for future expansion.

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

Anyone who actually believes in a nationwide network such as AT&T getting over-loaded is drinking too much kool-aid. If the network were getting harmed at a noticeable level speed results for EVERYONE would be dropping. AT&T just used clever marketing in an attempt to trick the average consumer into believing that the top 1% was destroying the infrastructure. In reality this is false. The top 1% used 40% of the overall network USAGE and not network CAPACITY.

 

[sdsvtdriver]

Anyone who actually believes in a nationwide network such as AT&T getting over-loaded is drinking too much kool-aid. If the network were getting harmed at a noticeable level speed results for EVERYONE would be dropping. AT&T just used clever marketing in an attempt to trick the average consumer into believing that the top 1% was destroying the infrastructure. In reality this is false. The top 1% used 40% of the overall network USAGE and not network CAPACITY.

kind of like when everyone was complaining about at&t's slow speed back when the iPhone 3G dropped?

 

[aristobrat]

Before I ditch I'd love to read anyone's suggestions/experiences. Thanks!

I ported from AT&T to Verizon when the iPhone 4s launched.

I'm not at all impressed with Verizon's 3G speeds. At work, I'm near a "congested tower", and I rarely get over 300kbps. The latency seems lower, so web surfing actually feels a little faster than AT&T (when it's a mostly txt page, like the forums here), but downloading anything from the App Store or iTunes Store takes for-freaking-ever. Like 4 minutes to DL and install a 15mb app. Even on a good tower, apps like Flipboard, Facebook, or any of the news apps (like CNN) seem to refresh noticeably slower than my friends with AT&T iPhone 4s.

I gave AT&T the finger because they didn't have good coverage in a rural camping spot I goto twice a year (that Verizon has great coverage in). Now that I've been on VZW for awhile, I almost wish that I hadn't. Hopefully the iPhone 5 will be LTE and speed things up where I live!

 

[hexonxonx]

I ported from AT&T to Verizon when the iPhone 4s launched.

I'm not at all impressed with Verizon's 3G speeds. At work, I'm near a "congested tower", and I rarely get over 300kbps. The latency seems lower, so web surfing actually feels a little faster than AT&T (when it's a mostly txt page, like the forums here), but downloading anything from the App Store or iTunes Store takes for-freaking-ever. Like 4 minutes to DL and install a 15mb app. Even on a good tower, apps like Flipboard, Facebook, or any of the news apps (like CNN) seem to refresh noticeably slower than my friends with AT&T iPhone 4s.

I gave AT&T the finger because they didn't have good coverage in a rural camping spot I goto twice a year (that Verizon has great coverage in). Now that I've been on VZW for awhile, I almost wish that I hadn't. Hopefully the iPhone 5 will be LTE and speed things up where I live!

I have two iPhones activated. Both were on AT&T until Friday when I ported one over to Verizon and got a 4S. I too have noticed the poor 3G speeds in some areas and especially at my house. Friday and Saturday, I had no 3G and had to try to make each call multiple times before it would go through. Finally on Sunday, I could make any call and they went through on the first try and they still work at this moment.

I'm still keeping the other phone on AT&T because nothing beats their 3G speeds. I'll b eligible to upgrade that line on February 8 and I'm getting a 4S for that line as well.

I have 10 days to decide on if I like Verizon or not but if my service stays like it is now with being able to make calls at home, I'll keep the line on Verizon.

 

[marksman]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

Stay with AT&T and pay for the data you use

 

[jsmith1]

AT&T has given me two warnings and throttled my unlimited plan to almost no 3G service. After dealing with customer "service" I was told that my 2888.1MB monthly (billing cycle ends on the 11th) I am not being punished, this is simply a "reaction to my action." Basically, anyone who goes over the 2GB data rate on an unlimited grandfathered data plan is subject to AT&T's "Top 5%" of data users and can be throttled. When asked how they determine the top 5% (friends have gone way over 3GB/mo and have not been throttled) I was given the run around.

SO I am reacting to their reaction by leaving and am considering Verizon or Sprint.

-Sprint: Unlimited data for $10, slowest network, ok calls
-Verizon: Best voice network, average data speeds, tiered plans (although Verizon doesn't throttle through billing cycles, speeds may increase as tower congestion decreases for accounts over their data limit, so I've been told).

Before I ditch I'd love to read anyone's suggestions/experiences. Thanks!

All the carriers have you over a barrel and treat you pretty much how they want, as long as ppl take it, nothings going to change.

Kudos for wanting to take action, just be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.

 

[Smileyboy]

I just got the email too. I consistently use 4-5gb a month.... But suddenly I'm in the top 5%?!

I guess I have to call today. Does anyone know what these plans are? I saw them on the AT&T app when I logged in.

 

[joshwithachance]

For what it's worth, I really like Sprint since switching to them a couple weeks ago.

 

[SurferMan]

I'm still keeping the other phone on AT&T because nothing beats their 3G speeds.

W/O a doubt, plus they have hspa+ almost everywhere, so not only do I get speeds of 7-9 down, but the same battery life as normal 3G and no drain like LTE..... that f'n winning right there

 

[3282868]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

Stay with AT&T and pay for the data you use

So I should ditch my unlimited plan since day one at $30/mo with an average use of 2-3GB's 3G data for a 4 or higher GB tiered data plan? What will happen should I go over the my data limit? Extra fee's and/or throttling? (not meant to be sarcastic at all, honest questions, so just making sure you know ).

All the carriers have you over a barrel and treat you pretty much how they want, as long as ppl take it, nothings going to change.

Kudos for wanting to take action, just be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.

Thanks, with the current economy and political atmosphere, I've always made an effort to act as I say and do what I can to [hopefully] get the balance of consumer/corp/political power back on track. If leaving a business for not honoring your contract means I pay a small price with another business, at least I did something [whether it makes a difference or not, it's better than complacency, we vote with our dollars after all].

It does seem to be a no win scenario. Either I go with VW and lose faster 3G HSDPA+ speeds and the ability to use voice/data at the same time, move to Sprint with unlimited data but the [arguably] slowest network, or stick with AT&T until the iPhone 5 w/ LTE is released [hopefully].

We have dozens of choices in laundry detergents, toothpastes, peanut butter but only a few mobile service providers with little differences between the top three (Sprint, VW, AT&T - in terms of general services). Oh well

 

[xorjo]

I love it how all these peeps complaing about getting their speeds slowed by AT&T are threatening to leave to Verizon.

In case you didn't know... you will pay the same for 2gb of slower data...

It's quite simple, I rather stay at AT&T paying 30 bucks for unlimited data and getting SLOWED after 2gb.. then paying 30 bucks with Verizon and getting CHARGED EXTRA after going over 2gb... in both cases you lose however... and if you choose Sprint... haha, why would anyone choose to be in the slow lane ALL the time...

 

[joeshmo2010]

except that their HSPA+ areas are the ones that'll first get LTE. and HSPA+ deployment will likely slow or stop altogether as LTE deployment speeds up.

so hspa+ will basically be useless in a years time as all the covered area will be converted to lte.

You obviously don't understand the point of the HSPA+ deployment. It's a crucial stepping stone when deploying LTE. Customers begin to utilize Internet on the go that's as fast or faster than their home Internet connection. Then, they travel a bit out of their home city, where LTE has yet to be deployed. The fall back is not as harsh because HSPA+ is still pretty fast (I live in Seattle, typical speeds 6-9down and I see 10-12 in the evening hours). Verizon has no middle stone. Their LTE to 3G fallback is horrific. Speeds go from 15mbps to 1mbps. What kind of network experience is that?

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

kind of like when everyone was complaining about at&t's slow speed back when the iPhone 3G dropped?

3G was still a relatively new type of connection in terms of coverage when the iPhone 3G hit. Outside of major metropolitan areas 3G was non existant. Due to that domino effect many high traffic areas that served 3G were overloaded at different times in the day. But the overall network for the continental U.S had no trouble. Just the affected areas. While that can theoretically happen again with the rollout of LTE it will be a lot less likely. This new service uses the spectrum a good percentage better/more efficient then 3G ever could. To top that off the cellular sites are now being connected directly to I.P rather then circuit switches(which was the reason for overloading and dropped network data). It may not seem like it now, but the carriers have learned a great deal about data with the now 'standard' mobile broadband technology.

 

[iYitsy]

Faster speeds but capped at a certain limit vs Reliable network stable speed and no caps.



I don't know about you, but it's a no brainer for me. Where I live AT&T blows, it is spotty and the speeds aren't worth switching over to. I'd rather have Verizon Wireless where it's not spotty and just hop on WiFi if I really need to download something big.

Also good luck on the AT&T LTE speeds, if you thought Verizon Wireless' market is bad. Wait until they 'attempt' to roll theirs out.

 

[rjohnstone]

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Also good luck on the AT&T LTE speeds, if you thought Verizon Wireless' market is bad. Wait until they 'attempt' to roll theirs out.

Pssst... AT&T has already rolled out LTE to 29 cities.
And testing has already proven AT&T's LTE network to be faster than Verizon's.

 

[iYitsy]

Pssst... AT&T has already rolled out LTE to 29 cities.
And testing has already proven AT&T's LTE network to be faster than Verizon's.

Faster doesn't beat stability. AT&T is going to be in the hole with their LTE network for the next two or three years. Plus they'll have to deal with outages and try perfecting it.

Where as Verizon has had LTE for one year and a month now. Pretty fast, it's stabling out now. I'd prefer big red than big blue. :]

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

Faster doesn't beat stability. AT&T is going to be in the hole with their LTE network for the next two or three years. Plus they'll have to deal with outages and try perfecting it.

Where as Verizon has had LTE for one year and a month now. Pretty fast, it's stabling out now. I'd prefer big red than big blue. :]

All I've seen in Android forums is LTE outtages. Yes Verizon did roll out LTE first, but it's not as stable as your post defines it as. And ultimately the LTE race has just started now that three of the four US nationwide carriers have officially announced support for it.

 

[rjohnstone]

Verizon's LTE deployment has been a joke. It's a schizophrenic network. Can't decide if it wants to be up, down, fast, slow.
AT&T spent over a year in Texas perfecting their implementation before moving forward with their roll out.
Being first does not make you the best.

 

[iMaconApple]

i have great 3G here in san diego with unlimited data 30$ grandpa i use about 4/6GB no slowing down...we just got ATT 4G so now im waiting on a iPhone 4G/5 never got notes from ATT well i been using wifi work this month to save battery before i just use it...try sprint but i hear 3G is slowdepends in area i guess

 

[Daveoc64]

Faster doesn't beat stability.

Is that the stable Verizon network that had 3 outages last month?

 

[samcraig]

Just one question. Are you tethering AT ALL?

 

[3282868]

Just one question. Are you tethering AT ALL?

Nope. None. Not jailbroken, no tethering. Nada.

Update: yesterday while out I decided to stop into a local AT&T Wireless store and spoke with a rep. He checked my account and saw no reason for this to be occurring. After striking up various conversations with him and establishing a "relaxed" rapport, he candidly stated AT&T has been randomly picking people who are on grandfathered plans who aren't necessarily abusing their limits in order to keep people "in check." The suggestion was that AT&T is attempting to frighten us by randomly selecting accounts to create a paranoid atmosphere most likely in hopes that an unknowing consumer (i.e. soccer Mom's) would change to a tiered plan.

After our meeting he made a few more notations on my account and my 3G speeds were miraculously back to normal. Interesting...

 

[SurferMan]

Verizon's LTE deployment has been a joke. It's a schizophrenic network. Can't decide if it wants to be up, down, fast, slow.
AT&T spent over a year in Texas perfecting their implementation before moving forward with their roll out.
Being first does not make you the best.

Very true, I've seen Verizon's LTE 1st hand jerk up and down constantly, one second your getting 20+ download speeds, 10 seconds later, it's at less than 5. Actually a few times I was with a buddy and his Evo, and hspa+ on my GS2 was pulling higher download speeds then him on Verizon LTE lol. Their network is not stable at all.