Data is data no matter how we use it. It doesn't matter if it's Facetime or Brazzers, data in and data out. It's all the same. I don't see anything happening with this but I hope it gains legs and AT&T loses a boatload of customers for this decision.
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Net Neutrality Organization Accusing AT&T of Violating FCC Rules With FaceTime Data Plan Requirements
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So, I can't use FaceTime on my iPhone over 3G with my 5GB data plan. However, since my plan includes tethering, I can tether my MacBook Pro to my iPhone and make a FaceTime call USING THEIR CELLULAR NETWORK. So, I'm allowed to do it from my computer, but not from my phone because the data they use is somehow different? If telling me what I can or can't consume with the 5GB of data I paid for isn't illegal, it sure as hell should be.
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As someone who is still on the grandfathered unlimited data plan - while I think it's stupid - I can't complain too much that ATT is giving "incentive" to switch to a metered plan. Much like Apple gives "incentive" to upgrade to the new iPhone to get Siri even though there's pretty much no doubt it would work just fine on the 4.
What does not make any sense is that if someone is on a metered plan - they should be able to use that data however they want. 3GB is 3GB (for example). Whether that's tethering, facetiming, etc. In fact I would argue that ATT could gain revenue when people go over their usage because of both tethering and other services which are more bandwidth intensive.
That being said - I do understand that things like FaceTime are resource intensive and may not be something ATT originally factored in with their current infrastructure. But if they do allow it with the shared plan - then clearly this is a "poke" to get people who really want this feature to switch.
Now the question is - how important is this feature vs switching data plans. To me - not at all. I prefer Tango or Skype because they already work great and are platform agnostic.
Apple is the one who should be more pissed than customers. Because ATT is undermining facetime from maximum adoption rates when people choose other options.
What does not make any sense is that if someone is on a metered plan - they should be able to use that data however they want. 3GB is 3GB (for example). Whether that's tethering, facetiming, etc. In fact I would argue that ATT could gain revenue when people go over their usage because of both tethering and other services which are more bandwidth intensive.
That being said - I do understand that things like FaceTime are resource intensive and may not be something ATT originally factored in with their current infrastructure. But if they do allow it with the shared plan - then clearly this is a "poke" to get people who really want this feature to switch.
Now the question is - how important is this feature vs switching data plans. To me - not at all. I prefer Tango or Skype because they already work great and are platform agnostic.
Apple is the one who should be more pissed than customers. Because ATT is undermining facetime from maximum adoption rates when people choose other options.
I know! It's crazy!
I wouldn't be surprised if somehow they disable this as well. Are you doing that right now? I don't have a MB to tether.
If you can do that right now, that's so crazy. It just goes to show how little AT&T is doing to manage this correctly. Very bad leadership and corporate strategy. All I see is desperation to make profits.
I wouldn't be surprised if somehow they disable this as well. Are you doing that right now? I don't have a MB to tether.
If you can do that right now, that's so crazy. It just goes to show how little AT&T is doing to manage this correctly. Very bad leadership and corporate strategy. All I see is desperation to make profits.
Just Remember!
They did almost the same thing with the iPad 3... AT&T will not let you use it as a hot spot, VZ will. I'm switching as soon as the 5 is launched... bye bye AT&T!
They did almost the same thing with the iPad 3... AT&T will not let you use it as a hot spot, VZ will. I'm switching as soon as the 5 is launched... bye bye AT&T!
AT&T obviously doesn't want you to use the data you are paying for each month. They'd rather charge you an additional fee for HOW you use your data.
I have a 2GB plan but I use less than 500MB/month. if I used Facetime that might add another 100MB with the frequency that I'd use it.
If they are SO against you using all the Gigabytes you paid for, then to teach AT&T a lesson, someone should create a web app that on the last day of someone's billing cycle uses just about all the remaining data you have available on your plan.
It doesn't even have to be automated, just type in how much data you want to download and it turns off wifi and downloads packets and discards them until the amount you selected has been downloaded then stops, then turns wifi back on.
How shocked would AT&T be to all-of-a-sudden see their paying subscribers actually using all the data they paid for?
I have a 2GB plan but I use less than 500MB/month. if I used Facetime that might add another 100MB with the frequency that I'd use it.
If they are SO against you using all the Gigabytes you paid for, then to teach AT&T a lesson, someone should create a web app that on the last day of someone's billing cycle uses just about all the remaining data you have available on your plan.
It doesn't even have to be automated, just type in how much data you want to download and it turns off wifi and downloads packets and discards them until the amount you selected has been downloaded then stops, then turns wifi back on.
How shocked would AT&T be to all-of-a-sudden see their paying subscribers actually using all the data they paid for?
I've tried it three times, worked each time. Tethered my MacBook Pro to my iPhone 4S and started making FaceTime calls from the Mac. Will this still work after iOS 6 goes public? Who knows. But if it does, I'll have no problem stopping by my local AT&T store and demanding an explanation as to why Mac FT data is different than iPhone FT data. Data is data, period. The 1's and 0's don't change to 2's and 3's because it's consumed on a different device or with a different plan.
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I am glad AT&T is starting to get exposed for the greedy SOBs they are. While we are at it, let me use my iPad as a wifi hotspot. The fact that this is turned off when I pay for data on both an iPhone and an iPad is ridiculous. Of course, I am sure they would be happy to let me do that if I gave up my unlimited data plan, and paid a per device charge for each device I wanted to connect.
If I was an AT&T shareholder, I would want a new CEO that could put forth a strategy for the future that didn't abuse and exploit their customers. A long term strategy for growth that only consists of new ways to squeeze money out of existing customers, with no regard for their loyalty, is not in actuality a strategy for growth at all.
If I was an AT&T shareholder, I would want a new CEO that could put forth a strategy for the future that didn't abuse and exploit their customers. A long term strategy for growth that only consists of new ways to squeeze money out of existing customers, with no regard for their loyalty, is not in actuality a strategy for growth at all.
That will be a very interesting conversation. I can't believe that works, but I'm glad it does. It lends more inappropriateness to the whole issue. I hope it doesn't get disabled!
Finally someone has decided to really go after AT&T for their strong arm tactics of stealing money from their subscribers.
For the record, and because everyone seems to be 'piling on' without actually reading anything first...
The Verizon settlement mentioned in the article is related to the 'C Block' spectrum which Verizon purchased at the most recent spectrum auction. It had a specific provision (thanks to Google) that explicitly disallowed picking and choosing which applications were allowed to run over that block of spectrum.
I can't find information to verify this at the moment, but I don't believe AT&T won any of that 'C Block' spectrum. If that's the case, I don't think there's a legal leg to stand on with regard to blocking AT&T's behavior in this scenario.
As unfortunate as that may be, this is the sort of thing that happens when a government decides it doesn't want to take responsibility for common infrastructure, and passes off onto corporations. In Europe (and most of the rest of the world), the local government(s) decided to deploy a single, common cellular standard, and all the operators share the network. In the US, our government decided to 'let the market sort it out', so now we have multiple, incompatible networks, all operated by corporations who want to make as much money as possible while spending as little as possible on infrastructure build-out and upgrades. *That* gives us the scenario where towers are spaced as far apart as possible so it costs as little as possible to cover as broad an area as possible, increasing the load on each tower (this is causing data bandwidth availability issues now). Europe found a better mix based on tower-load and coverage area.
Note: Personally, I'm probably going to be switching over to the new data plans when they become available, because it looks like it will save me about $20-30/month.
The Verizon settlement mentioned in the article is related to the 'C Block' spectrum which Verizon purchased at the most recent spectrum auction. It had a specific provision (thanks to Google) that explicitly disallowed picking and choosing which applications were allowed to run over that block of spectrum.
I can't find information to verify this at the moment, but I don't believe AT&T won any of that 'C Block' spectrum. If that's the case, I don't think there's a legal leg to stand on with regard to blocking AT&T's behavior in this scenario.
As unfortunate as that may be, this is the sort of thing that happens when a government decides it doesn't want to take responsibility for common infrastructure, and passes off onto corporations. In Europe (and most of the rest of the world), the local government(s) decided to deploy a single, common cellular standard, and all the operators share the network. In the US, our government decided to 'let the market sort it out', so now we have multiple, incompatible networks, all operated by corporations who want to make as much money as possible while spending as little as possible on infrastructure build-out and upgrades. *That* gives us the scenario where towers are spaced as far apart as possible so it costs as little as possible to cover as broad an area as possible, increasing the load on each tower (this is causing data bandwidth availability issues now). Europe found a better mix based on tower-load and coverage area.
Note: Personally, I'm probably going to be switching over to the new data plans when they become available, because it looks like it will save me about $20-30/month.
I saw this on electronista:
"A similar interpretation of net neutrality laws was attempted by Verizon after the telco had asked Google to block tethering applications that allowed smartphone Internet connections to be shared with other devices. The carrier settled recently with the FCC for $1.25 million. Verizon wasn't allowed to block the apps because of rules attached to a spectrum purchase, which required it to offer open access to all applications and services. At present, AT&T is not operating under any such restriction, other than basic net neutrality rules."
Read more: http://www.electronista.com/article...ting.facetime.to.certain.plans/#ixzz24BjW0bdL
"A similar interpretation of net neutrality laws was attempted by Verizon after the telco had asked Google to block tethering applications that allowed smartphone Internet connections to be shared with other devices. The carrier settled recently with the FCC for $1.25 million. Verizon wasn't allowed to block the apps because of rules attached to a spectrum purchase, which required it to offer open access to all applications and services. At present, AT&T is not operating under any such restriction, other than basic net neutrality rules."
Read more: http://www.electronista.com/article...ting.facetime.to.certain.plans/#ixzz24BjW0bdL
AT&T crooks
Lol they are really over the line. "we offer FaceTime over wifi free to all our customers and are now offering a new service for those who sign up for shared plans" really! AT&T like you designed FaceTime ? Idiots! Last time I checked you have nothing to do with making Iso 6 or any of the previous versions. We need to boycott crooks like these and bring them down to sixe. Their service sucks and they some how get away with charging a fortune! Now this is more greed!!!
Lol they are really over the line. "we offer FaceTime over wifi free to all our customers and are now offering a new service for those who sign up for shared plans" really! AT&T like you designed FaceTime ? Idiots! Last time I checked you have nothing to do with making Iso 6 or any of the previous versions. We need to boycott crooks like these and bring them down to sixe. Their service sucks and they some how get away with charging a fortune! Now this is more greed!!!
Bull. AT&T should give me what we agreed on. I signed an unlimited data plan contract with them. Whether I'm using that data via tethering OR FaceTime OR anything else shouldn't be a concern to them. If they want to cancel that agreement that's their prerogative - just like it would be mine to look for another carrier... We're not talking about them having to invest to add functionality. We're talking about them purposefully hobbling and throttling innovations to shoe horn more money from me. Sounds pretty greedy to me.
This is a battle that needs to be fought now.
Yup! I bought a Verizon iPad 3 and I haven't regretted a minute of it. LTE is AMAZING. I did a side-by-side speed comparison between my iPad and my AT&T iPhone. AT&T gave me 5 Mbps down, Verizon gave me 65 Mbps down. Hard to believe both systems are considered "4G". Heck LTE is faster than my cablemodem/wifi at home! (32 Mbps)
Everyone is getting so bent over the FaceTime thing, and I think with reason. However, unless you live in a major market that has already seen it, I think the biggest telling issue with AT&T is their lack of LTE coverage. I think we all expect September's announcement to include LTE capabilities, and yet they don't seem to be moving very quickly towards making sure more of their subscribers are in LTE areas by rolling it out. I'm sure Apple has let them know this was coming, in fact the new iPad has had it for months, and that should be incentive as well. I would expect that they would have been more proactive about it but they just rolled it out in 2, only 2 more cities, and it was Fayetteville and Waco. Meanwhile Seattle, Denver, and other significant markets are still running the other 4G.
AT&T really needs to suck it up and make some kind of deal/offer to people still on the unlimited plans. I don't know what they could do, but this stuff is crazy.
And I hate the government getting involved in things but I would really like to see AT&T explain to the FCC or some committee exactly how using X amount of GBs watching YouTube videos is different than using X amount of GBs using FaceTime. Maybe while they're at it they could explain why data for text messages costs so much more than other data. Of course all companies should explain that one.
And I hate the government getting involved in things but I would really like to see AT&T explain to the FCC or some committee exactly how using X amount of GBs watching YouTube videos is different than using X amount of GBs using FaceTime. Maybe while they're at it they could explain why data for text messages costs so much more than other data. Of course all companies should explain that one.
Re: tethering - your contract actually stipulates that you can't tether. So you can't get pissy about that. You signed the contract.
As for facetime, netflix, etc and restrictions whether it's throttling or blocking is definitely anti-customer.
At&t don't give "one" damn
AT&T doesnt give a damn about "loyal customers", "borderline customers", "disgruntled customers, FCC, DOJ or anybody's sweet granny. Its time consumers get online and post on every news article and forums how TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL this monster has gotten. Dont bother posting on their gestapo-guarded wireless forum with their "see-monkey mods". Any comment thats not "pro get ripped by att" gets deleted and you get banned (as if that makes one any more favorable of att).
Every since FCC "changed att's stained diaper" over the T-Mobile fiasco, claimimg it is a dire need to acquire tmo in order for att to continue to exist. Well looks like AT&Terrible is doing quite well since. Theyve recooperated the 3bill by ripping "new ones" into their "soon to be ex-customers" and said "this is what the customer wants"
Enough is enough.
AT&T doesnt give a damn about "loyal customers", "borderline customers", "disgruntled customers, FCC, DOJ or anybody's sweet granny. Its time consumers get online and post on every news article and forums how TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL this monster has gotten. Dont bother posting on their gestapo-guarded wireless forum with their "see-monkey mods". Any comment thats not "pro get ripped by att" gets deleted and you get banned (as if that makes one any more favorable of att).
Every since FCC "changed att's stained diaper" over the T-Mobile fiasco, claimimg it is a dire need to acquire tmo in order for att to continue to exist. Well looks like AT&Terrible is doing quite well since. Theyve recooperated the 3bill by ripping "new ones" into their "soon to be ex-customers" and said "this is what the customer wants"
Enough is enough.
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By that definition (only device) you are also not allowed to hook up your iPhone to any kind of dock and stream. So no hooking it up to your car stereo, home system, mirroring it to AppleTV etc. Heck you shouldn't even hook it up to a bluetooth device!
That "only one device" was originally in the contract to prevent cloning of sim cards. Only later was it interrupted to include tethering.