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There isn't a reason to keep unlimited data anymore... right???

A

ap3604

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 11, 2011
1,929
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I was wondering, since Att throttles people with unlimited data who go above 2gb what is the point of keeping it and paying an extra $5 a month just so I can be throttled? :confused:

I might as well simply save the $60 per year ($5/mo savings) by going with 2gb plan right?










p.s. anyone out there that could tell me a reason they are keeping theirs before I get rid of mine?
 
ap3604 said:
I was wondering, since Att throttles people with unlimited data who go above 2gb what is the point of keeping it and paying an extra $5 a month just so I can be throttled? :confused:

I might as well simply save the $60 per year ($5/mo savings) by going with 2gb plan right?










p.s. anyone out there that could tell me a reason they are keeping theirs before I get rid of mine?
Click to expand...


If its anything like verizon they won't throttle you unless you are in the top % of users. Like going waaaaay past 2 gb. I def wouldn't give it up for 5 bucks a months. I have unlimited on verizon and am not going anywhere nor changing it.
 
  • people keep it since there's no way of getting it now. (The iphone 2G loophole is now sealed as well)
  • Things could change with the throttling issue
  • Some could eat up a lot more data, past 2GB
  • 5 dollars a month difference is a small price
 
I use between 2 and 4 gb of data every month and AT&T has never throttled my unlimited plan.
The "2gb" throttle limit is a rumor.

AT&T clearly said the top 5% will get throttled.
Looks like I've manged to avoid that label for now.

The scary part is the top 5% will slide lower and lower.
 
I guess it depends if you will or have ever needed more than 2gb. I know plenty of people that have never come close so keeping unlimited was pointless for them. Personally I hover around 2gb even with mostly wifi usage at work/school/home. I've used up to 5gb a couple of times and never got a warning. One of the comments on that link is interesting:


I got alert for throttling at 0.5 GB usage, i was told they calculate data usage around my geographic location, which makes me top 5%.

Ridiculous!

Racer_nyc - December 11, 2011


That makes no sense to me. If he paid for the 2gb plan would he be throttled?
 
Yes keep it, once you jailbreak you can change your APN, to the media net one and get back atleast some of your 3g speed.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

lordofthereef said:
Are YOU being throttled? I consistently hit 3GB+ a month and have yet to be throttled.
Click to expand...

How to tells? I notice at time my web browser is super slow
 
ap3604 said:
I was wondering, since Att throttles people with unlimited data who go above 2gb what is the point of keeping it and paying an extra $5 a month just so I can be throttled? :confused:

I might as well simply save the $60 per year ($5/mo savings) by going with 2gb plan right?

anyone out there that could tell me a reason they are keeping theirs before I get rid of mine?
Click to expand...

Sounds more like you need to save money and you are asking us to help convince you that you will not be missing anything.
 
I have never gone over the 2GB but I still won't give up my unlimited plan. I have no idea what might be coming next that could cause me to go over it. I also live in a highly densely populated area so the chances of me being in the top 5% are remote.

The thought of not being able to get it back is what keeps me from switching.
 
Well, if you go over 2GB often then it would be sensible to keep the unlimited plan rather than paying overage fees. But, if you rarely go over then switching to the 2GB plan seems reasonable.

Try to look up your past data usage history and see how many times you go over 2GB and see if the $5 you would save would be more beneficial than staying on the unlimited plan.
 
himynameiscody said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)



How to tells? I notice at time my web browser is super slow
Click to expand...

They will send you a text.

----------
Stealthipad said:
Sounds more like you need to save money and you are asking us to help convince you that you will not be missing anything.
Click to expand...

If $5 a month in savings is going to be the tipping point the OP has other issues to deal with.
 
My girlfriend hit 5GB this month, first time ever going over 1.5GB and she received a text. No throttling yet, but the warning is there.
 
rjohnstone said:
I use between 2 and 4 gb of data every month and AT&T has never throttled my unlimited plan.
The "2gb" throttle limit is a rumor.

AT&T clearly said the top 5% will get throttled.
Looks like I've manged to avoid that label for now.

The scary part is the top 5% will slide lower and lower.
Click to expand...

This. Well actually I would have to say I've used between 3.5 and 4.5 GB every month, from my 3GS to my 4S, and I've never been sent any notice.

I know AT&T says they'll throttle the top 5%, but given the perceptual inconsistencies, I'm wondering if there are certain markets they might be more heavily focused on than others. VZW, on the other hand, says they throttle the top 5% in the most congested areas. Perhaps AT&T is silently taking this approach as well?
 
TWD98j said:
This. Well actually I would have to say I've used between 3.5 and 4.5 GB every month, from my 3GS to my 4S, and I've never been sent any notice.

I know AT&T says they'll throttle the top 5%, but given the perceptual inconsistencies, I'm wondering if there are certain markets they might be more heavily focused on than others. VZW, on the other hand, says they throttle the top 5% in the most congested areas. Perhaps AT&T is silently taking this approach as well?
Click to expand...

I'm thinking this is right on. In Eastern CT, they could have hundreds of users in the 20GB range with no effect on the network, but every bit they can get in the NYC market is helpful.
 
Ive been contemplating giving up my unlimited internet so i can get tethering for my new android tablet. But i will have to pay an extra $20 on my bill annnd lose unlmited.
 
We all need to stop fooling ourselves. Sooner or later we will all be throttled as when faster service is available the unlimited plan will either not include it or your speed will be limited.

I, too, have unlimited from AT&T but know all to well it's days are numbered. All the carriers will be charging for bandwidth in the end.
 
Stealthipad said:
We all need to stop fooling ourselves. Sooner or later we will all be throttled as when faster service is available the unlimited plan will either not include it or your speed will be limited.

I, too, have unlimited from AT&T but know all to well it's days are numbered. All the carriers will be charging for bandwidth in the end.
Click to expand...

They should just combine the two plans and be upfront about throttling, i.e. everyone gets unlimited* for $25.

*speeds will be throttled to 200kbps after the first 2,048MB.
 
I was never sent a notice on throttling, however I know it must have been, I was getting really bad download and upload speeds.

I recently changed my plan to the tethering plan (I need to be able to tether and I have a iPhone 4S so no JB) Within a day my 3G speeds are no longer at 200Kbps up or down, I am actually getting 4-6Mbps downloads and about 1Mbps uploads.
 
I think they base it around your geo area and your past history. I've gone over 4GB and sometimes 5GB enter of times, no warnings or anything, same for the others on our family unlimited plan. I've noticed online a lot of times people that had warnings about throttling occur was when they went well over their normal usage. Still odd to me, I live in South Florida so plenty of iPhone users as well has people carrying over the unlimited to other phones. I had my grandfathered unlimited switched to my GSII, no issues. Weird why some get warned/throttled and others have no issue even when going over 4-5GB. I've tested my speeds and no difference.
 
Last edited:
lordofthereef said:
Are YOU being throttled? I consistently hit 3GB+ a month and have yet to be throttled.
Click to expand...

I'm enjoying this same experience. I use 3GB+ on three of my AT&T unlimited lines I've had since the day they offered it and could not be happier.

My AT&T experience is terrific. My Verizon experience, not so much.

Yet in the big picture, they're both just carriers.
 
Leave it to AT&T and we all will be in the top 5%. No way I believe 4-5gb places you in the top 5%
 
A little bit after AT&T introduced their 2GB plan I switched to it.

It was then about 7 months later I missed my unlimited plan and went for the loophole and got it back.

Now that the loophole is closed (from what I've heard), I'm really glad I got back on the unlimited.

If you have it, just keep it. My usage is barely above 2GBs, but I'm thankful that it'll be useful come the time I really need to use the 3G data.

Just my $0.02.
 
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