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Jimmy Guphanti

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 29, 2011
341
8
Hello,

I got this idea for how to get unlimited data on AT&T and would like to know if it is something that could work. So AT&T offers Unlimited Data on basic/prepaid phones. If I went out and bought one, activated it, then took the SIM card, cut it to the nano size, then put it into my iPhone 5S, would it have Unlimited Data? What would happen?

Thanks.
 
Hello,

I got this idea for how to get unlimited data on AT&T and would like to know if it is something that could work. So AT&T offers Unlimited Data on basic/prepaid phones. If I went out and bought one, activated it, then took the SIM card, cut it to the nano size, then put it into my iPhone 5S, would it have Unlimited Data? What would happen?

Thanks.

I'm not positive but I think it would recognize the iPhone and tell you to contact att or just not work.
 
Nope, will not work.

AT&T's systems are set to recognize when your sim is inserted into a smart phone.

The billing system will auto-add a smartphone data plan onto the number on the account and then you should be receiving a notification text of the requirement and the addition of the data plan.

No loophole there...
 
Hello,

I got this idea for how to get unlimited data on AT&T and would like to know if it is something that could work. So AT&T offers Unlimited Data on basic/prepaid phones. If I went out and bought one, activated it, then took the SIM card, cut it to the nano size, then put it into my iPhone 5S, would it have Unlimited Data? What would happen?

Thanks.

Here's a thought: why don't you be a man and have a (smidge) of integrity and pay like the rest of us do, instead of trying to get over on somebody?

Man up.
 
I'll gladly pay, for unlimited data.

Well, people are selling unlimited data plans on ebay right now, they're selling for $350-$700 on average.... Pricey but worth it as long as the cellular companies don't do away with the service in a few years.
 
I think the whole thing is a scam. You pay all of this money for the phone and all of this money for the plan, and they want to tell you how many GB you can use. They act like they are going to run out of data like it's oil or something. VZW should offer unlimited. If they did that, nobody would choose any other carrier, they have the best coverage, the most LTE, and if they offered unlimited data, they would have everyone beat.
 
VZW should offer unlimited. If they did that, nobody would choose any other carrier, they have the best coverage, the most LTE, and if they offered unlimited data, they would have everyone beat.

Hahhahaha you haven't been to NYC with a verizon LTE device yet
 
Yes I have, I think it was very good, but I ran into problems trying to use it in tall buildings. It's still better than other carriers.
 
I think the whole thing is a scam. You pay all of this money for the phone and all of this money for the plan, and they want to tell you how many GB you can use. They act like they are going to run out of data like it's oil or something. VZW should offer unlimited. If they did that, nobody would choose any other carrier, they have the best coverage, the most LTE, and if they offered unlimited data, they would have everyone beat.

Off Course it is.
They want to get as much more money for their service as possible.
So as soon as you use up your preset amount you kick in extra for going over.
US carriers are way overpriced compared to the rest of the world.

Does putting the SIM card in the 1st gen iPhone still work?

No.
That workaround got shut off years ago.
But at least I got 2 of my lines on unlimited before it did:)
 
Off Course it is.
They want to get as much more money for their service as possible.
So as soon as you use up your preset amount you kick in extra for going over.
US carriers are way overpriced compared to the rest of the world.



No.
That workaround got shut off years ago.
But at least I got 2 of my lines on unlimited before it did:)

I had an AT&T store rep tell me on 5s launch day that they still have that rate plan in their system so if you take an original iPhone and plug it into iTunes to activate it, you will still get grandfathered into unlimited.

I'd try it. We have one here at home still, but I don't need unlimited. Already have it.
 
I had an AT&T store rep tell me on 5s launch day that they still have that rate plan in their system so if you take an original iPhone and plug it into iTunes to activate it, you will still get grandfathered into unlimited.

I'd try it. We have one here at home still, but I don't need unlimited. Already have it.

That rep was wrong.
The original iPhones activation has been changed years ago.
It won't take you to that screen that added an unlimited data plan.
It will just activate without making any changes to your account.
We have been through many threads with details about this over the years here.
But if you don't believe just try it and see how far you get.
 
It's only a matter of time before data becomes unlimited again. With T-Mo and Sprint offering it, AT&T and Verizon can dismiss them right now because "unlimited" is on a sub-par network. TMO and Sprint aren't sitting around, they're aggressively improving their network.

Just like VZW was the dominant force in 2002 and ATT had to be cheaper to compete, the tables will turn and TMO and Sprint will start chipping away at the big guys' customers and they'll have to react.

If you think 2.5gb is going to cut it in 5 years when wifi and LTE become 1, and a video size of a 4k movie is 500GB for an uncompressed movie, you're kidding yourself.

The carriers are just profiting while they can. It'll become as cheap as home internet in the very near future, where $40 buys an unlimited 25mbps connection.

----------

LoL... .typical. I WANT IT SO GIVE IT TO ME!!!!!

While I agree with you that there's a bit of entitlement, I also have to disagree with your comment. We're customers, meaning we're the ones supporting ATT, VZW, TMO, etc. We have a certain authority to be able to complain or compliment, because we are the customer, and without us, the carriers wouldn't exist. For some reason, Americans have become soft, and many are content with mediocrity, be it from each other, or from a business we pay to support.

It's not absurd to ask that AT&T keep up with current technology, and it's not absurd to expect that they either price based on the product they deliver or improve the product based on current technology.

Imagine buying a hard drive in 2005, $150 for a 250gb hard drive, then in 2009, WD saying they'll sell you a 250gb drive for $150 or a 500gb for $200, and then in 2012 WD saying they'll sell you a 250gb drive for $150, a 500gb for $200, or a 1TB for $150. That's not the way technology evolution goes, and it's not the way I expect to buy bandwidth.

I have paid Comcast about $40 a month for internet now for 5 years. I went from having a 50GB cap to a 200GB cap, to no cap, and from 10mbps to 25mbps and to 50mbps. They did well and increased speed and cap\limits while charging the same. AT&T is not following suit. They're raising the price\gb while the industry's cost per gb has gone down 90%.
 
Oh I don't disagree but for me it's OP's attitude.

I think every provider is ripping off their customers but that's not my issue here.

Yeah, there's a balance between holding a carrier responsible for keeping up with technology, and scamming a carrier for something they don't offer.
 
You can cut the SIM card down, but the data won't work.

Voice and messaging will work fine, but no VVM.
 
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