AT&T killing unlimited data plan for new users

[big9erfan]

I'm considering moving to the 200MB / month plan. I average 121mb a month over the last 7 months.


*edit* removed image...didn't notice it had my #! lol

 

[jsntrenkler]

I like the new plans .. My wife doesn't come close to 200 megs so I get to save $15 on her plan, I use my iPhone all the time, always stream pandora on my way to work every day (30 min drive) and never come close to 2 gigs ... So I can save $5 there ... Now when the new iPhone comes out we can give my wives 3G to the daughter and I can give my wife my 3GS and not pay anymore than what we are paying now .. And my daughter get's a iPhone! Very cool if you ask me.

 

[west3man]

I didn't have enough posts to include the link, sorry. But the story is from The Associated Press, not just some blog.

Understandable. Thanks. I Googled the title and found a Fox news article (from the AP, I assume) with not a single link to AT&T's website, confirming what I will continue to call a rumor, at this point.

 

[cardfan]

Tethering is a big deal for me. I can drop data on my iPad and drop my Verizon MiFi.

We don't know that "tethering" means a mifi app on the iphone. I really doubt it will. If that's the case, you won't be tethering an ipad to your iphone.

I take it to mean using USB on a PC or Mac.

I've not seen AT&T even mention wifi tethering.

 

[cardfan]

Sounds like grandfathering only applies to iPads.

"iPad owners can keep the old plan"

As long as you keep it on auto renewal each month. The moment you cancel it (which was supposed to be one of the benefits of being month to month), that unlimited plan is gone.

 

[anon(52425)]

I just checked my usage for my iPhone. I'm nowhere near the new 2 gig dataplan limit. I think 3G is a joke, so I use wifi only. 3G is fine for checking the weather and stuff, but for actual internet useage? Yeah, right. And forget Edge. I'm sure people here know my opinion on Edge.

You must have a crappy 3G connection. My connection is fast and it provides more than enough speed to do more than "checking weather and stuff"

 

[west3man]

I just spoke to a 4th rep who said that he'd heard nothing about the rate change, but after putting me on hold, he said that it is true and thAt it applies to iPad users. He knew nothing of the grandfathering or the rest, from what I could tell.

While on the phine with him, the previous rep called me back to say that after consulting with more managers, she has confirmed that the change is coming and will apply to iPad users.

I told them both that this is the kind of thing that is likely to keep me from buying Apple or AT&T products in the future. I think some kind of organized boycott is in-order.

 

[west3man]

As long as you keep it on auto renewal each month. The moment you cancel it (which was supposed to be one of the benefits of being month to month), that unlimited plan is gone.

FWIW, two AT&T reps said that you can cancel the auto-renewal as long as it doesn't last too long (where you have to be reregistered or something).

Of course, these are the same reps who said they knew nothing about it, not long before that.

 

[liveify#AC]

Everything I have read says that if you currently have a $30 unlimited plan it will not change, as long as you don't add tethering

 

[whmurray]

We don't know that "tethering" means a mifi app on the iphone. I really doubt it will. If that's the case, you won't be tethering an ipad to your iphone.

I take it to mean using USB on a PC or Mac.



I've not seen AT&T even mention wifi tethering.

I hope you are wrong. If it requires a wire, a dedicated iPhone, and an application, it is not only not worth $20/mo. it is useless. I cannot imagine why AT&T would even bother to offer such a lame solution. It could not possibly compete with 3G MiFi from Verizon and 4G from Sprint. On the other hand, no one has ever accused AT&T of being market savvy.

The only competitive functionality would be like PDANet on a broken iPhone or on a Palm Pre, or a MiFi. These look to the tethered device just like any wireless access point and can serve more than one device at a time.

 

[west3man]

You must have a crappy 3G connection. My connection is fast and it provides more than enough speed to do more than "checking weather and stuff"

Mine does, too.

"Fast" is relative, of course. Here, in Tallahassee, FL, I consistently get a max of 600-700 Kbps download speeds over 3G. Dunno about big cities.

 

[cardfan]

I just spoke to a 4th rep who said that he'd heard nothing about the rate change, but after putting me on hold, he said that it is true and thAt it applies to iPad users. He knew nothing of the grandfathering or the rest, from what I could tell.

While on the phine with him, the previous rep called me back to say that after consulting with more managers, she has confirmed that the change is coming and will apply to iPad users.

I told them both that this is the kind of thing that is likely to keep me from buying Apple or AT&T products in the future. I think some kind of organized boycott is in-order.

Not much you can do but keep your plan going which is similar to a contract. Or cancel the data and consider an Evo (or similar).

 

[whmurray]

I'm considering moving to the 200MB / month plan. I average 121mb a month over the last 7 months.

Sounds like a fit. However, it looks to me that AT&T has priced that offering to make the 2G plan look cheap. On the other hand, 2G seems high enough that, without tethering, one would be paying for something that one could otn swallow.

 

[west3man]

Everything I have read says that if you currently have a $30 unlimited plan it will not change, as long as you don't add tethering

The last repp spoke with said this is so new that it is not fully represented on the website. That is ridiculous, considering how close we are to June 7, 2010, but ut explains why there were no worthwhile links in those articles and posts.

 

[cardfan]

I can go back and look at my history and feel good about 2GB (like others are doing) but that is irrelevant. 3G will only get faster especially hspa+. More data consumption features will be added such as ichat, netflix, even tethering, etc.

Especially if you're sharing 5mp pics (instead of 3), uploading HD video, streaming higher quality for the higher resolution screen, skype (which apple is adding multitasking for)...

 

[mrguilt]

To me, the appeal of the iPad 3G was the plan. Specifically:
-I'm mostly around WiFi, so the 3G was not required every month
-Since it was month-to-month, I could spin up the 3G when I would be doing traveling but cancel it when I thought I'd go 30 days without needing it.
-The plans were priced at attractive levels
-My understanding was if I went over 250 MB, I simply paid the difference to the unlimited plan, and was upgraded.

Now:
-The plans are priced just OK
-The upgrade for overage is less kind
-Still can pay month-to-month

Had the iPad been out three years, like the iPhone, or even a year, I could probably shrug this off with a little grumbling. The fact that these alterations came out a month after the device's release is frustrating Framing it that way, is there some action that can be taken?

 

[cardfan]

I planned on switching my wife over from sprint for the new iphone, but it looks like i better convert to a family talk plan before June 7th or we'll both wind up with these new data plans.

 

[rgar3388]

Great, they just give us backgrounding and now at&t has to be trash and limit data usage. Luckily I get grandfathered in. Backgrounding will result to higher data usage. AT&T is TRASH!!!!!!!!

 

[redbeard]

Does anybody know what AT&T does with all the money they make off of us??? It seems like they are just trying to wring us dry for as long as possible while not upgrading their network.

So now after three years of having iPhone exclusivity, have we seen any performance improvements? Not where I live in LA county, and all the 3G dead zones across LA are still here, even though I've been marking them for AT&T using their "mark the spot" app, as have thousands of others most likely. Might as well delete it as they aren't taking any action.

It's a shame too, things like rollover minutes and simultaneous voice and data is great, if only they spent some of those billions on UPGRADES instead of limitations.

 

[whmurray]

I can go back and look at my history and feel good about 2GB (like others are doing) but that is irrelevant. 3G will only get faster especially hspa+. More data consumption features will be added such as ichat, netflix, even tethering, etc.

Especially if you're sharing 5mp pics (instead of 3), uploading HD video, streaming higher quality for the higher resolution screen, skype (which apple is adding multitasking for)...

I agree.

Note that 4G will use the bandwidth much more efficiently than 3G. The cost per bit to AT&T will drop but we will pay the same.

Of all the carriers, AT&T is the one that drives with its eye on the rear-view mirror. The only solution to that is the end of exclusivity. Only then will they look to the future or price competitively.