AT&T data cap

[Eileen89]

It actually reads quite clearly in the contract that after a contract has been fulfilled, AT&T reserves the right to change a customers features based on current data/voice plan offerings without notice...meaning they can change your data plan to the tiered system and send you a message saying "Enjoy your 2/4GB per month!" and there's NOTHING you can do about it outside of switching providers.

That day IS coming. The throttling is a temporary fix for them...it's so clear to see, the companies are all waiting to see which one of them makes the first move, and then it'll all come down like dominos...sounds like conspiracy theory right? Just watch...

I have never been in a contract with AT&T and I am still grandfathered in to the unlimited data plan. I've switched back and forth from Android to the iPhone again and the unlimited plan still remained on my single line. I doubt very highly that AT&T will just up and remove it. I also don't think AT&T is going to do away with their current grandfathered customers unlimited data plan unless a carrier like Verizon starts to remove their grandfathered customers. Honestly, people have been talking about AT&T doing away with grandfathered unlimited plans for a long time and yet we are still on it....

 

[anon(4698833)]

It's coming man, unfortunate as it is, it is coming. It doesn't matter that they've been talking about it for years because it hasn't been until recently that the phones are actually causing any kind of network bogging...now they HAVE to act, and if that means improving their network, we have to pay for that some how...this is an easy move for them.

It is especially easy for them to do it to customers like YOU because you're not in a contract, so they have no obligation to you for really anything, they could change it to whatever they wanted to and you would have little recourse outside going to a different carrier or signing a contract for "x" amount of data usage.

And don't think renewing a contract will save you from this...contract renewal is going to be one of the first methods they use to get everyone in on the tiered pie.

Then they'll go after the people who do not have a contract, changing their data plans for them, since they have no obligation to offer it to them anymore.

And of course those who have already switched over are of no concern because they're already in the boat.

...im guessing we're about 2 years off from completely tiered data plans across the board for AT&T and Verizon users on the iPhone (and every other smart phone for that matter).

 

[Eileen89]

^ Don't kid yourself, network congestion started a long time ago. With LTE coming up, AT&T is now finally starting to take a look at the overall picture and are taking a harder stance against the people who are causing the problem in the first place. Regular unlimited data plan customers who use it the way it was intended is not what caused the network congestion. The problem arrived when people started abusing the system by racking up 10-25-50+GB in tethering each and every month simply because they think AT&T owed it to them or something. These are the people that AT&T will be going after by throttling their data when they reach a certain usage..... I do believe that one day my unlimited data plan will be gone, however, I'm not worried about it in the least, as I don't even use 2GB a month now even with tethering to another iOS device.

 

[mikenyc2]

Irish Rose,
I resent the word "abuse". I regularly go to about 8 gb a month and NO TETHERING. It is because I stream video to my iphone (Netflix and Slingplayer) while eating lunch. Ialso stream audio while working. All that is legal under their unlimited plan.

So please, watch what you say. I am sure there are MANY legit people using alot of data. It isn't hard streaming video and audio.

Not true at all. The only thing AT&T has planned for unlimited data plan customers is that our data will be throttled each month when we reach the 2.5 - 4GB limit that they plan on setting starting in October. Which is more than OK with me as I use a lot less than 2GB each month anyway. This will mostly be a problem for those who abuse the unlimited data plan by tethering hundreds of GB each month simply because they think AT&T owes it to them.

Link:AT&T to implement data throttling in early October, just in time for iPhone 5 | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence


Sent from my iPhone 4 using Tapatalk.

 

[anon(4698833)]

^ Don't kid yourself, network congestion started a long time ago. With LTE coming up, AT&T is now finally starting to take a look at the overall picture and are taking a harder stance against the people who are causing the problem in the first place. Regular unlimited data plan customers who use it the way it was intended is not what caused the network congestion. The problem arrived when people started abusing the system by racking up 10-25-50+GB in tethering each and every month simply because they think AT&T owed it to them or something. These are the people that AT&T will be going after by throttling their data when they reach a certain usage..... I do believe that one day my unlimited data plan will be gone, however, I'm not worried about it in the least, as I don't even use 2GB a month now even with tethering to another iOS device.

Who's kidding themselves? Network congestion from smart phones started really becoming an issue around the same time that the first iPhone hit the market...don't want to take my word for it? Go read the countless blogs online that specifically quote carrier releases that discussed the need for a "4G" network that could handle a faster pace data usage society...

Before this, the biggest hog on the network was the Blackberry, which simply hammed up networks with emails, and STILL were only using a few hundred MB's of data per month...even under heavy load, those phones would be pushing it to even come close to 1GB per month.

Besides the BB's...what was there? Palm phones? lmao...you've got to be joking right?

Hell, even when the iPhone first came out, the data plans were actually part of the messaging plan, which included SMS messages (and MMS messages on other phones since the first iPhone wasn't capable of such)...i remember paying like $20 for unlimited internet usage and 200 SMS messages or something like that...the focus then was people sending tons of messages...that in itself should tell you that the issue with data network bogging is a fairly recent "issue" for them...

And what's this about LTE? You're talking about something that there is hardly any information about from AT&T to its consumers...besides some generic LTE info that applies across the carrier board, there isn't a lick of information about it for AT&T specifically, and CERTAINLY nothing that would point you in any knowledgeable direction as far as how they'll handle data plans within LTE services.

Look bud, it definitely isn't just the major data hogs that AT&T is focusing on...i know several people who have been using MiWi for YEARS that have received notification about their data usage when all of them are easily under the 10GB mark per month, even using Netflix and what not.

 

[Eileen89]

Who's kidding themselves? Network congestion from smart phones started really becoming an issue around the same time that the first iPhone hit the market...don't want to take my word for it? Go read the countless blogs online that specifically quote carrier releases that discussed the need for a "4G" network that could handle a faster pace data usage society...

The first iPhone came out in 2007, no? I do not consider 4 years ago as being resent as you said in your other post. 4G is absolutely faster, but that doesn't mean that it can't see the same network congestion as we are seeing now on AT&T's 3G network. So why wouldn't AT&T try to get a better handle on the situation now?

Before this, the biggest hog on the network was the Blackberry, which simply hammed up networks with emails, and STILL were only using a few hundred MB's of data per month...even under heavy load, those phones would be pushing it to even come close to 1GB per month.

Besides the BB's...what was there? Palm phones? lmao...you've got to be joking right?

I never said these were the cause of network congestion so I don't get why you even brought them up here.

Hell, even when the iPhone first came out, the data plans were actually part of the messaging plan, which included SMS messages (and MMS messages on other phones since the first iPhone wasn't capable of such)...i remember paying like $20 for unlimited internet usage and 200 SMS messages or something like that...the focus then was people sending tons of messages...that in itself should tell you that the issue with data network bogging is a fairly recent "issue" for them...

You keep using the term "recent". Describe what that means to you because I do not think you and I are thinking the same thing. I consider "resent" to be anything withing the last 12 months or so. Network congestion related to the data consumption occurred before that time, which is why I said don't kid yourself.

And what's this about LTE? You're talking about something that there is ZERO information about from AT&T to its consumers...besides some generic LTE info that applies across the carrier board, there isn't a lick of information about it for AT&T specifically, and CERTAINLY nothing that would point you in any knowledgeable direction as far as how they'll handle data plans within LTE services.

So you think that because AT&T hasn't come out and posted any official information related to LTE that they haven't even begun working on it? For the record, Verizon does have their LTE network up and running in a few areas and they have not switched their customers off of the unlimited data plans yet. Although there have been reports of Verizon throttling their data to customers that use too much as well so it doesn't surprise me that AT&T is now doing the same thing. By the same token, you also don't have any inside information regarding what AT&T's future data plans are so I do not see what you are getting so defensive about, unless I am reading you wrong. In all of your above posts, you keep saying what AT&T has planned for their unlimited data plan customers, yet I don't see one shred of evidence that you have to back up these claims.

And it deff isn't just the major data hogs that AT&T is focusing on...i know several people who have been using MiWi for YEARS that have received notification about their data usage when all of them are easily under the 10GB mark per month, even using Netflix and what not.

Come on now, Sean. You don't know anymore than I do about what AT&T is focusing on. Until I see something official on AT&T's own website about what their plans are for future data plans, it's all just talk to me....

 

[Eileen89]

Irish Rose,
I resent the word "abuse". I regularly go to about 8 gb a month and NO TETHERING. It is because I stream video to my iphone (Netflix and Slingplayer) while eating lunch. Ialso stream audio while working. All that is legal under their unlimited plan.

So please, watch what you say. I am sure there are MANY legit people using alot of data. It isn't hard streaming video and audio.

I was not referring to "normal" everyday data usage. Did you happen to read my last post where I mentioned tethering and using 10-25-50+GB? That is abuse no matter how one wants to spin it. I've read the comments on forums where people have admitted to using that much simply because AT&T can't do anything about it. Well guess what? They can, and those people are definitely "abusing" the system. For the record, it really doesn't matter whether you and I agree on what abuse is or not. AT&T are the ones who will set the limit on the amount of data one will reach before they start throttling them. AT&T has already said this will only affect the top 5% of data users. If you are using less than 10GB a month then it might not be a problem for you anyway.

 

[anon(4698833)]

You don't see evidence? Are you kidding? The evidence couldn't be anymore obvious than it has been...first piece of EVIDENCE is the blatant fact that they got rid of the unlimited data plan in the first place, second piece of evidence are the warnings to people who are on unlimited data plans that have been "grandfathered" in, basically telling them that they know they are using tethering outside of AT&T's own offerings, and they are giving them the information so they can switch over to the legitimate tethering plan with AT&T.

THIRD piece of evidence is the data throttling that begins this fall...they never ONCE said that they would only be throttling this 5% number you keep bringing up, they officially said two things...that there were a number of "heavy users" (that by numeric reference equalled up to about 5%) that were causing concern and hogging up data network speeds...THEN they said the throttling would only effect the unlimited data plan customers that they considered "heavy users", it never specifically pointed out 5% anywhere, it simply said heavy users...

So using deductive observation, one can see a trend here...right now the heavy users are that magic number "5%", so what about after the throttling occurs and that group is eliminated? Then what is the defined parameters of "heavy user"? Oh, that's right...there isn't one...there wasn't one before either, the 5% group was something that was figured up based on the number of users that AT&T was saying was using 12x the normal data usage of the network average.

And i point out again...you have an abrupt end to the unlimited data plan, then you have warnings and requests to users within that plan to switch over to AT&T's tiered plan...THEN you have data throttling.

Look man, i don't know about you, but it's kind of hard to ignore EVIDENCE like this when it's slapping you in the face. They are preparing the network for the elimination of unlimited data plans, period...there would be no reason for them to go through all these steps for any other reason BUT that, zero...none...they could simply throttle users behind the scenes like other companies do, and no one would be the wiser.

As far as the LTE thing...where did i say anything about AT&T not working on it? I said there wasn't any real information about their LTE network out there, so your comment before about it helping with data usage was a moot point because there was no information AT ALL to base such ideas on.

Im not quite sure why you're confused with my usage of the term "recent" either, the entire conversation i've used the word to reference the time in which data usage became an issue...i haven't changed that stance, so what is confusing?

 

[Eileen89]

Sean, until you have some real evidence of AT&T getting rid of grandfathered unlimited data plans anytime soon I will not further debate this with you. AT this point in time the only thing that AT&T is doing is throttling data to the top 5% of their users, nothing more.....

 

[BrindawithanI]

My money is on what Sean says. Everyone's doing it. Bleach bottles, cereal boxes, notebook paper....it all eventually gets smaller and we buy it anyway. The companies will stick together and we'll have no choice.

 

[anon(4698833)]

No problem...it's always easier to back out of the convo than give legitimate retort to what was said.

 

[Eileen89]

Now you are just baiting me. Sorry, but until I see something on AT&T's website that specifically states that they are removing grandfathered unlimited data plans it doesn't matter at this time and doesn't warrant further discussion...


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[anon(4698833)]

It's really ok to take your ball and go home man, seriously...you stepped into the convo and stepped out, the world will keep spinning.

 

[Eileen89]

the world will keep spinning.

Yup, and at the end of the day, I still have my unlimited data plan!

Sent from my iPhone 4 using Tapatalk.

 

[anon(4698833)]

Yup, and at the end of the day, I still have my unlimited data plan!

Sent from my iPhone 4 using Tapatalk.

I thought you were done...?

 

[Jeremy]

Then what is the defined parameters of "heavy user"? Oh, that's right...there isn't one...there wasn't one before either, the 5% group was something that was figured up based on the number of users that AT&T was saying was using 12x the normal data usage of the network average.

I'm assuming that it may be 8 gig. The fine print on the unlimited plans used to mention that. At one point if you'd go over that a few times you'd get a little reminder from AT&T even though you were on a unlimited plan. It definitely is not 2 gig like some people seem to think. People are making too big of a deal out of this. Just my opinion.

 

[anon(4698833)]

A high usage customer would obviously exceed their normal data plan limited (2 or 4, whichever you use)...after that though, since they charge a fairly high premium (@ $10/GB), i'd say it could easily come to that level eventually...as they start weeding out the extremely high data users on unlimited plans and start working it down further and further, eventually they'll get to a point where people have no real benefit to having these "grandfathered data plans", if it lasts that long at all...(i doubt it will personally).

It's easy for them to force your hand when they are not obligated to you at all...

 

[Stickboy46]

Just to throw a little information out there.

When they switched from unlimited to the 2gb max plan, all of the information provided to sales reps direct from AT&T said that 95% percent of people use less than 2GB. So therefore that 5% that you guys are throwing around is everyone using more than 2GB.

Which makes a marketing sense for AT&T. Sure, you can keep your unlimited plan but if you go over 2GB we will just slow it down (like T-Mobile does). If you dont want to be slowed down, switch to the tiered plan and pay $10/GB that you go over.

 

[anon(4698833)]

Hate to say i told you so...but...

We?ve gotten word from some readers that AT&T is moving forward and removing unlimited plans for users who jailbreak iPhones to tether or hotspot off of AT&T?s unlimited data plans (for those grandfathered):

I was just informed that as of Thursday August 11th 2011, if you use MyWi or any tethering on the phone or using the phone as a modem, AT&T will automatically change ur unlimited plan to a 2Gb tethering plan for 45 dollars without the customers consent. This is for those who received emails or texts about the use of tethering without an AT&T tethering plan.
An AT&T spokesperson has confirmed this, but not August 11th as a hard cutoff date, saying:

Earlier this year, we began sending letters, emails, and text messages to a small number of smartphone customers who use their devices for tethering but aren?t on our required tethering plan. Our goal here is fairness for all of our customers. (This impacts a only small percentage of our smartphone customer base.)

The letters outline three choices:

1) Stop tethering and keep their current plan (including grandfathered unlimited plan)

2) Proactively call AT&T or visit our stores and move to the required tethering plan

3) Do nothing and we?ll go ahead and add the tethering plan on their behalf ? after the dated noted in their customer notification

Is this fair of AT&T? Well, it is certainly fair that people pay for the data that they are using and unlimited tethering turns your iPhone into a data sucking monster. AT&T?s service to others is obviously affected, so they have to do something about it and this seems like a reasonable solution. The obvious retort is that some may have purchased their unlimited plans back when unlimited really meant unlimited, jailbroken or not.

The matter doesn?t appear up for debate however, MiWi users, get your free data this week and hope AT&T doesn?t decide to move you over early.

 

[Eileen89]

I am still using MyWi. 2+ GB so far. AT&T has not switched my plan.


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