Is anyone experiencing the AT&T data throttling?

cacdusty

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Has anyone been subjected to the AT&T data throttling on the unlimited data plan?

I am curious to see at what usage level this kicks in in reality. For my billing cycle ending Oct 9, so far I have used almost 10gb. I have not been notified that I am subject to throttling. For the record, I do not tether and am not jailbroken. The high usage is from streaming high quality podcasts from such sources as cnet, Tipb and twit. Unfortunately, my employer is from the stone age, and we don't have wifi networks we can use with our phones.

If I get throttled, I will have to revert to downloading and syncing podcasts later. They're so much better to listen live though!
 

Guacho

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Wow.. 10gb is a lot but I'm pretty sure we would've heard something by now if they were doing this.
 

BrindawithanI

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I'm just over 2gb on an unlimited plan and something's up for sure. My phone is almost unusable at work when on 3G for a little over a month now. I have full signal but things all of a sudden take forever to load. I've always been a fan of at&t but this is bs! Pi$$es me off! :mad:
 

johndhynes

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I'm currently at 6GB and my cycle ends the 17th. No message, yet. That's actually low for me, as I haven't worked much this month; it was 12 gigs in August, so I'm sure I'll get throttled eventually.

It was they who got me hooked by forcing me to pay for unlimited data on my first iPhone. I didn't really utilize it for a long time, usually around a gig/month, until I finally decided I might as well get my money's worth. I'm not going to change plans if they refuse to let me go back to unlimited later. I might be able to stay under 2GB but not 200MB, and saving $5 is not worth it. I jailbreak but never tether, it's all legit usage.
 

Eileen89

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No, not that I have noticed so far. During peak times I've seen a little slowness while on 3G, but that is normal.
 

whmurray

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Can one to turn tethering on and off? If one elects to pay $25 for one bit this month, is one obligated to pay it next month? How does one opt out? If one is grandfathered on an unlimited data plan, does one give up that plan if one elects to tether?

I am AT&T - shy, not to say paranoid. I pay Verizon $60/mo for a MiFi card which, some months I use heavily and other months not at all, to avoid using tethering on AT&T and giving up my unlimited plan. However, it is one more battery and power supply I have to worry about. Is there any generally available plan on which one can use AT&T data plus tethering for less than $60/mo?
 

johndhynes

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I believe that you can change your plan every month, if you want, so long as it's available. However, if you give up unlimited, you cannot get it back.

On AT&T you need the $45 plan to tether, which allows 4 gigs of data. That's not including talk or texting.

Or you could jailbreak and use your unlimited data plan. The worse is if they catch you, they might switch you to the $45 plan.
 
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whmurray

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I believe that you can change your plan every month, if you want, so long as it's available. However, if you give up unlimited, you cannot get it back.

On AT&T you need the $45 plan to tether, which allows 4 gigs of data. That's not including talk or texting.

Or you could jailbreak and use your unlimited data plan. The worse is if they catch you, they might switch you to the $45 plan.

So, I would go from unlimited but slow data for $25 to 4G but fast data for $45. (None of this data can I use in NYC or San Francisco.)

$45/4G plan plus $10/G plus $25/mo for the privilege of using any of that already expensive data on my iMac and iPad.

It seems clear to me that AT&T wants to be able to say that they offer tethering but they really do not want anyone to buy it. What am I missing?
 

whmurray

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I believe that you can change your plan every month, if you want........../QUOTE]
I keep getting the "I believe" answer but I cannot seem to get answer from anyone who has done it and can tell me how it works. I am familiar with AT&T services that are easy to turn on but difficult to turn off.

Is there anyone who is really using tethering or has AT&T really priced it out of the market?
 

zack125

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I've experienced a different kind of "suspected throttling". For example, in the past 4 years I've had full 3G service in all parts of my home. I consistently get speeds of 3-4 Mbps, however when I start using data heavily (say I'm downloading something on home connection and WiFi would be slower than 3-4Mbps), AT&T may drop me to EDGE. I use the example of my home, since I know that there is good service there, rather than somewhere on the road where it may make sense. After I drop to EDGE, I usually reboot my iPhone, and voila I'm back on 3G at full speed! This only seems to happen after an hour or more of heavy data usage, such as streaming a movie from Netflix or streaming hi-quality music. I've seen it happen elsewhere too, but I'm hesitant to call it Throttling since in those places it could just be poor reception.

*btw, all legit usage, not even jailbroken!
 

johndhynes

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I got the letter

From: AT&T Customer Care for Wireless <ATT.Wireless.684830954@email.att-mail.com>
Date: October 15, 2011 7:01:46 AM PDT
Subject: High Data Usage Alert

Like other wireless companies, AT&T is taking steps to manage exploding demand for mobile data. We're responding on many levels, including investing billions in our wireless network this year and working to acquire more network capacity.

As mentioned on a previous bill, we're also taking additional, more immediate steps to help address network congestion and improve reliability. One of these steps involves a change for some customers who use extraordinarily large amounts of data in a single billing period - about 12 times more data than the average smartphone user.

For the current billing cycle, your data usage indicates you could be affected by this change. Here's how it works:

Smartphone customers with unlimited data plans may experience reduced speeds once their usage in a billing cycle reaches the level that puts them among the top 5 percent of heaviest data users. These customers can still use unlimited data and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle.

We're writing because you are in the top 5 percent of heaviest data users for this billing cycle. Because we recognize that data usage can change from month to month, you will not see reduced speeds this billing cycle.

Beginning with your next billing cycle, we'll send you a text message if you are approaching the top 5 percent of heaviest data users. We'll also send you a second text message if you cross into the top 5 percent of heaviest users, at which point you may see reduced speeds for the rest of the month.

Customers have several ways to manage extremely high data usage.

Wi-Fi offers great speeds and doesn't add to your wireless data usage. Consider using Wi-Fi when possible for applications that use the highest amounts of data, such as streaming video apps, remote web camera apps, large data-file transfers (like video) and some online gaming.

You may also consider switching to a tiered data plan if speed is more important to you than having an unlimited data plan. Customers on tiered plans can pay for more data if they need it, and will not see reduced speeds.

To estimate how much data different activities use, and find out more about Wi-Fi or tiered data plans, visit https://forums.imore.com/e?link=htt...A%2F%2Fwww.att.com%2Fdataplans&token=NeKLhPD- or call Customer Care at 866-344-7584.

This was followed by two identical text messages:
ATT Msg: Your data use this month places you in the top 5% of users. Use Wi-Fi to help avoid reduced speeds. Visit att.com/dataplans or call 8663447584.
 

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