New AT&T Data Plans?

[BadBadLeroyBrown ACE - Warrior]

Surprised nobody has posted this yet, and pardon if this is the wrong forum. AT&T is updating their data plans as follows:

300MB DataPlus - $20 (plus $20 per 300MB overage unit)

3GB DataPro - $30 (plus $10 per 1GB overage)

5GB DataPro w/ Tethering - $50 (plus $10 per 1GB overage)

Source

[stclair49]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/18/att-new-data-plans/

New data plans to be run out starting this Sunday. Some will like them and others will see it as a money grab.

But if you go over 2GB most months, the 3GB plan will save you $5.

{post merged}

[guandalf ACE - Wizard]

I'm glad I'm grandfathered with an unlimited one. $50 for 5GB is a rip off, imo

[ujmnz]

Funny how with the 3gb and 5gb it's $10/gb but with the lowest plan it's $20/ 0.3gb

[mikewho]

Yeah these aren't what I would call game changers and $50 for 5gb is a total rip.

[autismdefensedo…]

So my parents have Iphone 3g and 3gs.  We switched to 15 dollars for 200mb.  So does this mean it will now be 20 for both of them.  Or can we stay at 15 and 20 is only for new customers.

[autismdefensedo…]

Acording to this we get to keep our 15 no rate hike so good news.  I hope this is true.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/18/att-data-plans_n_1214744.html

[Wild Banchi ACE - Professor]

Well, I suppose this is good news. Maybe it will shut the Unlimited customers who are being throttled up for at least a little while due to the more plans to choose from.

$50 for 5GB is a bit extreme, I agree. But, if people are willing to pay the price, so be it!

[Wild Banchi ACE - Professor]

And yes - customers using the $25 2GB and $15 200MB plans will now be grandfathered. You don't need to worry about losing your existing plan unless you want to switch to a different one, find that you don't like it, and would like to switch back. I would expect the "old" plans to be the new "Unlimited" plans where they cannot be re-added if forfeited.

[aristizzle]

---

mikewho wrote:
Yeah these aren't what I would call game changers and $50 for 5gb is a total rip.

---

It may seem like a rip off, but it includes tethering capabilities.

The current tethering data plan is $45.00 for 4 GB

so for $5.00 more you can get an extra Gigabyte, which is actually saving you money, as if you were to go over the 4GB currently available, its $10.00 for an extra gigabyte. So all in all, you are getting an extra gigabyte for half the price.

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

---

Wild Banchi wrote:
Well, I suppose this is good news. Maybe it will shut the Unlimited customers who are being throttled up for at least a little while due to the more plans to choose from.

$50 for 5GB is a bit extreme, I agree. But, if people are willing to pay the price, so be it!

---

While I think that the price increase is not really a good idea given the current feelings, it is not to be unexpected with what has happened over the past few months.

The 50.00 for 5GB is right in line with what Verizon is charging. Have not looked at the details yet but someone posted the 5GB plan allows tethering which in the verizon equivelant does not.

Broken down -

ATT - 300MB for 20.00, Verizon - none

ATT - 3GB for 30.00. Verizon - 2GB for 30.00

ATT -  5GB for 50 w/ tethering / mobile hotspot, Verizon 5GB for 50.00

To get tethering ahd hotspot for verizon the cost is 50.00 for 4GB of data  

Will be interesting to see how it plays out, but all in all the price increase is actually no a surprise given recent months news and issues

[tken]

Great, they give tiered customers an extra gb of data for $5.  Still no Family Data plan and no roll over data, that is the only way you'll get me off the unlimited plan. (or just screw your customers completely and switch us to the 3gb plan).

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

---

tken wrote:

Great, they give tiered customers an extra gb of data for $5.  Still no Family Data plan and no roll over data, that is the only way you'll get me off the unlimited plan. (or just screw your customers completely and switch us to the 3gb plan).

---

As it stands there is only one company that give roll over minutes, as far as being able to tell, it is the only company in the world that does it. Can see no possible ability to do roll over data, would suspect that a family plan monthly reoccurring would be 100 - 150 a month for the shared data for any appreciable amount of data, or are you expecting to share 5GB throughout the family plan for data? Exactly how do you determine what the amount of data should be for a family plan? 5,10,15 or 50GB? What pricing - 100,200 a month?

[Wild Banchi ACE - Professor]

---

wingrider01 wrote:

---

Wild Banchi wrote:
Well, I suppose this is good news. Maybe it will shut the Unlimited customers who are being throttled up for at least a little while due to the more plans to choose from.

$50 for 5GB is a bit extreme, I agree. But, if people are willing to pay the price, so be it!

---

While I think that the price increase is not really a good idea given the current feelings, it is not to be unexpected with what has happened over the past few months.

The 50.00 for 5GB is right in line with what Verizon is charging. Have not looked at the details yet but someone posted the 5GB plan allows tethering which in the verizon equivelant does not.

Broken down -

ATT - 300MB for 20.00, Verizon - none

ATT - 3GB for 30.00. Verizon - 2GB for 30.00

ATT -  5GB for 50 w/ tethering / mobile hotspot, Verizon 5GB for 50.00

To get tethering ahd hotspot for verizon the cost is 50.00 for 4GB of data  

Will be interesting to see how it plays out, but all in all the price increase is actually no a surprise given recent months news and issues

---

That is correct - AT&T does offer the option to tether with the new $50 plan.

I suppose that AT&T still has better pricing data plan-wise for what the customer gets in return compared to Verizon.

[JuanGuapo]

$5 for 5GB of data is the same price as their standalone data plan for laptops and MiFis.

[MJB0188]

The new data plans are not bad but I wish AT&T would price these more effectively such as:

300MB - $10/mo

700MB - $15/mo

3GB - $25 ($10/GB)

6GB - $45 ($10/GB)

These would be much more practical.  

[Todd F]

If I switch voice plans from say the 550 minute family plan to the 700 minute family plan, will I be foreced to upgrade all my data plans too (3 phones)?

Or does AT&T treat voice and data seperate?

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

---

Todd F wrote:

If I switch voice plans from say the 550 minute family plan to the 700 minute family plan, will I be foreced to upgrade all my data plans too (3 phones)?

Or does AT&T treat voice and data seperate?

---

they are seperate

[Wild Banchi ACE - Professor]

---

Todd F wrote:

If I switch voice plans from say the 550 minute family plan to the 700 minute family plan, will I be foreced to upgrade all my data plans too (3 phones)?

Or does AT&T treat voice and data seperate?

---

Nope, you can keep the three existing data plans that your plan currently has. You're right, voice plans and data packages are treated separately.

[Todd F]

That's good to know. Thanks!
 

[Wild Banchi ACE - Professor]

You're welcome.

[BadBadLeroyBrown ACE - Warrior]

If you're somehow insinuating that I work for or am planted by AT&T, you would be wrong. I read about the new data plans on TUAW, and ventured over here to see if they were being discussed. 

The bottom line is this...vote with your pocketbook. If enough people flee AT&T for other carriers, perhaps they'll rethink their pricing strategies. Unfortunately, the competitive landscape is such that our choices wind up being the least bad option. Even wireline carriers are cutting out unlimited data plans, and instituting capped plans, albeit in a differently draconian manner. Comcast gives me 250GB per month, but if I violate that cap more than once in six months, I get a year ban from them.

For all the free marketeers out there, this is what a deregulated business environment looks like. Lots of consolidation, little competition, and almost collusive pricing practices (which of course can rarely be proved).

[Erenial]

But the crooks at AT&T are tethering the unlimited plans at 2B. The net is useless after that. They are forcing you to buy the packages.

[BadBadLeroyBrown ACE - Warrior]

I think the term you're looking for is "throttling", meaning to choke. Tethering means connecting a phone to another device (like a laptop or desktop) and using the phone's Internet connection on the other device.