Enabling personal hotspot with unlimited data plan

Hey Sachimoca,

I'm definetly sorry for any misunderstandings.

The unlimited was a great plan for the iphone 3gs. It wasn't ever expected to be used to anything more than that. That's why with the newer phone's we've disabled that. I think it's pretty generous for AT&T to allow you to keep the unlimited data plan, as is.

Since devices like a computer can keep up with the data speeds a lot easier, it can potentially use largely more amounts of data.

Simply put, AT&T can't afford for people to use the 50-100gb a month they might be able to use for LTE unlimited tethering. If people really insist, then they need to pay for what it costs us to provide that.

We're not going to force you to lose what you originally had, but you can't have you cake and eat it too. You can't ask for new things (tethering), and not expect your old plans to keep up (unlimited).

It's not some special conspiracy to rob of that. We're just trying to offer what we can reasonably do in large numbers. You don't seem to appreciate how much work goes into providing a moderate of coverage for huge numbers of customers.

Now, in all fairness, you don't have to lose your unlimited. If your ipad has wifi + cellular, we can get it its own seperate package. Or we have Mifi device, seperate data device for. You pay seperate, they won't impact your iphone, and it works out pretty well.

-Alex

I agree with you sandblaster.

The fact is, it's simply not available.

AT&T never promised it, and is continuing to offer the same thing, and you're asking for some more.

You're calling AT&T greedy for not continuing to support/expand on your discontinued plan . . . sounds quite funny.
I think you should hold a mirror up to that.

GL getting unlimited data with or without tethering w/ Verizon.

-Alex

---

@Givenchy305 wrote:
I’m an AT&T consumer for more than 10 years back in the Bellsouth -> Cingular -> AT&T days. I have the grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan on two Iphone 4s. I talked with a rep a few months ago to try and have tethering activated on my phones, and was told I would have to change my plan (Not going to happen). I wasn’t upset, I understood for my AT&T to provide me with such an advanced and great service they will need to make money also. I agree that the tethering feature should not be available for the Unlimited data plans. Yes I would love to have the ability from my phone versus my mobile hotspot (from AT&T). But if my AT&T feels it’s more profitable to have the tether feature only on the non-unlimited data plans I accept and agree. If it’s a service that I really feel I want to have then I will change. Also from the existence of tethering on all cell phone providers you have to pay extra to have that service. So there should be no complaint from any AT&T consumer that feels they have to pay to get tethering service. The only time to complain is if we can no longer have the unlimited plan at its current cost 🙂

---

The unlimted data plan for personal use never included tethering, there was a business level one that did but it was 25.00 a month more and limited to 5GB. The unlimited plan was discontinued a long time ago, no matter what tethering will never be added, att needs to sunset the plan and get rid of it completely like verizon did to theirs

---

@wingrider01 wrote:

---

@Givenchy305 wrote:
I’m an AT&T consumer for more than 10 years back in the Bellsouth -> Cingular -> AT&T days. I have the grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan on two Iphone 4s. I talked with a rep a few months ago to try and have tethering activated on my phones, and was told I would have to change my plan (Not going to happen). I wasn’t upset, I understood for my AT&T to provide me with such an advanced and great service they will need to make money also. I agree that the tethering feature should not be available for the Unlimited data plans. Yes I would love to have the ability from my phone versus my mobile hotspot (from AT&T). But if my AT&T feels it’s more profitable to have the tether feature only on the non-unlimited data plans I accept and agree. If it’s a service that I really feel I want to have then I will change. Also from the existence of tethering on all cell phone providers you have to pay extra to have that service. So there should be no complaint from any AT&T consumer that feels they have to pay to get tethering service. The only time to complain is if we can no longer have the unlimited plan at its current cost 🙂

---

The unlimted data plan for personal use never included tethering, there was a business level one that did but it was 25.00 a month more and limited to 5GB. The unlimited plan was discontinued a long time ago, no matter what tethering will never be added, att needs to sunset the plan and get rid of it completely like verizon did to theirs

---

I disagree.  I don't think that AT&T needs to get rid of the unlimited data plan.  And, for clarification, Verizon Wireless allowed grandfathered users to keep their unlimited data plan if they didn't enter into a new contract.

---

@21stNow wrote:

---

@wingrider01 wrote:

---

@Givenchy305 wrote:
I’m an AT&T consumer for more than 10 years back in the Bellsouth -> Cingular -> AT&T days. I have the grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan on two Iphone 4s. I talked with a rep a few months ago to try and have tethering activated on my phones, and was told I would have to change my plan (Not going to happen). I wasn’t upset, I understood for my AT&T to provide me with such an advanced and great service they will need to make money also. I agree that the tethering feature should not be available for the Unlimited data plans. Yes I would love to have the ability from my phone versus my mobile hotspot (from AT&T). But if my AT&T feels it’s more profitable to have the tether feature only on the non-unlimited data plans I accept and agree. If it’s a service that I really feel I want to have then I will change. Also from the existence of tethering on all cell phone providers you have to pay extra to have that service. So there should be no complaint from any AT&T consumer that feels they have to pay to get tethering service. The only time to complain is if we can no longer have the unlimited plan at its current cost 🙂

---

The unlimted data plan for personal use never included tethering, there was a business level one that did but it was 25.00 a month more and limited to 5GB. The unlimited plan was discontinued a long time ago, no matter what tethering will never be added, att needs to sunset the plan and get rid of it completely like verizon did to theirs

---

I disagree.  I don't think that AT&T needs to get rid of the unlimited data plan.  And, for clarification, Verizon Wireless allowed grandfathered users to keep their unlimited data plan if they didn't enter into a new contract.

---

Verizon made it so that if you wanted a subsidized phone you had to leave the discontinued unlimited data (which is also throttled for overuse) and go with a new plan, if you wanted to keep the unlimited plan you would have to pay full retail for the device. The cell users in the US are not used to paying full retail for a device and being told that the 99.00 phone would cost the used 649.00 for it to keep the unlimited data. The full retail price cost of the device is still in it's infancy in the US and from the reastion posts on the forums it is quite the sticker shock for them.

My point was that Verizon Wireless did not completely get rid of the unlimited data plan, as was asserted in your previous post.

I got similar problem and just got off the phone with AT&T, feel so bad...shame AT&T

---

@sandblaster wrote:

---

@Tnotter75 wrote:
This is terrible. How dare ATT put restrictions on a feature of a feature that iphone includes to stay on top of such a competitive market. Blatantly greedy to pry people away from unlimited data plans. I left Verizon for similar greed. Now I'm faced with moving along again. Sucks...

---

Sorry but greed has nothing to do with it. Tethering was never a feature of the unlimited data plan and Apple's personal hotspot didn't even exist when the unlimited data plan was discontinued 4 years ago. No carrier goes back and adds features to discontinued plans.

Apple's FaceTime over cellular did not exist and therefore was not a feature of the unlimited data plan when it was discontinued, but AT&T did go back and add it to the discontinued unlimited plans (or am I mistaken?).

---

---

@9th Ward wrote:

---

@sandblaster wrote:

---

@Tnotter75 wrote:
This is terrible. How dare ATT put restrictions on a feature of a feature that iphone includes to stay on top of such a competitive market. Blatantly greedy to pry people away from unlimited data plans. I left Verizon for similar greed. Now I'm faced with moving along again. Sucks...

---

Sorry but greed has nothing to do with it. Tethering was never a feature of the unlimited data plan and Apple's personal hotspot didn't even exist when the unlimited data plan was discontinued 4 years ago. No carrier goes back and adds features to discontinued plans.

Apple's FaceTime over cellular did not exist and therefore was not a feature of the unlimited data plan when it was discontinued, but AT&T did go back and add it to the discontinued unlimited plans (or am I mistaken?).

---

 

---

You make a fair point but I would not consider FaceTime to be a feature of the data plan. If you remember, there was much controversy over blocking FaceTime when Skype or any other video app was not blocked. Personally, I don't they ever should have blocked it.