AT&T New iPhone Plans: Sneaky
AT&T just announced new iPhone service plans. Their claim: lower-priced, more affordable data plans.
The two new plans look good on the surface: DataPlus (200 MB of data for $15 a month) and DataPro (2GB data for $25). But the annoying thing is the option for unlimited data (which all current iPhone users currently have) is being eliminated for new customers. And tethering requires an additional fee ($20) above the DataPro plan, plus you run the risk of running into overage fees ($10 per GB).
Therefore, the translation: AT&T is introducing data caps. Likely, to discourage tethering with iPhone 4.0 nearly a year after tethering was promised (Summer, 2009), and perhaps in preparation for the onslaught of data-chewing apps like Netflix streaming on the iPhone / iPad. Anyhow, one might save on your monthly fee, but run the risk of paying overage fees, which is going to make everyone pretty cautious when it comes to hooking up your laptop on the go — forget about streaming video or downloading apps willy-nilly.
This actually will cause me to hold off on purchasing a new iPhone until I figure out these plans. Does getting a new iPhone mean giving up the unlimited plan? Or, if you want to keep unlimited data, does that mean forgoing tethering? What about transferring my current phone to my wife? I just looked at my own usage patterns and haven’t gotten close to 2GB a month, so the DataPro plan does provide an opportunity to save a little money. But feeling like tethering will be something I can’t afford due to risk of going over a cap, is rather lame. One should have the opportunity to pay for a generous data plan if you can afford it.
AT&T should retain the unlimited plan in addition to introducing these cheaper ones, and allow tethering with the unlimited option. Or how about “rollover gigabytes”? Exchanging unused voice minutes for data?
This just continues AT&T’s pattern of overpromise, underdeliver, and not playing it straight with paying customers. I really hope the start date of these new plans (July June 7, same date as the start of Apple’s WWDC) also sees the introduction of a new iPhone and a carrier announcement.
The new plans will be available June 7, not July, according to the linked page.
Whoops. Thanks for the catch
AT&T can’t offer unlimited tethering. That’s the reason why they’ve crippled tethering all this time. The network is crawling along as it is. Give users the ability to tether to a laptop as much as they want, and everyone else would suffer.
The problem I have with the tethering price is that it gives you NO more data. $20 for the privilege to use the same data on a different device seems criminal to me.
And no, you won’t be able to hold on to your $30 unlimited plan if you change devices. You can only stay on your current plan for as long as you keep your current phone.
I know I’m well under the 2GB a month usage myself. Mostly because I use WiFi at home and at work, and most every other place I go in the City here I get no signal, anyway. But who knows how much data I’ll be using two years from now, when AT&T is charging $50 for that same 2GB.
Call me naive, but I always thought AT&T was going to build out it’s network to better accommodate iPhone users and this unlimited data thing. Guess not, or they aren’t doing so fast enough.
Id feel particularly annoyed had I got a 3G iPad with the intent of unlimited data.
Meanwhile the whole rollover minute thing was introduced to deal with overage charge complaints In regards to voice calls. So why not rollover amounts for data?
It sounds like anybody on an unlimited plan now will be able to keep it with a current phone, but not sure about a new phone, and that’s going to be important possibly as soon as a week from now.
Ultimately I cant help but feel like this is yet another instance of AT&T breaking a promise from before. It’s going to change how leisurely I use an iPhone, and tethering is out of the question.
[…] head scratching regarding AT&T’s new limited data plans, so I thought I’d share my data usage for the past few months. Seems I use my iPhone more […]