3 ms·

AT&T raises data plan prices

18 points by gs7 15y ago

rkudeshi 15y ago
I realize this was probably inevitable, but I'm really disappointed by this move. I applauded AT&T when they introduced the $15 data plan (for 200mb). The price was low enough that it helped my family go from 1 data plan to 4 data plans (out of 5 total lines). In fact, that $15 plan has been one of the biggest reasons I've defended AT&T recently. Verizon and Sprint start their data plans at $30 last I checked, which quickly becomes prohibitively expensive for multiple lines on a family plan. It's especially damning for AT&T because they refuse to allow any smartphones on their network without a data plan (even if you bring your own unsubsidized unlocked smartphone). I realize $20 instead of $15 isn't a huge difference but it all adds up. Honestly, I was hoping they'd go in the opposite direction with a ~100mb plan for $10. Now that would've been a game changer.
- catch23 15y ago
  I use tmobile's monthly4g plans right now -- 5gb data, no contract plan for $30. I bring my own phone. I'm just using the phone as a SIP client, and it's working out fairly well so far.
- julesallen 15y ago
  I'm only < 24 hours into it but Ting.com beta program phone showed up today. I get 500Mb per month for US$13 which is more than the ~250Mb I usually use. I'll get a credit back on the next month's bill which is, well, how it should be. The bands are 100Mb = $3pm; 500Mb = $13; 1,000Mb = $24; 2,000Mb = $42; and 3,000Mb = $60. I use zero voice minutes and zero text messages per month so my bill will be $19 (data + $6 per 'line') plus the usual mandatory taxes. This will save me about $60pm on my iPhone bill where I had no choice but to have voice. They're a Sprint MVNO, there's no contract, and I have high hopes as the customer service has been outstanding to date. The Web-based management GUI is a bit spartan but that'll evolve over time I suppose. I only wish they were GSM-based instead of CDMA.
casca 15y ago
The amusing part of this is that scaling data is really cheap. You just don't do anything. It's not like voice where you need to allocate a certain amount of throughput to have a conversation work - when any part of the network is congested, packets get dropped and your email takes longer to load. This is just a monopolist pushing up prices because they can.

18 points by gs7 15y ago

I realize this was probably inevitable, but I'm really disappointed by this move. I applauded AT&T when they introduced the $15 data plan (for 200mb). The price was low enough that it helped my family go from 1 data plan to 4 data plans (out of 5 total lines). In fact, that $15 plan has been one of the biggest reasons I've defended AT&T recently. Verizon and Sprint start their data plans at $30 last I checked, which quickly becomes prohibitively expensive for multiple lines on a family plan. It's especially damning for AT&T because they refuse to allow any smartphones on their network without a data plan (even if you bring your own unsubsidized unlocked smartphone). I realize $20 instead of $15 isn't a huge difference but it all adds up. Honestly, I was hoping they'd go in the opposite direction with a ~100mb plan for $10. Now that would've been a game changer.

catch23 15y ago
I use tmobile's monthly4g plans right now -- 5gb data, no contract plan for $30. I bring my own phone. I'm just using the phone as a SIP client, and it's working out fairly well so far.
julesallen 15y ago
I'm only < 24 hours into it but Ting.com beta program phone showed up today. I get 500Mb per month for US$13 which is more than the ~250Mb I usually use. I'll get a credit back on the next month's bill which is, well, how it should be. The bands are 100Mb = $3pm; 500Mb = $13; 1,000Mb = $24; 2,000Mb = $42; and 3,000Mb = $60. I use zero voice minutes and zero text messages per month so my bill will be $19 (data + $6 per 'line') plus the usual mandatory taxes. This will save me about $60pm on my iPhone bill where I had no choice but to have voice. They're a Sprint MVNO, there's no contract, and I have high hopes as the customer service has been outstanding to date. The Web-based management GUI is a bit spartan but that'll evolve over time I suppose. I only wish they were GSM-based instead of CDMA.

casca 15y ago

The amusing part of this is that scaling data is really cheap. You just don't do anything. It's not like voice where you need to allocate a certain amount of throughput to have a conversation work - when any part of the network is congested, packets get dropped and your email takes longer to load. This is just a monopolist pushing up prices because they can.