Starting next week (June 7) AT&T will make major changes to its wireless data plans. There is no longer an unlimited plan for the iPhone, instead there are basic and pro options capped at 200MB and 2GB of data per month respectively. Existing customers can choose to keep their current unlimited plans at $29.99/month, or opt to move to one of the new DataPlus or DataPro plans at $15 or $25 per month.
They also announced that tethering support is finally coming along with the iPhone OS 4 launch. More on that in a separate post soon.
Here are the details on the two new plans and tethering support:
DataPlus. Provides 200 megabytes (MB) of data “ for example, enough to send/receive 1,000 emails (no attachments), plus send/receive 150 emails with attachments, plus view 400 Web pages, plus post 50 photos on social media sites, plus watch 20 minutes of streaming video “ for just $15 per month.** This plan, which can save customers up to 50 percent off their wireless data charges, is designed for people who primarily like to surf the web, send email and use social networking apps. If customers exceed 200 MB in a monthly billing cycle, they will receive an additional 200 MB of data usage for $15 for use in the cycle. Currently, 65 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 200 MB of data per month on average.
DataPro. Provides 2 gigabytes (GB) of data “ for example, enough to send/receive 10,000 emails (no attachments), plus send/receive 1,500 emails with attachments, plus view 4,000 Web pages, plus post 500 photos to social media sites, plus watch 200 minutes of streaming video “ for $25 per month.** Should a customer exceed 2 GB during a billing cycle, they will receive an additional 1 GB of data for $10 for use in the cycle. Currently, 98 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 2 GB of data a month on average.
Tethering. Smartphone customers “ including iPhone customers “ who choose the DataPro plan have the option to add tethering for an additional $20 per month. Tethering lets customers use their tethering-enabled smartphones as a modem to provide a broadband connection for laptop computers, netbooks or other computing devices. Tethering for iPhones will be available when Apple releases iPhone OS 4 this summer.
Both new plans offer unlimited access to AT&T’s 20,000 WiFi hotspots. In their press release on the new plans, AT&T also offered information on monitoring data usage:
Monitoring and Managing Usage
To help customers easily check their data usage, AT&T has made the information readily available in a number of ways***:
Customer Text Notifications On Data Usage. When customers begin to approach their monthly usage limit, AT&T will send three text notifications “ after they reach 65 percent, 90 percent and 100 percent of the threshold. Customers will also be sent emails if AT&T has their email address.
Data Usage Monitoring. Additionally, customers with iPhones and other select devices can use the free AT&T myWireless application to check data usage. The application is available for download in several smartphone app stores. Also, AT&T customers can call *DATA# from their wireless phone to check their data usage for the current billing period. They receive a free text message with their usage information. Customers can also go online to www.att.com/wireless to see all of their usage information, past and present.
Data Calculator. The easy-to-use online data calculator enables customers to estimate their mobile data usage and get a better sense for which data plan is right for them. It’s located at www.att.com/datacalculator.
Things have been pointing towards the demise of unlimited data for quite a while now, so this overhaul to AT&T’s data plans – with the obvious strain that iPhone and now iPad devices are placing on their beleaguered network – does not seem shocking.
I think I can easily live within the 2GB cap of the DataPro plan and save a few dollars compared to the existing unlimited one.
What do you all think of these new plans? Will you be sticking with your existing plan or looking at one of the new ones?
Sources: PR Newswire, 9to5Mac
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TAGS: AT&T, iPhone data plans, tethering
