We all knew (or should have) that cellular data plans for smartphones weren't really unlimited, but at least the cap was "soft" rather than hard. AT&T on Wednesday ended all that, unveiling tiered, limited (only) data plans, but don't worry: other carriers will follow soon enough.Wireless carriers had long been saying the future of data plans was tiered pricing, and here we are, with AT&T. ALthough the timing is likely prompted by the upcoming fourth generation iPhone and iPhone OS 4, it was bound to happen.
The new plans go into effect on June 7th, the first day of WWDC, when the new iPhone presumably will be announced and when iPhone OS 4 will be unveiled. The sole tidbits of good news, at least for heavy data users, is if you are on a current "unlimited" plan ($30), you can stay on that plan. Additionally, tethering is coming, and that includes the iPhone as well.
For light users, you'll get a carrot: a lower cost plan, starting at $15 for 200MB of data. If you need more, you can pay $25 for 2GB of data. AT&T says that 65 percent of their customers use less than 20MB of data, and 98 percent less than 2GB.
The stick, as opposed to the carrot, is in the overage fees. For the lower-cost plan, dubbed DataPlus, it's $15 for each additional 200MB of data usage in a billing cycle. For the higher-cost DataPro plan, it's $10 for each additional GB.
iPad users will not be exempt, either. The new $25-per-month plan will replace the current $30 plan with unlimited usage that is available for the iPad, though just as with other customers, they can keep the old plan as long as they keep paying $30 per month.
Unclear how much data you use? It's not hard to figure it out; just check your bill. Also, note text messages do not eat up data (MMS does) as it piggybacks on top of carrier signals, anyway.
Here are the details, per an AT&T press release:
- 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 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
Comments