AT&T Downplays Talk of Tiered Pricing for iPhone Data Plans

[OneMike]

Would need realistic plans if they were to do that.

Not $10 100 mb or something crazy like some of the data plans out.

My biggest month was just about 3GB. That was streaming radio on my commute to and from work for about the whole month. Being charged $30 for data to me it wouldn't make sense to not use it as much as possible. Same in house. Unless I'm doing something that requires m wifi I use 3G.

One month I had like 250MB of usage still charged $30.

I don't pay much more for my home internet and 3GB can get transferred daily many days through the month.

Next problem is it's kind of hard to really say how much data you'd use unless you have something like unrestrictor installed cause apps like youtube look horrible over 3G and many other apps are crippled.

 

[conradwt]

All carriers suck so bad. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint...they all display a complete and utter disregard for their customers. Depressing and infuriating.

I wish there was a chance of a new player (or players) entering the market.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Google and/or Japanese firm become a carrier. Then you'll see a very different level of customer service and pricing from the ATT, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, and others for their customers. In short, we need a jump start the technology here in the US because it's simply overpriced and lacking in technology advancements.

For example, during my trip to Japan last year (i.e. 2008), the broadband for home use in Japan was the fastest at 1 Giga bit per second (Gbps) and the cheapest at $38.00 per/mouth. The fastest that I could find here in the US was at 50 Mbps with an average price over $115.00 per/mouth.

Like the iPhone open a lot of peoples eyes to what a phone should be capable of doing, I think there needs to be an equivalent subscriber to
open the eyes of people to what a carrier should be because we are charging more for way less here in the US. In short, competition will
be good for the carrier sector.

 

[tys]

Interesting statistic in today's Chicago Tribune: Bandwidth Usage

1 Tethered PC = 15 Smart Phones = 450 Standard Cell Phones

Is this true?
I tether my computer to my iPhone often for the convenience of the bigger screen and keyboard.
Admitting my ignorance here, but......Does visiting a web page on a tethered computer use more bandwidth than visiting the same page straight from the iPhone?

tys

 

[iphones4evry1]

Didn't they make a statement last week that 3% of iPhone users consume 40% of the network bandwidth? Why don't they figure out who those 3% are, send them a letter in the mail saying "you are one of the 3% of people that use 40% of the bandwidth. If you do not reduce your usage below XYZ, we will be forced to cancel your contract and disconnect your phone from the network." ?

Problem solved.

 

[lilo777]

Is this true?
I tether my computer to my iPhone often for the convenience of the bigger screen and keyboard.
Admitting my ignorance here, but......Does visiting a web page on a tethered computer use more bandwidth than visiting the same page straight from the iPhone?

tys

It does not, but viewing the same web site through a keyhole of the iPhone (or other similarly sized screen) takes a lot longer than using normal computer screen. So people scroll longer, switch pages less frequently then get tired and go to bed As a result, they do not consume as much bandwidth. Also - no Flash on iPhone

 

[procksa49er]

Passing the Buck

Seems like the Micro Cell Hardware and the tiered pricing are all excuses not to improve the Cell tower infrastructure which would then improve network coverage and reliability with all the phones using apps and browsing over the 3g signals.....At&t you better hope Verizon never gets the iPhone... Cuz alot of people will jump ship and be willing to pay the early contract cancellation fees i know i will

 

[phinsup]

I bought my first iphone outright, didnt put a data plan on it and used wifi, i was fine with that. ATT sent me a text saying they would start charging a data plan..... so I started using it, now their upset because I use it (although no where near even 1 gig per month.)

 

[heisetax]

What he really said.

Sounds like higher prices for fewer services.

 

[aucl]

With the 10MB download cap I barely use 5GB per YEAR on my iPhone 3G. Please give me a way to pay something commensurate with the amount of data I actually use. The term "unlimited" needs to be stricken from every piece of wired and wireless ISP literature now and forever.

+1 here

making "unlimited" is not very responsible, especially since they have only limited capacity.
if they make cheaper deals and include like 500mb/month on the cheaper contracts, and maybe 1-2gb on the more expensive ones it should be quite ok for normal use.
after reaching the limit they could either turn off data, or downgrade it to edge/gprs only for these accounts, until the billing period is over.
or, alternatively charge the extra $ for traffic.

Cause after all, once such restrictions are in place, telcos like ATT have no reason and no argument to limit tethering/streaming apps etc.
The 90% user would clearly benefit from that.

 

[aucl]

Seems like the Micro Cell Hardware and the tiered pricing are all excuses not to improve the Cell tower infrastructure which would then improve network coverage and reliability with all the phones using apps and browsing over the 3g signals.....At&t you better hope Verizon never gets the iPhone... Cuz alot of people will jump ship and be willing to pay the early contract cancellation fees i know i will

-1

Microcells are great, they can help doing wonders
ever thought about how they should provide good indoor/underground coverage?
I see such things as a matter of personal comfort and would buy one immediately if they would be available from my provider here.

Would be just too great:
Time Capsule/Airport BaseStation with integrated Microcell.

 

[aucl]

Is this true?
I tether my computer to my iPhone often for the convenience of the bigger screen and keyboard.
Admitting my ignorance here, but......Does visiting a web page on a tethered computer use more bandwidth than visiting the same page straight from the iPhone?

tys

yea, think about all the crap a modern PC always tries to do:

1. syncronizing time
2. maping network neighborhood
3. check for system/antivirus updates
4. checking mails
5. instent messenger connections
6. ...
7. oh, and all the malware which phones home

 

[aucl]

how can people complain about other users usage of the net? have they forgotten how much we pay for our iPhones, its INSANE!!!!,

Your logic sucks! it is like saying:
Oh, i bought a Ferrari, why do i still stand in traffic jam, and still need to stop at the red light; didn't i pay good enough for the car?

 

[aucl]

In my opinion, I think $30 per month for data in addition to $60 per month for the line (and then $30 for unlimited texts) is excessive for how I normally use my iPhone. Because of that, I feel zero remorse for tethering my connection to my laptop (although I know I should). So, a tiered system may be good if the pricing was more reasonable as I would not be such a high bandwidth user any longer.

why do you pay for unlimited texts if you do not consume them? if it is too expensive choose a cheaper plan which matches your usage better?!

 

[iphones4evry1]

The term "unlimited" needs to be stricken from every piece of wired and wireless ISP literature now and forever.

NOT SO FAST !!!!

This could come back to bite us in the future, when we have smartphones with the capabilities of a full computer! ..and YOU want to tell them now to strike the word "unlimited" ??? Five years from now, when your smartphone literally has the computing capability of your current desktop/laptop PC, you will be begging them to reverse that decision.

 

[aucl]

NOT SO FAST !!!!

This could come back to bite us in the future, when we have smartphones with the capabilities of a full computer! ..and YOU want to tell them now to strike the word "unlimited" ??? Five years from now, when your smartphone literally has the computing capability of your current desktop/laptop PC, you will be begging them to reverse that decision.

may it then be 20GB limits, be honest, how much data you wanna consume all the time? having 1080p HD streams with 5channel audio for a phone and stereo sound?

would you prefer to have flat and prized like now, or a plan like:

• 20$
• 100 SMS
• 100 minutes
• 1000MB
• everything above for a few cents, ...

 

[MacBOS]

Your logic sucks! it is like saying:
Oh, i bought a Ferrari, why do i still stand in traffic jam, and still need to stop at the red light; didn't i pay good enough for the car?

wtf? are you listening to your self

what are you talking about? wen you buy a Ferrari you buying the car not the road, trafic lights nor the jams, you pay the government for the experience in the road and trafic jams well its the transit authorities job to look for improvements on it

wen you buy the iPhone apple garanties the device not the network, Att is in charge of giving you what it sels you "the fastes 3G network" and if you pay for service you shoed get service not excuses especially wen you pay more phone service than anyone else. what is the escuse if you pay your money for it. wait do we have to understand them now, wen have they ever understood you in your moment of ned?

yea thats wat i thought

looks like you need to put your logic strait

 

[inkswamp]

Your logic sucks! it is like saying:
Oh, i bought a Ferrari, why do i still stand in traffic jam, and still need to stop at the red light; didn't i pay good enough for the car?

And your analogy sucks because the cost of producing and maintaining cars and roads are not incestuously intertwined in the way cell phones and cellular networks are. You could make a very good argument here that the capitalist ideal of competing companies producing better services has failed miserably.

Seriously, what would the car/road analogy be if we really went all the way with it?

It would be as if the government had long ago farmed out creation of the roads to several companies and to drive on a given company's roads, you have to buy a certain type of expensive car, and amazingly enough, they haven't created wide enough roads that can properly accommodate the capabilities of your car.

Oh, and add in that you were promised you wouldn't be stuck in traffic jams.

 

[aucl]

And your analogy sucks because the cost of producing and maintaining cars and roads are not incestuously intertwined in the way cell phones and cellular networks are. You could make a very good argument here that the capitalist ideal of competing companies producing better services has failed miserably.

Seriously, what would the car/road analogy be if we really went all the way with it?

It would be as if the government had long ago farmed out creation of the roads to several companies and to drive on a given company's roads, you have to buy a certain type of expensive car, and amazingly enough, they haven't created wide enough roads that can properly accommodate the capabilities of your car.

Oh, and add in that you were promised you wouldn't be stuck in traffic jams.

I admit that that analogy was not well chosen, ...

but i am sure they do not say that each individual will have perfect highest speed connectivity, maybe they even have the fastest network, just it is getting ****** up by some irresponsible consume addicted users.

my opinion is that there is no place for "unlimited", guess it is hard to accept that the american dream of unlimited resources works fine for the 3%, and the others have suffer from that. ...oh wait, dropped calls, expensive contracts, bad customer service, ... looks like not even the 3% are totally satisfied.

Ask for all-you-can-eat and you will get junk-food

ps:
oh, on german highways you can drive as fast as your car allows (if there is no local limitation) but that does not mean that it is really possible, especially when too many wanna try that at the same time

 

[MacBOS]

in my earlier post all i was trying to say was what we as iPhone users are entitled to, A service that was designed for the iPhone that simply works without excuses. they charge us whatever they wish and blindfolded we pay them regardless of the fact that other companies are selling this service for half the price and why do we do this? cause we just want it to work.

Everybody know Att's bad rep already with service, to me it is not justifiable that a big company like Att wood hav to com up with a plan b to solve this problem after they already suck us dry.

i think that wen ATT got in to the iPhone they shod have strategically planed to grow there network because it was not a mystery that verizon hade a big lead in the 3G buisnes and that in order to compete with them that shooed have ben there top priority instead of thinking that with the iPhone alone they wood gain the customers trust (sel the iPhone now fix the network later) so that it wood then explode on there face

in other words Att bit on more than they coud chu

pardon the bad speling my English is a work in progress

 

[SeaFox]

...it does emphasize AT&T's current strategy of using "incentives" and other strategies for shifting traffic off of its network instead of changing the pricing structure of its wireless plans.

Oho! I forsee a insurance-company-style "incentive" being enacted.

(Translation: they'll offer people a discount off you bill for data usage below a certain threshold, then raise everyone's bill by the same amount. The effect will be only the high data users pay more in the end)

 

[Livestfastest]

Everyone is building out their 4G networks now....don't be fooled by marketing campaigns. Sprint is saying that they were the first, but their 4G is quite different than what everyone else is planning to install. Plus, they have no 4G phones yet. So, what good was it to be first?

Yes, this is true. My hometown, Baltimore is the very 1st 4G city in the U.S. & a Sprint test market and they are advertising it.
But like you said, what are they testing it with & what good is it at this point?
There are no 4G phones available that I'm aware of.
And having been a previous Sprint customer, their coverage of the Baltimore area has always sucked. I actually got fired from a job once because my boss was convinced I'd turned the company Sprint cell phone off and was avoiding his calls! I realize everyone hates their cell phone carrier, but AT&T is by far better than Sprint in my opinion, but I wouldn't mind seeing Apple add Verizon or another carrier.

 

[satcomer]

MicroCell? The mythological device that was tested last year in very limited locations and then dropped ofter the radar? Then the CEOs comment lambasting the iPhone?

How much do want to bet as soon as this contact for exclusivity for the iPhone will end when Apple's contract with AT&T? Then only real question know is either it will be on T-Mobile or Verizon or both.

 

[HyperX]

Those all sound like AMAZING ideas. I mean just spot on what AT&T needs to do. I mean of course they could invest in infrastructure, building more sites and upgrading existing ones for more capacity. INSTEAD though it is much more sensible to try to get everyone off the network they are paying for. This is why AT&T is the #1 in customer support, quality, and coverage!

The best thing about this is when you get EVERYONE off the network, you can then blame people's wifi setups for all their troubles. TAKE THAT consumer reports!

 

[mobi]

AT&T has consistently spent less on network infrastructure improvements since iPhone's lanuch, despite their claims to the contrary. And their profits have steadily risen since iPhone's launch. AT&T chooses corporate greed over network improvements.

Gizmodo has the story along with the numbers from AT&T's own financial reports. Link

Once another network gets the iPhone and can do simultaneous voice and data, I am kicking AT&T to the curb. I can't remember the last time I carried on a phone conversation that didn't end in a dropped call.

AT&T SUCKS. And I can't wait to jump ship.

I agree with you, especially the GREED part.

 

[SAIRUS]

I think we need a new amendment that allows us to throw pies at CEOs and other executives of industries we don't think they are doing their job. It would stimulate the economy!