Inside AT&T vs Verizon iPad 2 data service plans

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Apple is offering iPad 2 in two carrier options within the US, but AT&T and Verizon's plans differ significantly [update: Verizon's iPad plan has no activation fees].



AT&T iPad data plans



AT&T continues to offer its no commitment plan that users can start or stop anytime without incurring any fees. While it originally offered an unlimited 3G data plan for iPad users, it currently only offers a 250MB cap for $15 and a 2GB plan for $25.



In addition to 3G data service, AT&T also offers access to its network of WiFi hot spots to its DataConnect plan users (use of which does not count against the data limits). The carrier is also running a special offer of a free month of base service worth $25, and is also currently selling the original iPad models at $100 off, meaning the entry level 16GB iPad 3G is now $529.



Users who go over their data limit are hit with either a $15 charge per each 250MB increment on the smaller plan, or a $10 charge per each additional 1GB on the larger option. AT&T sends its users warning messages when they hit 65, 90 and 100 percent of their data plan. The company provides an interactive calculator to help users estimate how much data they're likely to need based on their use.







When roaming in Canada or Internationally, AT&T's data plans quickly get unreasonable. Data in Canada is billed at 15 tenths of a cent per KB, which is $15 per megabyte or well over $15,000 per GB. Roaming in other countries is 19.5 tenths of a cent per KB, or $19.50 per MB. You will not want to check your email on that, let alone browse the web, although it should be possible to use iPad 2 with existing prepaid SIM cards in other countries.



Verizon iPad data plans



Verizon Wireless previously offered the original iPad WiFi bundled with a MiFi device that relayed its 3G service to the device. That hardware cost extra, driving the bundle price of the entry level 16GB iPad WiFi to $630. Unlike AT&T, Verizon is not yet advertising the $100 cheaper new price Apple set for the original iPad.



With iPad 2, Apple now offers a CDMA model Verizon can sell directly. Like AT&T, Verizon offers contract-free plans users can start and stop whenever they want. It offers a minimum 1GB plan for $20, or a 3GB plan for $35. Going over the data limit on the lesser plan costs $20 per GB, while the bigger plan charges only $10 per GB for extra use.



Update: Verizon typically charges a $35 activation fee to start using their service, which is as much as or more than a month of service. While a company representative couldn't initially confirm to AppleInsider whether iPad 2 would involve the same activation fee the original model bundled with its MiFi did, Andrew Munchbach of Boy Genius Report received confirmation from Verizon that there are no activation or reactivation fees for iPad 2 users.



"There are no activation fees with the iPad 2," a company representative said in an e-mail. "Customers can switch from having data one month to using wifi the next and back to data without activation fees."



Just like AT&T, Verizon's foreign roaming charges are similarly unreasonable, but the Verizon iPad 2 won't work in other countries using a prepaid SIM because it doesn't support GSM-style SIM cards.







Whether to tether: (Updated)



For existing smartphone users on either network, a tethering plan that provides WiFi data service for iPad would seem to make more sense than buying separate data service.



AT&T's tethering plan costs $20 extra per month and now adds 2GB of data to your allotted 2GB smartphone plan, with each extra GB costing another $10.



That's more flexible but roughly matches Verizon's tethering plan, which charges a $20 fee and adds another 2GB of data service exclusive to tethered devices.



Those charges are the same prices the carriers charge for just 1GB of direct data service. Sticking with a tethered WiFi iPad also saves $130 off the iPad hardware as well.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 41
    Very helpful; with one caveat:



    Unless I am mistaken, AT&T now includes an additional 2GB to tethered plans.
  • Reply 2 of 41
    ghostface147ghostface147 Posts: 1,629member
    So if you go 100 megs over your 2 gig bucket on Verizon, you're going to be rounded up a gig?
  • Reply 3 of 41
    jdradenjdraden Posts: 89member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rockyridge View Post


    Very helpful; with one caveat:



    Unless I am mistaken, AT&T now includes an additional 2GB to tethered plans.



    Yes, the DataPro 4GB plan is $45/month. This allows tethering via WiFi, Bluetooth or USB.
  • Reply 4 of 41
    damonfdamonf Posts: 229member
    A correction regarding this statement on AT&T tethering: "AT&T's tethering plan costs $20 extra per month and eats up the users' allotted 2GB, with each extra GB costing another $10."



    I understand that iPhone 4 tethering (which will be possible with iOS 4.3 for AT&T iPhones) adds an extra 2 GB of data to your plan, for a total of 4 GB for the Data Pro plan + tethering (at a total data cost of $45/month). And furthermore, how that 4 GB is used (either by your iPhone itself or by devices tethered to it) won't matter. Note that tethering cannot be added to the 250 MB plan, only onto the 2 GB Data Pro plan. Overage is $10 per each additional 1 GB.



    From what I've read, the Verizon plan segments their extra 2 GB exclusively for the tethered devices, so no "mixed" total of 3GB, 4GB, etc. for all devices. It is 2GB for your tethered devices, and whatever you signed up for as for your iPhone 4 data.



    Per a Computerworld article: "We want to extend the benefits of an additional 2GB to smartphone customers on our tethering plan," AT&T Mobility's chief marketing officer, David Christopher, said in a statement. "This delivers more value today for the price they're already paying -- and that's what our customers want." Also confirmed with an AllThingsD article on the subject.
  • Reply 5 of 41
    Isn't it 200MB?
  • Reply 6 of 41
    dagamer34dagamer34 Posts: 494member
    Seems to me the best option is to take your iPhone, jailbreak it, and pay a one-time fee to install MyWi and OFF YOU GO!!!!!



    Silly carriers and their expensive data plans. Pfft!
  • Reply 7 of 41
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rockyridge View Post


    Very helpful; with one caveat:



    Unless I am mistaken, AT&T now includes an additional 2GB to tethered plans.



    This is true....AT&T adds 2GB to your tethered plan for a total of 4GB.



    So Verizon is going to stick me with activation fees each time I enable it? The heck with you.
  • Reply 8 of 41
    For US iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch users who are frequent flyers to Canada, instead of paying AT&T exorbitant NA roaming charges, I'd suggest evaluating Boingo instead: http://www.boingo.com/ Click on the Locations then choose either the Browse by City or Browse by venue and click on the SELECT buttons to see their locations around the world (95 countries, 45 venues).



    It offers unlimited mobile wi-fi access for US$7.95/month at 260,000 or so hotspots around the world, including the One Zone in downtown Toronto & Toronto's Pearson International airport. It sure beats paying $15,000/GB to AT&T (or Verizon) for roaming charges here. I also used it to access McDonald's US wi-fi network last summer along I-90 from OH to WA (I could never access their free wi-fi).



    I primarily use Boingo to access Cogeco's One-Zone (which now has 30-day unlimited iPod/iPad wi-fi access for $5.00 + 13% HST) with the benefit of access to the other 259,700 wi-fi hotspots around the world, including New York, Chicago & Las Vegas. It is handy at Pearson too, where I picked up a Trinidadian friend this week after texting her from International arrivals.



    The combination of Boingo and Skype World gives me a virtual cell phone with free calls to North America and 40 other countries for about C$24/month and unlimited data where ever there is a Boingo or other wi-fi hotspot.



    Boingo also has plans for laptops as well as combo mobile/laptop plans.



    Bob (no ties to Boingo, just a satisfied user)

    Toronto
  • Reply 9 of 41
    Isn't the Verizon "tethering" interrupted whenever a call comes in? I was considering the Verizon 3g iPad2 but hell no if they are going to charge activation fees like that.
  • Reply 10 of 41
    astarckastarck Posts: 1member
    Is tethering something that can be turned on/off each month for either carrier?
  • Reply 11 of 41
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Data in Canada is billed at 15 tenths of a cent per KB, which is $15 per megabyte or well over $15,000 per GB. Roaming in other countries is 195 tenths of cent per KB



    Or....



    Data in Canada is billed at 1.5 cents per KB, which is $15 per megabyte or <s>well over </s>$15,000 per GB. Roaming in other countries is 19.5 cents per KB.



    Duh.
  • Reply 12 of 41
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bob Brent View Post


    For US iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch users who are frequent flyers to Canada, instead of paying AT&T exorbitant NA roaming charges, I'd suggest evaluating Boingo instead: http://www.boingo.com/ Click on the Locations then choose either the Browse by City or Browse by venue and click on the SELECT buttons to see their locations around the world (95 countries, 45 venues).



    It offers unlimited mobile wi-fi access for US$7.95/month at 260,000 or so hotspots around the world, including the One Zone in downtown Toronto & Toronto's Pearson International airport. It sure beats paying $15,000/GB to AT&T (or Verizon) for roaming charges here. I also used it to access McDonald's US wi-fi network last summer along I-90 from OH to WA (I could never access their free wi-fi).



    I primarily use Boingo to access Cogeco's One-Zone (which now has 30-day unlimited iPod/iPad wi-fi access for $5.00 + 13% HST) with the benefit of access to the other 259,700 wi-fi hotspots around the world, including New York, Chicago & Las Vegas. It is handy at Pearson too, where I picked up a Trinidadian friend this week after texting her from International arrivals.



    The combination of Boingo and Skype World gives me a virtual cell phone with free calls to North America and 40 other countries for about C$24/month and unlimited data where ever there is a Boingo or other wi-fi hotspot.



    Boingo also has plans for laptops as well as combo mobile/laptop plans.



    Bob (no ties to Boingo, just a satisfied user)

    Toronto



    I couldn't agree more. I accidentally picked Boingo last year on a trip to Switzerland and the World cup. I thought I'd be paying $10 for my 30 day pass to get to use it a couple times. Turned out, nearly every hotspot I found was affiliated with Boingo, so my $9 got me essentially unlimited, everywhere wifi for two weeks, in 4 countries, on two continents. Crazy!
  • Reply 13 of 41
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DamonF View Post


    From what I've read, the Verizon plan segments their extra 2 GB exclusively for the tethered devices, so no "mixed" total of 3GB, 4GB, etc. for all devices. It is 2GB for your tethered devices, and whatever you signed up for as for your iPhone 4 data.



    Partially correct. Yes, the Verizon tethering data is a separate 2 GB. But the "mixed total" really doesn't apply because, currently, Verizon iPhone data plans are unlimited. So unlimited + 2 GB would still be unlimited. But neither ATT or Verizon are going to give you unlimited tethered data. Too easy to suck up huge amounts of data when you are using a laptop and such.



    But I suspect when the iPhone 5 comes out Verizon will drop their unlimited iPhone data plan and switch to tiered service similar to ATTs or their own iPad data plans.



    The good thing in all of this is there are small signs of competition between carriers. Verizon's iPhone data plan and tethering prompted ATT to improve it's own tethering plan option (you didn't used to get the additional 2 GB of data). Hopefully this will be a sign of continued service plan pricing competition between the carriers.
  • Reply 14 of 41
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    So if you go 100 megs over your 2 gig bucket on Verizon, you're going to be rounded up a gig?



    Yes. I think that?s fair, do you not think that?s fair? Go back a little and you?d be charged excessive rates per MB or KB that far exceed the $10/GB rate they charge now.
  • Reply 15 of 41
    I've been selfishly clinging to my unlimited data plan (admittedly out of some baseless sense of principle) thinking that I consume a lot of data on my iPhone 4 (and I do… sorta), but, looking at my account history, very little of that data transfers is over 3G evidently (usually only around 100MB, and at its worst ever, still less than 600MB).



    I was thinking that I should get a Wi-Fi + 3G iPad 2 and activate/deactivate 3G as needed (which I don't anticipate needing that much anyway). Thanks to this breakdown, I think the better thing to do would be to save $130 by getting the Wi-Fi only iPad 2 and switching to AT&T's Data Pro plan as 4GB should give me more than ample head room for 3G data traffic, tethering only when necessary (which, again, won't be very often). I never liked the idea of needing multiple accounts with AT&T anyway.



    I know some here would say jailbreaking would be an even better (i.e., cheaper) option, but you're braver souls than me. I don't want to jailbreak my iPhone.
  • Reply 16 of 41
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    In my view, both plans stink and aren't worth it. I'll just be getting the Wifi iPad, as I plan to mostly use it at home. Even if I travel somewhere, Wifi is found in plenty of places, including in many hotels and other places where I might be.
  • Reply 17 of 41
    macrrmacrr Posts: 488member
    Those international rates are so obscene...





    $15K+ for a GB of data?



    Oh yea- electrons crossing a border.. mm hmm. totally justified. You know- because there are magical portal devices that burn unicorn poop for power to facilitate the transport of these AMAZING Kbs...



    what a fucking joke.
  • Reply 18 of 41
    Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what wireless security protocol the Personal Hotspot feature uses?
  • Reply 19 of 41
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacRR View Post


    Those international rates are so obscene...





    $15K+ for a GB of data?



    Oh yea- electrons crossing a border.. mm hmm. totally justified. You know- because there are magical portal devices that burn unicorn poop for power to facilitate the transport of these AMAZING Kbs...



    what a fucking joke.



    When I was in England using a Vodafone prepaid SIM (or it might have been Ireland the next week on O2), I put 5 pounds on it and was told it cost 1 per day for an amount of data they didn't know. They couldnt tell me what happened when I went over the number either. So I bought it and figured oh well, I'll figure it out later.



    I got through about 18 hours before the internet mysteriously stopped working. Turned out the limit was 200 MB, and after that the data was being charged at 10p per kb. Needless to say, the first 200,000 kb for 1 pound seemed like a better deal than the last 40, which cost me 4 pound.



    Stop acting like ATT is the only cell provider that charges ridiculous amounts for things.
  • Reply 20 of 41
    bagmanbagman Posts: 349member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacRR View Post


    Those international rates are so obscene...





    $15K+ for a GB of data?



    Oh yea- electrons crossing a border.. mm hmm. totally justified. You know- because there are magical portal devices that burn unicorn poop for power.



    Wow, what does Unicorn Poop even look like (I'm guessing white, which is why Jobs has had so much trouble getting enough for the mystical iphone).



    Actually, it sounds like the name of a band.
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