A lot of people are paying for 2GB but using 200MB. If they allow tethering for free, more people will use what they are already paying for, further straining the network. It's BS, but that's one reason. The main reason is because they can.
That?s all true, but there are different ways to snare a customer. Some of them yield higher profits whilst making the customer think you?re doing them a favor.
For instance, those overdraft protection options for credit cards that let you exceed your card limit, but charge you a pretty steep convenience fee for the privilege of not being embarrassed by your card not going through.
If I were running AT&T I would offer free tethering to al customers that have metered plans for no additional fee. Those that have 200MB plans could easily exceed that a little tethering, thus allowing me to get the 2GB rate from them for a month. Many will likely move to the 2GB plan to avoid any surprises.
Others that have 2GB plans will surely exceed that limit and be charged an additional $10 per 1GB. WebKit?s Web Inspector says that the Wall Street Journal?s home page is 3.4MB with Flash enabled.
That?s all true, but there are different ways to snare a customer. Some of them yield higher profits whilst making the customer think you?re doing them a favor.
For instance, those overdraft protection options for credit cards that let you exceed your card limit, but charge you a pretty steep convenience fee for the privilege of not being embarrassed by your card not going through.
If I were running AT&T I would offer free tethering to al customers that have metered plans for no additional fee. Those that have 200MB plans could easily exceed that a little tethering, thus allowing me to get the 2GB rate from them for a month. Many will likely move to the 2GB plan to avoid any surprises.
Others that have 2GB plans will surely exceed that limit and be charged an additional $10 per 1GB. WebKit?s Web Inspector says that the Wall Street Journal?s home page is 3.4MB with Flash enabled.
I agree. And I would run it that way. In fact, it fits with their MO (charge $39.99 for 450 minutes and 45¢ for each additional minute).
AT&T treated their customers as though they had no choice, because if they wanted an iPhone, they didn't, and AT&T knew it. Now that customers have a choice, they all of a sudden want to provide better services.
The way I see it, a company has an opportunity to show they want my business, before and after the sale. But, when they only show they want my business when it comes down to losing me as a customer, I take offense to that.
I don't think Verizon is necessarily better than AT&T in this respect. I am not planning to reward Verizon for anything. I have never been a Verizon customer, so that's not the point. Everything is not within my control. However, letting AT&T know how I feel *IS* within my control. My alternative is to stay with AT&T and that's no different than saying, "OK AT&T, treat me however you want to treat me. I'm helpless and I don't care." Sorry. But, I do care. And, I plan to show it with my 3 iPhone plans that I pay for.
I'll play devil's advocate. Perhaps the millions of people that willingly signed a 2-year contract with the terms clearly expressed prompted ATT to believe they were providing world-class service to you. When more competition came and surveys came out showing not that high of a percentage of customers really wanted to switch carriers, ATT still thought they were doing a good job, providing you great service. Then when iPhone debuted on Verizon and they sold out pre-orders in a couple wee hours of the morn on a weekday, they realized they may need to offer even more to get people already on Verizon to switch to them and in turn give even more to it's existing customers to make you remember who wants to keep you as a customer. I guess what they call a new incentive, you call an old offense.
10 bucks for 4 gigs a month seems fair enough. I'd never use it though.
Except that it is really $35 a month for 4gigs.
Frankly I don't see a reason why it should matter how you are tethered, so turn the feature on already and don't give Verizon a point to one up with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Logisticaldron
That I agree with wholeheartedly. The regulators seem to focus on shiny objects in the media, not the real issues. I think SMS is a huge issue, but what I can do because not use it?
Forgot optional things like SMS. What about unfair ETF prorating amounts and monthly fees. Those hit everyone and you can't just not use it. Carriers justify contracts and ETFs saying they fronted part of the equipment cost for you. So every month you are parting a little off yes. But $400/24 is more like $15 a month, not the $10 they knock off. You quit halfway through and the balance should be $200. But it is not, it's $280. And if you are still around after your two years or bring in a full price phone you are charged the same monthly as someone with a subsidy to pay back.
What is anyone doing about that. Nada.
Quote:
Originally Posted by some internet dude
It sucks that iPhoners have to pay for tethering, in Android its built in to the OS and its free. You just turn it on and your surfing from your laptop. Can't do that on AT&T, and on Verizon you can't surf and talk at the same time. No wonder Android is number 1 in the world.
Yes but it has nothing to do with the actual phone. Jail breakers have proven that the iPhone can wifi tether for awhile. ATT didn't want folks doing it, especially when there were unlimited plans. Since they wouldn't support it there was no point in having it active just to taunt folks
If you subscribe to tethering, you pay $25 for 2GB to use on the iPhone and $20 for 2GB for iPad. For some months if you don't use iPad you still pay $20 extra. Worse of all, if you exceeded $2GB on your iPhone you pay another $25 for a total of $70 for data just over 2GB.
Is tethering available only for 2GB data plan? How about the 200MB data plan?
Tethering is really a device thing. It is not technically right for the carriers to charge the users.
If you subscribe to tethering, you pay $25 for 2GB to use on the iPhone and $20 for 2GB for iPad. For some months if you don't use iPad you still pay $20 extra. Worse of all, if you exceeded $2GB on your iPhone you pay another $25 for a total of $70 for data just over 2GB.
Is tethering available only for 2GB data plan? How about the 200MB data plan?
Tethering is really a device thing. It is not technically right for the carriers to charge the users.
instead of complaining about it on AI, you should call or write your congressmen and let them know you are concerned about these practices. that's what i would do.
If you subscribe to tethering, you pay $25 for 2GB to use on the iPhone and $20 for 2GB for iPad. For some months if you don't use iPad you still pay $20 extra. Worse of all, if you exceeded $2GB on your iPhone you pay another $25 for a total of $70 for data just over 2GB.
Is tethering available only for 2GB data plan? How about the 200MB data plan?
Tethering is really a device thing. It is not technically right for the carriers to charge the users.
I am not aware of the technical challenges with tethering, but I agree. Don't treat it like an add on feature and then also charge for the data used for tethering.
Pricing on the tethering has little to do with gouging their customers, although I am sure ATT isn't going to turn any profits away to charity. They are pricing the tethering and excluding legacy unlimited plans from the tethering option in order to protect their weak link network. If they allowed people to tether unlimited or without the price premium their network would crumble. Even the occasional data user would begin to use their data service and every day on the ATT network would be like trying to register a new iPhone on release day. Massive network overload. They don't have the bandwidth to deal with the increased drain.
With the new pricing they can claim to offer tethering and be competitive on a marketing brochure with Verizon/ Sprint... whoever, but in reality they know that their price structure will prohibit the occasional user from justifying the extra cash outlay.
It's all about looking good on paper than actually being good. Welcome to the wonderful world of Wall street fluff where looking good is much more important than being good.
AT&T has reportedly provisioned the new Personal Hotspot WiFi sharing feature of iOS 4.3 beta 3 for a developer, indicating it will follow Verizon's lead in offering the feature to its subscribers.
Apple added the Personal Hotspot feature in iOS 4.2.6, a build that only runs on the Verizon iPhone 4. It takes advantage of a feature Verizon has long offered that enables multiple WiFi clients to share a phone's mobile 3G connection.
AT&T hasn't committed to supporting the new feature yet, but is expected to in the face of the competitive threat issued by Verizon. Other carriers can choose whether they will support the OS feature.
The individual reporting AT&T's acquiescence in provisioning the feature on his phone running the developer build says the carrier agreed "after I mentioned Verizon a few times."
AT&T similarly balked for months before finally supporting the MMS and Bluetooth tethering features Apple added to iOS 3.0, but could hold up support for those features because it lacked any direct competition in the US. Personal Hotspot is Wi-Fi tethering.
Activating the feature is subject to additional fees. Verizon charges an extra $20 per month for WiFi tethering, and AT&T is expected to offer similar plans
Sorry, I do not understand your meaning, I just start to learn it, Can you explain it more clearly?
Comments
A lot of people are paying for 2GB but using 200MB. If they allow tethering for free, more people will use what they are already paying for, further straining the network. It's BS, but that's one reason. The main reason is because they can.
That?s all true, but there are different ways to snare a customer. Some of them yield higher profits whilst making the customer think you?re doing them a favor.
For instance, those overdraft protection options for credit cards that let you exceed your card limit, but charge you a pretty steep convenience fee for the privilege of not being embarrassed by your card not going through.
If I were running AT&T I would offer free tethering to al customers that have metered plans for no additional fee. Those that have 200MB plans could easily exceed that a little tethering, thus allowing me to get the 2GB rate from them for a month. Many will likely move to the 2GB plan to avoid any surprises.
Others that have 2GB plans will surely exceed that limit and be charged an additional $10 per 1GB. WebKit?s Web Inspector says that the Wall Street Journal?s home page is 3.4MB with Flash enabled.
That?s all true, but there are different ways to snare a customer. Some of them yield higher profits whilst making the customer think you?re doing them a favor.
For instance, those overdraft protection options for credit cards that let you exceed your card limit, but charge you a pretty steep convenience fee for the privilege of not being embarrassed by your card not going through.
If I were running AT&T I would offer free tethering to al customers that have metered plans for no additional fee. Those that have 200MB plans could easily exceed that a little tethering, thus allowing me to get the 2GB rate from them for a month. Many will likely move to the 2GB plan to avoid any surprises.
Others that have 2GB plans will surely exceed that limit and be charged an additional $10 per 1GB. WebKit?s Web Inspector says that the Wall Street Journal?s home page is 3.4MB with Flash enabled.
I agree. And I would run it that way. In fact, it fits with their MO (charge $39.99 for 450 minutes and 45¢ for each additional minute).
AT&T treated their customers as though they had no choice, because if they wanted an iPhone, they didn't, and AT&T knew it. Now that customers have a choice, they all of a sudden want to provide better services.
The way I see it, a company has an opportunity to show they want my business, before and after the sale. But, when they only show they want my business when it comes down to losing me as a customer, I take offense to that.
I don't think Verizon is necessarily better than AT&T in this respect. I am not planning to reward Verizon for anything. I have never been a Verizon customer, so that's not the point. Everything is not within my control. However, letting AT&T know how I feel *IS* within my control. My alternative is to stay with AT&T and that's no different than saying, "OK AT&T, treat me however you want to treat me. I'm helpless and I don't care." Sorry. But, I do care. And, I plan to show it with my 3 iPhone plans that I pay for.
I'll play devil's advocate. Perhaps the millions of people that willingly signed a 2-year contract with the terms clearly expressed prompted ATT to believe they were providing world-class service to you. When more competition came and surveys came out showing not that high of a percentage of customers really wanted to switch carriers, ATT still thought they were doing a good job, providing you great service. Then when iPhone debuted on Verizon and they sold out pre-orders in a couple wee hours of the morn on a weekday, they realized they may need to offer even more to get people already on Verizon to switch to them and in turn give even more to it's existing customers to make you remember who wants to keep you as a customer. I guess what they call a new incentive, you call an old offense.
The benefits of competition!
This is nothing new. I was using my Nokia phone to do this a few years ago to tether my iPhone.
10 bucks for 4 gigs a month seems fair enough. I'd never use it though.
Except that it is really $35 a month for 4gigs.
Frankly I don't see a reason why it should matter how you are tethered, so turn the feature on already and don't give Verizon a point to one up with.
That I agree with wholeheartedly. The regulators seem to focus on shiny objects in the media, not the real issues. I think SMS is a huge issue, but what I can do because not use it?
Forgot optional things like SMS. What about unfair ETF prorating amounts and monthly fees. Those hit everyone and you can't just not use it. Carriers justify contracts and ETFs saying they fronted part of the equipment cost for you. So every month you are parting a little off yes. But $400/24 is more like $15 a month, not the $10 they knock off. You quit halfway through and the balance should be $200. But it is not, it's $280. And if you are still around after your two years or bring in a full price phone you are charged the same monthly as someone with a subsidy to pay back.
What is anyone doing about that. Nada.
It sucks that iPhoners have to pay for tethering, in Android its built in to the OS and its free. You just turn it on and your surfing from your laptop. Can't do that on AT&T, and on Verizon you can't surf and talk at the same time. No wonder Android is number 1 in the world.
Yes but it has nothing to do with the actual phone. Jail breakers have proven that the iPhone can wifi tether for awhile. ATT didn't want folks doing it, especially when there were unlimited plans. Since they wouldn't support it there was no point in having it active just to taunt folks
Is tethering available only for 2GB data plan? How about the 200MB data plan?
Tethering is really a device thing. It is not technically right for the carriers to charge the users.
If you subscribe to tethering, you pay $25 for 2GB to use on the iPhone and $20 for 2GB for iPad. For some months if you don't use iPad you still pay $20 extra. Worse of all, if you exceeded $2GB on your iPhone you pay another $25 for a total of $70 for data just over 2GB.
Is tethering available only for 2GB data plan? How about the 200MB data plan?
Tethering is really a device thing. It is not technically right for the carriers to charge the users.
instead of complaining about it on AI, you should call or write your congressmen and let them know you are concerned about these practices. that's what i would do.
If you subscribe to tethering, you pay $25 for 2GB to use on the iPhone and $20 for 2GB for iPad. For some months if you don't use iPad you still pay $20 extra. Worse of all, if you exceeded $2GB on your iPhone you pay another $25 for a total of $70 for data just over 2GB.
Is tethering available only for 2GB data plan? How about the 200MB data plan?
Tethering is really a device thing. It is not technically right for the carriers to charge the users.
I am not aware of the technical challenges with tethering, but I agree. Don't treat it like an add on feature and then also charge for the data used for tethering.
With the new pricing they can claim to offer tethering and be competitive on a marketing brochure with Verizon/ Sprint... whoever, but in reality they know that their price structure will prohibit the occasional user from justifying the extra cash outlay.
It's all about looking good on paper than actually being good. Welcome to the wonderful world of Wall street fluff where looking good is much more important than being good.
AT&T has reportedly provisioned the new Personal Hotspot WiFi sharing feature of iOS 4.3 beta 3 for a developer, indicating it will follow Verizon's lead in offering the feature to its subscribers.
Apple added the Personal Hotspot feature in iOS 4.2.6, a build that only runs on the Verizon iPhone 4. It takes advantage of a feature Verizon has long offered that enables multiple WiFi clients to share a phone's mobile 3G connection.
AT&T hasn't committed to supporting the new feature yet, but is expected to in the face of the competitive threat issued by Verizon. Other carriers can choose whether they will support the OS feature.
The individual reporting AT&T's acquiescence in provisioning the feature on his phone running the developer build says the carrier agreed "after I mentioned Verizon a few times."
AT&T similarly balked for months before finally supporting the MMS and Bluetooth tethering features Apple added to iOS 3.0, but could hold up support for those features because it lacked any direct competition in the US. Personal Hotspot is Wi-Fi tethering.
Activating the feature is subject to additional fees. Verizon charges an extra $20 per month for WiFi tethering, and AT&T is expected to offer similar plans
Sorry, I do not understand your meaning, I just start to learn it, Can you explain it more clearly?