AT&T shared data plans launch late August, start at $45 per smartphone

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  • Reply 101 of 164

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


     


    Actually, $50/month would be a quite reasonable price. The carriers would still make piles of money, but the charges to consumers would be much less onerous. And they'd still have plenty of money to upgrade their networks, and ought to be mandated to do so if they want to keep their spectrum licenses. Instead, the carriers are allowed to follow a strategy where they build the minimal network they can get away with and control traffic on it by making it prohibitively costly to deploy new technologies. This doesn't serve the public interest. It inhibits innovation and progress. It prevents new services from even coming to market. The wireless carriers in this country have become the obstacle to progress, not the pathway to it as intended when they received their spectrum licenses.



     


    How do you figure that $50/month is enough income for the carriers?


     


    I am not privy to their costs of doing business, but I do not see how they could give you unlimited data, unlimited text, and unlimited voice for $50 a month and still make a profit, especially when they are subsidizing the cost of the phone on top of that. I could see a cheaper plan if you pay for your phone outright, but there is no way that this is reasonable for the carrier.

  • Reply 102 of 164
    realisticrealistic Posts: 1,154member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Harbinger View Post


    Imagine if Apple, Google, Microsoft and Facebook got together to build free WiFi networks across major cities around the world.  With Skype or some other VoIP service, we will no longer have to pay exorbitant fees to carriers for voice, text or anything else.  I know Google tried this before and gave up.  But the landscape is different now, as smartphones are true computers. 


     


    Cities can share some of the annual network support costs.  All of these companies have something to gain by doing this.  In fact, I bet the ROI is well worth it.  For sure, the disruptive impact on the mobile industry would be permanent.



    How could the ROI possibly be worthwhile for Apple, Google, Microsoft and Facebook since every other vendor like Samsung, HTC, RIM, Yahoo, Dell, HP, MySpace, LinkedIn etc. etc. etc. would reap the benefits as well, all without investing a dime.


     


    My bad, I forgot your original premise. Someone has to pay for it which is ok, as long as it is not you.

  • Reply 103 of 164
    wovelwovel Posts: 956member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by commandercrash View Post


    So let me see if I have this right.  It costs $30 a month now to get 3GB worth of data on one phone.  So if say my brother and I both have a plan, we spend $60 total for data.  Plus roughly $40 each for voice.  


     


    Under this plan, I'm guessing we would still be spending roughly $40 a month for voice and then, to get the same amount of data we get now, it would cost us $160?  So that would be $100 premium to say that we share data? 



    Should buy a shared plan based on the data you both use.  Not buying 3GB plans because you both use more than 250MB. It is doubtful you really need a 6GB plan.. For the 4GB shared plan, 2 iPhones would cost you $150. For the 6GB plan it would be $160.  By your numbers you spend $140 today for 6GB of data nut you do not have unlimited voice or unlimited texts (on AT&T anyway).


     


    Not sure where you got the $100 premium from.  I think you got lost in the numbers.

  • Reply 104 of 164

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by DustinLH00 View Post


     


    Your comment makes no sense either. Apple is in the game to make a profit, just as AT&T is. These are not non-profit corporations. It costs Apple billions of dollars in R&D to design the best selling smartphone in the world. There is a cost to that. I know iFixIt does a tear down and shows the cost of the parts is way less than $600, but that does not take into account the labor to assemble the phone, the cost of the infrastructure to run a just in time inventory system, the research and development that goes into the device, the support network to maintain the device once it is sold, etc...



    Oh I totally agree.  I meant that tongue-in-cheek.  :)


     


    I just find it amusing that some people who buy the most expensive phone/tablet/notebook out there turn around and complain about other companies making money as well.

  • Reply 105 of 164
    wovelwovel Posts: 956member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AgNuke1707 View Post


    My wife and I are on a FamilyTalk 700 plan with 2 iPhones (1 Unlimited and 1 2GB plan) and unlimited texting with unlimited M2M.  It costs us $175 / month after taxes and fees.  People value simplicity and are willing to pay a premium for it - all of these new plans that AT&T has introduced in the 5 years since the iPhone has been around have made the landscape amazingly complicated.  Here's my pipe dream:


     


    ALL PLANS INCLUDE:


    Unlimited voice


    Unlimited text


    Tethering


     


    DUMBPHONES:


    $15 / mo. / line


    Data billed out by KB usage (something like $0.001 / KB, which works out to a little over $1 / MB)


     


    SMARTPHONES:


    $15 / mo. / line


    Required data plan (Data shared among all devices)


    $15 / GB for GB 1 - 9 (everyone must buy at least 1 GB)


    $20 / GB for GB 10 - 15


    $30 / GB for GB 16+


    Everyone pays for what they use.  No overages and if you use a shit ton of data, then you'll pay a shit ton of money for it...


     


    OTHER DEVICES USING CELLULAR NETWORK DATA (MiFi, Laptops, Tablets, etc...)


    $15 / mo. / device


    * Yes, yes ... I know that you're basically paying to use data you've already purchased, but I see this as mainly an overhead charge for the device being registered on and using the network...


     


    In this dream, if I have 2 iPhones, an iPad, and want to share 5 GB, I'm going to pay $30 + $15*5 + $15 = $120 + Taxes / Fees


    If I have 4 iPhones, 2 iPads, and a Dumbphone with 10 GB , I'm going to pay: $60 + ($15*9 + $20*1) + $30 + DP Data = $245 + DP Data + Taxes / Fees


    If I have 1 iPhone, 1 iPad and use 40 GB, I'm going to pay $15 + ($15*9 + $20*6 + $30*25) + $15 = $1035 + Taxes / Fees


     


    Look how simple that was AT&T! Imagine how happy you could make your customers if you only charged them for what they used!!! Prorating the GB would be nice, but let's not go too crazy here helping your customers. If you really want to cut down on people clogging the network, then bitch slap their wallets when they do that! The last example may have been extreme. I hardly use 40 GB a month on my cable internet, but it shows that people who use excessively should pay for it.  If you did this, you would freaking OWN the US cellular market.  Some people might end up paying more and being pissy, but if they want to use 40 GB in a month, let them bail and clog someone else's data lines...



    You arbitrarily lowered AT&Ts prices and came up with a strictly per GB plan.  I like the per GB idea but your structure where each GB costs more than the one before it is silly.  You have the model upside-down.  Otherwise your plan is what they offered today.  It is infinitely simpler than any previous plans they had.

  • Reply 106 of 164
    wovelwovel Posts: 956member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by RBR View Post




    I can't believe that anyone is still believing the 'data hog' nonsense that AT&T pumps out.



    What basis do you have to dispute it?  I owned a regional ISP for 5 years and have consulted for UUNet (later MWAN), US West (Quest), SBC, AT&T, and a whole list of regional ISPs.  Data hogs are very real and very difficult to manage.  What would you call it when less than 1% of your customers are using more than 50% of your resources (for many carriers the gap is actually a lot bigger than that).


     


    Anyone who has managed a network with a reasonable number of users (lets say 2000+) can confirm the same situation.  

  • Reply 107 of 164
    wovelwovel Posts: 956member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Andysol View Post


     


    Exactly- complaining because it's not better is dumb.  It'll be better for some, great.  Not for others- don't change.  Geez.


     


     


     


    My wife and I are on our company, but this will help my dad and mom who just got iPhones:


    $60 700 Minutes


    $10 Additional Line


    $15 200mb Data iPhone 1


    $15 200mb Data iPhone 2


    $30 Unlimited Texting


    ----------------------------------


    $130


     


    For for the same $130- it gets them 1gb instead of 600mb, Unlimited Talk instead of 700 minutes, and Tethering.


     


    Yay for them.


     


     


     




     


    What is wrong with what I just wrote?



    It is actually better than that for people who use just a little more data and take the time to review their usage history and figure out what they need.  Better still for iPad users. I am not normally an AT&T fan, but this is a nice change.

  • Reply 108 of 164


    well not sure how old your son is (maybe he's watching porn?? jjk-- lol - but if he is in fact watching ANY movies or youtube videos online or has anything like a online game then just switches to say a call or texting the VIDEO/MEDIA app is still running in the background I know this because i got my mom an iphone for her birthday last year and she's sharing her plan with me on a family plan and I couldn't figure out what a 70 year old could be doing using all that data per month and when i checked her phone she was logged into to youtube and telenovela websites and watching videos but not quitting the apps .. you need to show your son how to force quit the apps i.e.; just double click/tap the home button and when you see the bottom dock of apps appear just press and hold each one until it wiggles to "Force Quit" them- this is not the same as removing them from the home screen it is only quitting the app from it staying open so you can safely press the 'x' in the upper corner of each app on the dock at the bottom of the iphone same thing goes for iPads.. i hope this helps you out some,,, good luck man.


     


    BITZANDBITEZ

  • Reply 109 of 164

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Freshmaker View Post


    Oh I totally agree.  I meant that tongue-in-cheek.  :)


     


    I just find it amusing that some people who buy the most expensive phone/tablet/notebook out there turn around and complain about other companies making money as well.



     


    Oh, thank goodness! Lol.


     


    I agree. Plus you are asking AT&T to pay the other $400 for the phone. People on here are wanting to pay $50/month for unlimited text/data/voice and get the phone subsidized. AT&T would have to take your first 8 months of service and put that toward the phone cost and then try to make a profit from you with the remaining 12 months of service (or $600) at that price. Give me a break. Plus these same people want them to add more 4G coverage and add more towers and increase bandwith. With what money????

  • Reply 110 of 164

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Wovel View Post


    What basis do you have to dispute it?  I owned a regional ISP for 5 years and have consulted for UUNet (later MWAN), US West (Quest), SBC, AT&T, and a whole list of regional ISPs.  Data hogs are very real and very difficult to manage.  What would you call it when less than 1% of your customers are using more than 50% of your resources (for many carriers the gap is actually a lot bigger than that).


     


    Anyone who has managed a network with a reasonable number of users (lets say 2000+) can confirm the same situation.  



     


    Anyone that has had cable internet service in a neighborhood with a handful of data hogs knows what you are talking about. I could never get advertised speeds because of heavy traffic, especially on the weekends and holidays.

  • Reply 111 of 164
    realisticrealistic Posts: 1,154member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SailorPaul View Post


    I'd like to see a class action lawsuit on the following:  I have paid for the bits in my monthly data charge.  Those bits are paid for, my property, and are not subject to AT&T telling me how each bit can be used -- and these bits do not expire (roll-over data bucket).



    Good luck with finding a law firm to take on that class action lawsuit.




    Read AT&T's terms and conditions they can and do tell you what you can and cannot do.

  • Reply 112 of 164
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by DustinLH00 View Post


     


    Oh, thank goodness! Lol.


     


    I agree. Plus you are asking AT&T to pay the other $400 for the phone. People on here are wanting to pay $50/month for unlimited text/data/voice and get the phone subsidized. AT&T would have to take your first 8 months of service and put that toward the phone cost and then try to make a profit from you with the remaining 12 months of service (or $600) at that price. Give me a break. Plus these same people want them to add more 4G coverage and add more towers and increase bandwith. With what money????



    please, at&t is big enough to demand a discount from apple


     


    like any mature business expect a large chunk of your bill to go to advertising, especially on TV and new customers which are the penny for a nice android phone deals on amazon. 5 years ago existing customers would get the nice retention discounts, now its new customers. its almost like cereal, do you really think it costs anywhere close to $5 to make that 1 pound box of fried corn and fake sugar?. its pennies. i even noticed that the organic cereal at whole foods is about the same price as the crappy sugar artificial crap everywhere else. Why? because Natures path rarely advertises unlike the others who spend money for TV ads to convince you to buy their fried cheap grain with HFCS

  • Reply 113 of 164
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by DustinLH00 View Post


     


    How do you figure that $50/month is enough income for the carriers?


     


    I am not privy to their costs of doing business, but I do not see how they could give you unlimited data, unlimited text, and unlimited voice for $50 a month and still make a profit, especially when they are subsidizing the cost of the phone on top of that. I could see a cheaper plan if you pay for your phone outright, but there is no way that this is reasonable for the carrier.



     


    If you aren't privy to their costs, how do you figure it isn't enough?


     


    AT&T's Q1 2012 profits were ~$3.6 billion. Verizon's Q1 2012 profits were ~$3.9 billion. They are operating on publicly owned radio spectrum, given to them to use for the public good. I think they could charge $50/month and continue to operate at a healthy profit, even while building out the networks to support consumer demand.


     


    The only reason they are charging the rates they do is because there is no real competition in wireless in this country, and the FCC, FTC and DoJ turn a blind eye.

  • Reply 114 of 164


    Hmm.. There's no real reason to switch to this. For me


     


    current plan: 


    5GB plan with tethering 50$


    450 minutes with unlimited mobile-mobile, 5K nights weekends - $39.99


    Unlimited Texting - 20$


     


    total 109.99


     


     


    Shared data plans - 4GB - $70


    40$ smartphone fee 


     


    total 110


     


    It doesn't make sense to switch when you get less data, and don't use unlimited minutes. 

  • Reply 115 of 164

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    please, at&t is big enough to demand a discount from apple


     


    like any mature business expect a large chunk of your bill to go to advertising, especially on TV and new customers which are the penny for a nice android phone deals on amazon. 5 years ago existing customers would get the nice retention discounts, now its new customers. its almost like cereal, do you really think it costs anywhere close to $5 to make that 1 pound box of fried corn and fake sugar?. its pennies. i even noticed that the organic cereal at whole foods is about the same price as the crappy sugar artificial crap everywhere else. Why? because Natures path rarely advertises unlike the others who spend money for TV ads to convince you to buy their fried cheap grain with HFCS



     


    Nobody gets a discount from Apple, why do you think AT&T could?

  • Reply 116 of 164

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


     


    If you aren't privy to their costs, how do you figure it isn't enough?


     


    AT&T's Q1 2012 profits were ~$3.6 billion. Verizon's Q1 2012 profits were ~$3.9 billion. They are operating on publicly owned radio spectrum, given to them to use for the public good. I think they could charge $50/month and continue to operate at a healthy profit, even while building out the networks to support consumer demand.


     


    The only reason they are charging the rates they do is because there is no real competition in wireless in this country, and the FCC, FTC and DoJ turn a blind eye.



     


    You are asking them to cut the rate that they charge in half (at least). Why should they have to go from $3.6 billion to $1.8 billion? On another post I explained the subsidization as well. At $50 a month, the first 8 months of your service would go directly to Apple (or other phone manufacturer). Then they only have 12 months to get money from you ($600) to apply toward the cost of providing you service, retail overhead, customer service, expanding their network, etc...before you upgrade your phone and they lose another 8 months of income.


     


    Apple made $11.62 billion last quarter, over 3 times more than AT&T. I don't see you jumping on them for greed.

  • Reply 117 of 164
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by boojoo007 View Post


    I am assuming if I have an iPad Wifi, I could use this plan using the HOTSPOT plan, 


    however if i have an iPAD 3G, then Id need the tablet plan. Correct?


     


    anyone?



     


    All iPads have Wi-Fi.

  • Reply 118 of 164
    filburtfilburt Posts: 398member


    AT&T and Verizon realize that days of milking money out of voice and messaging plans are coming to an end. So mandating unlimited voice and messaging is in their (and shareholders') interests.


     


    In retrospect, we have been paying much higher fee for voice and messaging than data. Voice calls over 3G consumes less than 40MB per hour ($39.99 450-minute = 300 MB) and text message consumes next to nothing. So one may argue $40 for 1 GB is actually reasonable in comparison. In time, I wouldn't be surprised if voice and messaging are rolled into data consumption altogether. $30-45 per iPhone, on the other hand, is a major rip off.

  • Reply 119 of 164
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Care to be a bit more helpful, and summarize what you learnt from visiting the site?



     


    Actually I learnt nothing. It just confirmed what I already knew and surmised from the AI abridged version.


     


    I do believe however, that the for many here, reading the FAQs and the comparison charts could have helped clarify some of the confusion, but unfortunately not everyone.


     


    P.S. I forgot the link to the AT&T Data Calculator. Base of the estimates for our family and comparing them with our last 6 month invoices, it looks like I will be able to move down a notch.  

  • Reply 120 of 164


    I say there's no reason to switch, but then again, if you must have unlimited calling to POTS phones, this could work out in favor for a few individuals. 

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