AT&T exec: iPhone data plans to be announced June 29th
AT&T plans to announce new service plans customized specifically for Apple's iPhone but will not make such details public until June 29 -- the same day the device is due to launch in the United States -- an executive for the wireless carrier told USA Today.
Larry Carter, senior vice president of sales for AT&T, confirmed that his firm has added 2,000 extra retail sales people for the launch -- half of which will be there just to help handle the expected early crush of buyers.
Not all stores equal
AT&T retail stores in areas with a larger numbers of iPod users -- such as New York City, Chicago and much of California -- will be receiving larger stockpiles than stores who don't fit that demographic, he added.
"Ultimately, we will meet every customer's desire to have one," Carter told the paper.
Should certain locations sell out, the exec said sales people will take mail orders from customers, and the iPhones will be shipped in 3 to 5 days. To discourage scalpers, the carrier also plans to limit how many phones each customer can buy, but has not said how many that will be.
New service plans
Meanwhile, Carter hinted that iPhone "may offer cool features such as unlimited Web browsing." However, customers should be prepared to pay extra for that luxury.
"Regardless of which device you're using today, you pay us a certain amount for (voice) minutes, and you also pay us for data units," he said. "That is also true on the iPhone."
Network quality
Over at AT&T's network division, AT&T network services president Richard Burns says his team has been spending a lot of time on "interface testing" -- making sure the iPhone and the AT&T wireless network work together seamlessly.
Over the last few months, he says, dozens of AT&T technicians have been secretly testing iPhones -- in bars, subway stops, office buildings, rural areas and elsewhere -- looking for technical hitches.
Burns added that AT&T has spent $50 million so far adding new network components in anticipation of the additional data traffic that iPhone users will generate.
"We wanted to be ready for the initial onslaught of people," he said.
Update: iLounge reports on comments from AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel, who says AT&T won't wait until the day of iPhone’s launch to disclose rate plans for the device.
"We will disclose before the 29th," he said, noting that customers will be able to show up at stores that day knowing how much they will be charged for both the Apple-developed hardware and AT&T’s cellular service plans. “It’s not going to be anything exotic," he added.
Larry Carter, senior vice president of sales for AT&T, confirmed that his firm has added 2,000 extra retail sales people for the launch -- half of which will be there just to help handle the expected early crush of buyers.
Not all stores equal
AT&T retail stores in areas with a larger numbers of iPod users -- such as New York City, Chicago and much of California -- will be receiving larger stockpiles than stores who don't fit that demographic, he added.
"Ultimately, we will meet every customer's desire to have one," Carter told the paper.
Should certain locations sell out, the exec said sales people will take mail orders from customers, and the iPhones will be shipped in 3 to 5 days. To discourage scalpers, the carrier also plans to limit how many phones each customer can buy, but has not said how many that will be.
New service plans
Meanwhile, Carter hinted that iPhone "may offer cool features such as unlimited Web browsing." However, customers should be prepared to pay extra for that luxury.
"Regardless of which device you're using today, you pay us a certain amount for (voice) minutes, and you also pay us for data units," he said. "That is also true on the iPhone."
Network quality
Over at AT&T's network division, AT&T network services president Richard Burns says his team has been spending a lot of time on "interface testing" -- making sure the iPhone and the AT&T wireless network work together seamlessly.
Over the last few months, he says, dozens of AT&T technicians have been secretly testing iPhones -- in bars, subway stops, office buildings, rural areas and elsewhere -- looking for technical hitches.
Burns added that AT&T has spent $50 million so far adding new network components in anticipation of the additional data traffic that iPhone users will generate.
"We wanted to be ready for the initial onslaught of people," he said.
Update: iLounge reports on comments from AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel, who says AT&T won't wait until the day of iPhone’s launch to disclose rate plans for the device.
"We will disclose before the 29th," he said, noting that customers will be able to show up at stores that day knowing how much they will be charged for both the Apple-developed hardware and AT&T’s cellular service plans. “It’s not going to be anything exotic," he added.
Comments
Prepare to be raped.
How can you be raped if its entirely your choice. Buy it/Don't buy it.
The huge majority on these boards already think the iPhone is overpriced. You're implying the plans will be too. IF that all is true it will fall on its face.
OTOH, if there is a real unmet need out there for a usable phone with 'just the right' feature set that is accessible to a much wider audience, then it won't.
Simple as that. No rape involved.
Voice-Unlimited night/weekend 1000 minute voice, unlimited internet
Ajhill $69
Abster2core $66
Addabox $79, at the lowest, no more than $99
P.S. Anybody want to join in, simply select and copy above to your reply, Delete quote before pasting. Paste and then add your prediction to the list.
P.P.S Price comparisons vs iPhone: http://www.bayareanewsgroup.com/mult...comparison.pdf
I think it's really fishy that they don't want to announce pricing for plans until the 29th. The pessimist in me thinks it's going to be more expensive than unlimited data is now. ($20 or $40, depending on when you signed up and which plan the rep coaxed you into.) I've been paying $20 a month for years now on my various Treos. I fully expected to be forced into $40 for iPhone. If it's more than that, they really are taking advantage of people, especially since I'll most likely be on WiFi 70% of the time.
The optimist in me wants to believe that the price will be slightly cheaper for data, and they are holding that info back for two reasons: To keep charging more to customers who buy other phones in the next week, and to keep what is already going to be overwhelming demand from becoming complete hysteria when they run out of phones in an hour.
No matter what, I expect to pay at least $100 a month, with taxes, etc. when all is said and done. I pay $85 a month now, and that's a really old plan I've been grandfathered into for several years.
700 nationwide minutes (no roaming wherever I am in the US)
Nights and Weekends free
Unlimited Data
1500 Text messages
$99/month for 450 voice minutes w/ unlimited data + 1500 text messages
$119 for 900 minutes w/ unlimited data + 1500 text messages
$159 for 2000 minutes w/ unlimited data + unlimited text messages
The thing I'm worried about with the data plans, will be the non-unlimited plans and the crazy cost of going over your given amount. If need to have some type of way to check to see how much data you've used. And going to Cingular's website to see isn't a option, because it's only updated every two or three days.
How can you be raped if its entirely your choice. Buy it/Don't buy it.
The huge majority on these boards already think the iPhone is overpriced. You're implying the plans will be too. IF that all is true it will fall on its face.
OTOH, if there is a real unmet need out there for a usable phone with 'just the right' feature set that is accessible to a much wider audience, then it won't.
Simple as that. No rape involved.
Based on their current voice / data plan costs, I'm going to say:
$99/month for 450 voice minutes w/ unlimited data + 1500 text messages
Ajhill $69
Abster2core $66
Addabox $79, at the lowest, no more than $99
Hobbes - 1000 min voice (unlimited night/weekend) + limited data plan $79, + unlimited data plan $99
Eitherway I'm going to be getting the iPhone, not right away but sometime after my current contract ends.
-Matt
Ajhill - $69
Abster2core - $66
Addabox - $79, at the lowest, no more than $99
Hobbes - 1000 min voice (unlimited night/weekend) + limited data plan $79, + unlimited data plan $99[
Kavik - $99/month for 450 voice minutes w/ unlimited data + 1500 text messages
If we're really looking at $100/month for this thing (and it's only EDGE instead of the 3G speeds I'm enjoying now), I'm out. As far as I'm concerned, that's highway robbery.
So... more for the rest of you!
seriously, the plan could crush the potential for this phone, i hope they didn't over estimate the desire for this phone and ruin it completely by charging insane amounts for the plans
I should hope 450 minutes doesn't cost $99 bucks! That's a bit steep since I am paying like $90 for 400 text messages, no internet, 750 minutes/unlimited nights and weekends and nights start at 7:00. I'd like to just keep my current plan and have the WiFi internet on the side for free
P.P.S Price comparisons vs iPhone: http://www.bayareanewsgroup.com/mult...comparison.pdf
That pretty much puts the "overpriced" complaint to bed.
None of those phones has the capability of the iPhone.
I can personally vouch for Cingular's beefing up the EDGE network over the last few months. I regularly get 150-190 kbit/sec on my Treo now, whereas I hardly ever got more than 100k six months ago. This is in San Francisco (and on a recent trip to Oregon).
That's pretty good... for real-world EDGE performance.
If performance is like that in most places, perhaps the complaints about slow web-browsing will be fewer than anticipated. Hope so, for Apple's sake.
I think it's really fishy that they don't want to announce pricing for plans until the 29th. The pessimist in me thinks it's going to be more expensive than unlimited data is now. ($20 or $40, depending on when you signed up and which plan the rep coaxed you into.)
Yeah, its not good. Why wouldn't you at least post prices the day before, so that even the first day, 'camp overnight' nutjobs can rationally evaluate the plans?
Oh wait... they're going to buy it no matter what anyway, even if the plans fleece them. Nevermind.
.
This makes me think 2 things...
1. The plans for unlimited data are going to be insanely expensive. This is so people don't have time to think about their 2 year contract pricing and just buy it not thinking they have to pay $50 extra a month for 2 years.
2. The plans for unlimited data are going to be cheap ($20). This doesn't give other carriers to roll out competitive data plans to attract customers who would be interested in buying something other than the iPhone.
I'm hoping for option 2, but my guess is unlimited data isn't going to be cheap on the iPhone considering it's the "real" internet which means people are going to be using a TON of data.
I'm in the prepared to be raped category.
Wow. I'm currently paying $45 to Sprint for my plan, which breaks down to $30 for 200 anytime talk minutes (unlimited nights & weekends), and $15 for unlimited data access on Sprint's EVDO network. I'm obviously not someone who has my phone glued to my ear all day - most of the calls I do make are nights/weekends so this plan works great for me.
If we're really looking at $100/month for this thing (and it's only EDGE instead of the 3G speeds I'm enjoying now), I'm out. As far as I'm concerned, that's highway robbery.
So... more for the rest of you!
Yeah.
My Sprint account is $100 for 2,000 minutes, as well as for the unlimited nights and weekends. As far as I'm concerned, that's as close to unlimited as I could need.
But, on that plan, I also get a second phone and user account, plus the $15 EVDO, unlimited network, as you do. I also get a third phone with the unlimited EVDO for my daughter for $35 additional, on the same minutes plan.
This includes free Tv, etc., on those phones capable of seeing it.
That seems more than fair to me.
Sprint's network speeds are pretty good on my Treo 700p, and my daughters phone, though my wife doesn't use that much.
I'm hoping that ATT's account will be similar, if I'm going to switch sometime next year.
$100/month