AT&T quietly offers unlimited data to potential Verizon iPhone switchers
AT&T is reportedly offering some customers unlimited iPhone data plans in an attempt to keep them from defecting to rival carrier Verizon, where Apple's handset will launch on Feb. 10.
According to The Associated Press, AT&T is employing an "unadvertised loophole" in an effort to retain some subscribers who contact customer service. The carrier is said to be quietly offering the option to customers who had a previous version of the iPhone prior to June 2010, when the carrier offered an unlimited data plan for $30.
Though AT&T wouldn't confirm the option, the report cited a resident of Brentwood, N.Y., who said he and a friend were switched back to an unlimited plan after they contacted the carrier's customer service and threatened to swtich. Both subscribers are iPhone 4 users who owned a previous version of the iPhone with an unlimited plan.
AT&T introduced tiered data plans with lower pricing in June 2010. New customers can receive 2GB of data for $25 per month, or 200MB for $15 per month.
Customers who signed a contract for $30-per-month unlimited 3G data prior to last June can keep the plan until their two-year contract expires. Those customers have been able to keep their unlimited plan when upgrading, but the ability to switch back to unlimited, after choosing tiered, has apparently been secret.
Claims that AT&T is offering some customers an unlimited option come as the iPhone 4 is just weeks away from going on sale for Verizon customers. This week, the carrier revealed it would offer unlimited data for iPhone customers for $30 per month.
Verizon Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam said Verizon hopes its unlimited offering will help the carrier attract more customers away from AT&T. He said canceling the company's unlimited plan would create a barrier for customers who might otherwise switch.
"I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot," McAdam said on Tuesday.
But Verizon's unlimited data plan will only be available for a limited time, as the carrier has indicated it intends to move to a tiered structure with caps on monthly data use, much like AT&T did last June. Verizon has not indicated when it will adopt tiered plans, but the company has expressed interest in making the change in the near future.
When AT&T capped its plans last year, the carrier noted that 65 percent of its smartphone customers use less than 200MB of data per month, and 98 percent use less than 2GB per month. To soften the blow, the tiered structure came with lower prices, as AT&T now charges $5 less per month for its high-end 2GB plan than it did for its unlimited plan.
According to The Associated Press, AT&T is employing an "unadvertised loophole" in an effort to retain some subscribers who contact customer service. The carrier is said to be quietly offering the option to customers who had a previous version of the iPhone prior to June 2010, when the carrier offered an unlimited data plan for $30.
Though AT&T wouldn't confirm the option, the report cited a resident of Brentwood, N.Y., who said he and a friend were switched back to an unlimited plan after they contacted the carrier's customer service and threatened to swtich. Both subscribers are iPhone 4 users who owned a previous version of the iPhone with an unlimited plan.
AT&T introduced tiered data plans with lower pricing in June 2010. New customers can receive 2GB of data for $25 per month, or 200MB for $15 per month.
Customers who signed a contract for $30-per-month unlimited 3G data prior to last June can keep the plan until their two-year contract expires. Those customers have been able to keep their unlimited plan when upgrading, but the ability to switch back to unlimited, after choosing tiered, has apparently been secret.
Claims that AT&T is offering some customers an unlimited option come as the iPhone 4 is just weeks away from going on sale for Verizon customers. This week, the carrier revealed it would offer unlimited data for iPhone customers for $30 per month.
Verizon Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam said Verizon hopes its unlimited offering will help the carrier attract more customers away from AT&T. He said canceling the company's unlimited plan would create a barrier for customers who might otherwise switch.
"I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot," McAdam said on Tuesday.
But Verizon's unlimited data plan will only be available for a limited time, as the carrier has indicated it intends to move to a tiered structure with caps on monthly data use, much like AT&T did last June. Verizon has not indicated when it will adopt tiered plans, but the company has expressed interest in making the change in the near future.
When AT&T capped its plans last year, the carrier noted that 65 percent of its smartphone customers use less than 200MB of data per month, and 98 percent use less than 2GB per month. To soften the blow, the tiered structure came with lower prices, as AT&T now charges $5 less per month for its high-end 2GB plan than it did for its unlimited plan.
Comments
If one is on a capped-plan, I'm all for it. Whatever device uses my allotment is irrelevant.
This will not happen on unlimited plans. It's unrealistic.
2GB for $20 Unlimited for $30 would compete real well. I can't wait til these two need to need to compete with each other, maybe not today, but if the iPhone is sold unlocked, I think the gloves would come off
Yeah hopefully competition will start to get these data plans in line. These data plan games are starting to get stupid.
I can understand wanting the hotspot feature as I think that would be really good. But to expect that feature on an unlimited plan is just pushing it. Unlimited data on an iPhone is not as bad as what kind of bandwidth a laptop can suck up with tethered. Everyone here knows that. That would bring a metropolitan area network down to its knees.
If one is on a capped-plan, I'm all for it. Whatever device uses my allotment is irrelevant.
This will not happen on unlimited plans. It's unrealistic.
As NasserAE notes Verizon has a clever solution for this. For the $20 tethering fee on devices with Unlimited plans you get 2GB of data specifically for tethering. I assume each additional 1GB is another $10.
Now the fun starts! Competition at last
YO BABY
we need a thread for best iphone deals
best approach to make the deal, face to face, manager, online rep ??????
also, can you get the deal for the plan THEN work best deal for the iphone itself????
someone told me its better to go online and talk the deal with a rep rather than face to face at att store
as i have said many times its the plan its the plan
if walmart on vz network can offer unlimited text, voice, data no fees $45
then vz and att can do 50-55, less than 60 month unlimited data and as a bonus 10 tethering or throw it in
what would make me happy: 1500 texts, unlimited data, 500 600 shared minutes tethering=<60/ month upgradable to iphone 5 this summer
my 3g is burning a hole in my otterbox cant wait till feb 9 (att sweats the day before) or wait a few days
lets get a best deal thread
Well I already have unlimited data. So... *shrugs* Now if I can't get wifi hotspot then there will be a problem and i may have to consider verizon or someone else once Iphone 5 comes out.
There is relevant news for those of us on AT&T with unlimited data plans who plan to stick with AT&T. If AT&T didn?t feel the need to retain customers by offering unlimited data plans then we may have had to fear that our unlimited plans would not be extended after we were off contract or if we try to get a new device on contract.
2GB for $20 Unlimited for $30 would compete real well. I can't wait til these two need to need to compete with each other, maybe not today, but if the iPhone is sold unlocked, I think the gloves would come off
Or even 1 Gig for $20. Good idea, I hope they have it too. I would go for that but not $30, not when I don't need unlimited data.
ATT restoring the unlimited plan option, perhaps at $40 with tethering, now that would be news
If you had a previous iPhone you were grandfathered into the unlimited plan until you chose to downgrade. I suspect that is what happened with these customers. Allowing someone a chance to reverse a bad decision isn't all that shocking.
ATT restoring the unlimited plan option, perhaps at $40 with tethering, now that would be news
Does enabling internet tethering on the iPhone also take away the unlimited plan if you happened to have it?
And why the extra monthly fee for enabling internet tethering even on a capped data plan?
2GB should be $20
Unlimited should be $30
Why is 200MB $15?... that's almost nothing... and for $5 more, you get way more than you need.
Customers who signed a contract for $30-per-month unlimited 3G data prior to last June can keep the plan until their two-year contract expires.
That's awfully magnanimous of them.
Does enabling internet tethering on the iPhone also take away the unlimited plan if you happened to have it?
Yes. Calling AT&T to enable this feature will end the grandfathered unlimited. I started to go down the automated version on the attwireless.com account setup and saw that it required a change to my data plan. I smartly halted and phoned in the question.
I hear that the "Tethering" menu is removed in 4.3 replaced by the term Hotspot. The above applies to Hotspot feature as well.
A much more reasonable response from ATT would be to offer new subscribers the unlimited plan - just as Verizon is doing.