AT&T to support Personal Hotspot in iOS 4.3, adds iPad postpaid data option

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 63
    If they don't want unlimited data tethering it's too bad that we can't get the 4GB plan for the same price at least. I'd be fine with that. I've never exceeded thus far so if it's the occasional use/ light tethering to the ipad I should be fine.



    It would be a big plus to not have to pickup another 3g ipad. What a PITA. Turn it on/ turn it off blah blah blah. Seems when I have data on the ipad I'm going wifi. When I don't I have to sign up for it for like an hour and then I never use it again for another 2 months.



    No major downloads over 3G really isn't a problem for me or anyone that I could see. It's not like you;'ll have to update your OS in the field all that often.



    Tethering shouldn't be an extra charge though. Extra charges just make it seem like a rip off. Tethering with a 4GB's of data is a great idea, but it's priced all wrong. It shouldn't cost MORE than the old unlimited plan. AT&T is so stupid.



    If they just dropped the price of the plans to "tier down" from $30 ($30 4GB+ tethering) they would clean up with subscribers. I guess they haven't accepted the fact that they are just service providers and are competing with service relative to price.



    If they did what I'm talking about you'd get a "mifi" and your regular phone data plan combined. That's a killer deal.
  • Reply 22 of 63
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NasserAE View Post


    I have the unlimited data plan on my iPhone 4. I would only give it up for 4GB/month plan with tethering for the same $30 price. Otherwise, I am sticking with my unlimited plan.



    Exactly. Unlimited and JB sounds very appealing too . This reminds me of the record labels causing their own problems by not embracing the reality technology proposes. AT&T et al are trying to use tech to control and manipulate the market. People like us might just say F_-_ it! and JB our phones. My friends kids have steadily assuaged my fears of ever Jbreaking an iPhone.
  • Reply 23 of 63
    nunyabineznunyabinez Posts: 106member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by desides View Post


    The article isn?t quite clear on the availability of Personal Hotspot for grandfathered unlimited data plans. Do those of us with unlimited plans still have to pay extra to use Personal Hotspot?



    The tethering data plan is required to use the hotspot feature. The tethering plan is only allowed with limited data plans. If you want to use the hotspot, your data plan would go from $30 to $25, and you would have to pay $20 for tethering. So, the choice would be $30 for unlimited (no hotspot), or $45 for tethering/hotspot with a limit of 4GB. So, it's a mixed bag.
  • Reply 24 of 63
    desidesdesides Posts: 80member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by spliff monkey View Post


    AT&T et al are trying to use tech to control and manipulate the market.



    This is nonsensical. AT&T is trying to prevent a network meltdown, just as Verizon is by switching to tiered data pricing. We iPhone users are already massive consumers of data. They?re right to be extremely wary of tethering.
  • Reply 25 of 63
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    I get 2GB of data on my plan, I can use it however I want, including tethering, no doubt the new WiFi hotspot will also fall under this.



    Why is the rest of the world (62% of iPhone sales) held hostage to the whims of an American phone company?
  • Reply 26 of 63
    dbcndbcn Posts: 3member
    Fine:



    Quote:

    Why do I need to pay AT&T an extra $20 a month to use a feature that is supported by the phone OS?



    Greedy bastards.





    I guess I just have a problem paying an extra $250 a year for something when the providing company has done absolutely nothing to deserve it, and doesn't actually do anything to support it. If I have a problem using the hotspot - do I call at&t?



    If At&t had provided a hotspot software solution for the iphone, fine, then those who want it should pay the extra $. If the built-in software supports it, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to use the data I'm already paying for as I see fit.



    It really seems like if I'm using the iphone as a hotspot on the lower plan, I'm way more likely to go into overage charges, and since At&t seems to like my money, why not just let the hotspot go for free and wait for the overage charges?
  • Reply 27 of 63
    mactoidmactoid Posts: 112member
    For $45 a month, I can get a CLEAR 4G hotspot with unlimited data. Yeah, I'd have to tote around another device, but that is only a $15 upcharge if I cancel my $30 iPad unlimited plan, and I get much faster service. If I switch my iPhone to the $15 per month minimum data plan, it pays for it! Something to consider....
  • Reply 28 of 63
    katonahkatonah Posts: 95member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nunyabinez View Post


    The tethering data plan is required to use the hotspot feature. The tethering plan is only allowed with limited data plans. If you want to use the hotspot, your data plan would go from $30 to $25, and you would have to pay $20 for tethering. So, the choice would be $30 for unlimited (no hotspot), or $45 for tethering/hotspot with a limit of 4GB. So, it's a mixed bag.



    Agreed it's a mixed bag but I travel a lot and want the tethering. Assuming I don't go over 4gb a month, it's an ok deal. Anyone who travels knows most hotels charge 10-15-20 per day for wireless internet so paying an extra 15 (I have the unlimited right now) by comparison isn't outrageous.



    Plus I usually travel with my macbook air and ipad, so I'll be able to use both devices with my tethered phone and will never have to pay $30 for ipad 3g service per month.
  • Reply 29 of 63
    christophbchristophb Posts: 1,482member
    I'll pull the trigger on this when they let me keep my grandfathered unlimited plan. Until then, I'm keeping unlimited on the iPhone and iPad.



    Hmmmm. Perhaps if they provided a rollover plan for data bytes I'd consider changing. It's only during peek sport event times and baseball season when my data usage goes nuts.
  • Reply 30 of 63
    lilgto64lilgto64 Posts: 1,147member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rbonner View Post


    Can someone who is using the new plan chime in. Curious for occasional travel use how this impacts usage.



    I have used it with the new 4GB limit. And had hours of basic web and email without getting close to hitting that cap.



    Back when I had a laptop card with unlimited I often used around 2GB and once used over 5GB when I watched a half dozen or so Netflix moviesin a hotel with crappy wireless.



    Still I thinkmthey should allow rollover MB just like rollover minutes



    Or at least have the data over the plan be be the same $/GB as under the plan. It seems like highway robbery to me to charge $15 for 250MB Then another $10 for the next chunk of -- actually I lost track what do they charge now?



    In any case the 251st MB docent cost AT&T anymore to deliver than the 250th so the price per GB Should be the same. It's not like they have to stockpile bandwidth for users with the higher plans the way you would with finite resources like water or something that needs to be warehoused and distributed.
  • Reply 31 of 63
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by desides View Post


    This is nonsensical. AT&T is trying to prevent a network meltdown, just as Verizon is by switching to tiered data pricing. We iPhone users are already massive consumers of data. They’re right to be extremely wary of tethering.



    Nonsense? We iphone users? What are talking about? Please site that iphone users use more bandwidth than a comparable android user. I hardly use 3G data. I don't need unlimited data, but if I'm taking the risk of going over I want acceptable prices. Especially if we are talking about tethering since I may go over if I'm using a laptop.



    Currently the 250MB plan users will pay an extra $15/ 250MB (cumulative $60/ GB). By contrast someone paying for a 2GB plan will only be charged $10 for a GB? How is that not manipulative and controlling? They set the price then attempt to make us think this pricing is because they have to punish high data users? Simple math will tell you this is a subtle scam. They aren't punishing high consumption users at all. They just want us to justify the new biggest plan.



    Also, now that we are talking about metered internet, should we have "rollover" data rates if I don't use my data? If not why not?
  • Reply 32 of 63
    elearnelearn Posts: 18member
    Speaking about long-term customers, I've been using a Verizon mifi for almost a year; before that i had a usb device i think was called a 640: it offered wireless wifi to my macbook pro (mbp). I used to average 2 GB a month on my mbp. My ipad sucks up an average of 16 GB a month. How can i afford it ($59 a month)? I'm a long term Verizon customer who bought their "unlimited wifi" product when it first came out! Yea Verizon!!





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post


    While I agree with the general premiss that cell carriers are evil, to address your particular point.... Unlimited customers are likely excluded because while you may only "occassionally" use your laptop or iPad, another person may use it as a full-time internet connection for their laptop or desktop computer to stream Netflix, download 700 MB OS updates, etc, etc.







    You aren't paying at extra $50. The article was poorly written, and it appears you are paying $45 for the tethering. It's $25 for your iPhone data play and then another $20 for the tethering option.



    And another poster said you are paying twice for the same data. That used to be the case for ATT, but it appears they are changing that. Before now, that $20 didn't get you any extra data. But then Verizon came along and for their $20 tethering charge you get an additional 2 GB of data. But the iPhone data pool and tethering data pool were separate pools. This was because the iPhone data is unlimited (see my comment above why they would never extend unlimited data to a tethered device).



    This is a good thing! It appears we have a little competition between the carriers finally. Because now ATT has sweetened their tethering plan to not only give you another 2 GB of data, but the iPhone and tethering data is now combined into a single 4 GB chunk. ATT also charges less for additional data if you go over, so we'll see if Verizon matches it.



    I'm looking forward to the iPhone 5 release. Hopefully it will be released simultaneously on ATT and Verizon because that may prompt some additional competition to get more improvements to the package pricing.



  • Reply 33 of 63
    christophbchristophb Posts: 1,482member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by John.B View Post


    No 3GS hotspot support. Yeah, thanks AT&T. I'll remember this when my contract is up in June/July and the iPhone 5 comes out.



    Apple says it's an iPhone 4 exclusive, not AT&T.
  • Reply 34 of 63
    uguysrnutsuguysrnuts Posts: 459member
    AT&T's 3G on my iPhone 4 sucks so bad, they should pay me to tether it to my iPad.
  • Reply 35 of 63
    cpr1cpr1 Posts: 41member
    https://esupport.fcc.gov/ccmsforms/f...orm_type=2000B



    You get 1,000 characters in part 5 to register your complaint.
  • Reply 36 of 63
    backdocbackdoc Posts: 18member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kpluck View Post


    No, that is incorrect.



    To have the iPhone on AT&T you must subscribe to a data plan. Which means you pay $30 for unlimited (if you are on the old plan), $15 for 250MB, $25 for 2GB, or $45 for 4GB and tethering/hot spot support. So the biggest increase tethering might cost you is $30 if you were on the $250MB plan.



    Personally, I think its criminally bad to offer a metered plan and then charge extra for how you decide to use it. A person should be able to pay for a data plan and then use that data anyway the hardware supports. It is no different than if they charged for a data plan, then charged extra for web access, youtube, facebook, twitter, etc. And I bet if they thought they could get away with it, they would charge that way.



    -kpluck



    Very well stated.
  • Reply 37 of 63
    chabigchabig Posts: 641member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dbcn View Post


    Why do I need to pay AT&T an extra $50 a month to use a feature that is supported by the phone OS?



    Greedy bastards.



    Let me guess, you "share" your cable TV connection with a neighbor since the wire already runs to the neighborhood.
  • Reply 38 of 63
    christophbchristophb Posts: 1,482member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chabig View Post


    Let me guess, you "share" your cable TV connection with a neighbor since the wire already runs to the neighborhood.



    Use the Internet they pay for also by hopping on their wifi. Oh! Maybe take their car for a spin since it was just sitting in the garage not being used at the moment.



  • Reply 39 of 63
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chabig View Post


    Let me guess, you "share" your cable TV connection with a neighbor since the wire already runs to the neighborhood.



    I don't understand the analogy. The post was talking about using the data one already pays for. If i have a 2GB plan on my iphone and a 2gb plan on my ipad, but only use 1GB on either wouldn't it stand to reason that all I need is one 2GB plan?



    Why does sharing the connection factor into this equation? No one is sharing. We're talking about individual consumption.
  • Reply 40 of 63
    erpxerpx Posts: 24member
    ATT insider said call their bluff. If not, just continue to enjoy that large fat d *k they push up your bottom. Only dollars matter to them. Rumor is to expect a price war when iPhone5 hits the market. Right now, they're intending to take as much as they can.
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