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Comments on news posted 2012-07-18 12:20:51: After hinting at such plans for more than a year, AT&T today finally unveiled their shared family data plans, which allow users and devices in one household to pull from one shared pool of data. ..

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biochemistry
Premium Member
join:2003-05-09
92361

biochemistry

Premium Member

And the winner is?

AT&T. And you thought I would say the consumer, right?
dfxmatt
join:2007-08-21
Crystal Lake, IL

1 recommendation

dfxmatt

Member

actually, it has a name

It's the "Pay More than Before" plan.

inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

1 recommendation

inteller

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

wow, so even the 20Gb plan with 10 smartphones on it is not as good as 10 people each getting a $45 unlimited plan from Straight Talk.

Absolutely RIDICULOUS! What value does ATT even offer?
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

said by inteller:

wow, so even the 20Gb plan with 10 smartphones on it is not as good as 10 people each getting a $45 unlimited plan from Straight Talk.

Absolutely RIDICULOUS! What value does ATT even offer?

Coverage? LTE? The latest and greatest handsets?

inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

1 recommendation

inteller

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

I get ATT coverage with ST, ATT doesn't have LTE in my area, and I can buy any ATT handset free and clear of contracts.

so I ask again....what value does ATT even offer?
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

said by inteller:

I get ATT coverage with ST, ATT doesn't have LTE in my area, and I can buy any ATT handset free and clear of contracts.

so I ask again....what value does ATT even offer?

that's up to everyone to decide for themselves. Apparently for you, ST is the way to go.
sandman_1
join:2011-04-23
11111

sandman_1

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

Who needs LTE speeds or coverage with these ridiculously low caps lol. They can keep their LTE along with Verizon.
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

said by sandman_1:

Who needs LTE speeds or coverage with these ridiculously low caps lol. They can keep their LTE along with Verizon.

I have LTE and unlimited data on AT&T. Too bad for you, lol.

technologiq
EU2251
join:2000-08-08
Reno, NV

technologiq

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

You have 5GB with the 'unlimited' plan on AT&T LTE (throttled after 5GB)

More info »www.att.com/esupport/dat ··· 0000000U

MovieLover76
join:2009-09-11
Cherry Hill, NJ
(Software) pfSense
Asus RT-AC68
Asus RT-AC66

MovieLover76

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Re: actually, it has a name

Unfortunately that's true on AT&T you get device subsidies and throttling after 5GB, since Verizon doesn't throttle 4G atm, you get truly unlimited still, and you can keep it as long as you turn down the subsidy. I'm sure Verizon would have rather gone the throttling route, as it seems to anger less customers and they do it on their 3G network, but the spectrum they use for LTE came with restrictions that they don't seem to be able to get around. At least for the time being, knowing Verizon they will find a way around it eventually.
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

Crookshanks

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

said by MovieLover76:

I'm sure Verizon would have rather gone the throttling route, as it seems to anger less customers and they do it on their 3G network

They don't "throttle" their 3G network. All they are doing is using a fair queuing algorithm during times of congestion that assigns less resources on the forward link to heavy data users. If the EVDO channel/sector you're on isn't congested you won't see any noticeable impact whatsoever.

I use >5GB on a regular basis and the only impact I've seen from this supposed "throttling" is the occasional slowdown to 40kbit/s to 80kbit/s. I've never seen one of these slowdowns last more than a minute or two; I would attribute them to other users loading webpages/downloading files.

Personally I don't see a problem with what Verizon is doing. Someone who sparingly uses their phone gets faster webpage loads and I can consume all the bandwidth I want without impacting them.
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
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Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned) to technologiq

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to technologiq
said by technologiq:

You have 5GB with the 'unlimited' plan on AT&T LTE (throttled after 5GB)

More info »www.att.com/esupport/dat ··· 0000000U

hasn't been an issue for me


inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

inteller

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

so if you didn't have unlimited data you'd be overpaying for data with the exception of that last month.
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

said by inteller:

so if you didn't have unlimited data you'd be overpaying for data with the exception of that last month.

irrelevant since I do have unlimited data

buddahbless
join:2005-03-21
Premium

buddahbless to 93388818

Member

to 93388818
To your post below... keep gloating, Its Only Irrelevant until ATT decides to "kick the pan" even more, change there TOS and drop your 5GB down to 2GB in the near to dear future and stick you with overages or a ridiculous throttle if your a remaining "unlimited" customer. ( don't think for a moment it won't happen.)
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

If that happens I'll switch to a plan that makes sense for me

inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

inteller to buddahbless

Member

to buddahbless
what I can't figure out is why would a person want to give a company twice as much money to them as they should be paying? Don't people like to SAVE money?
wingrider01
join:2006-07-25
Saint Louis, MO

wingrider01 to 93388818

Member

to 93388818
inteller - not correct, he would be paying the same, he exceeds the 300mb plan all the time, the next plan up is 3GB at you guessed it - 30.00 a month, in jun he would have paid an overage charge

gballer
@reyrey.net

gballer to 93388818

Anon

to 93388818
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

you think you have unlimited data!!
mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI

mogamer to 93388818

Member

to 93388818
said by 93388818:

said by inteller:

wow, so even the 20Gb plan with 10 smartphones on it is not as good as 10 people each getting a $45 unlimited plan from Straight Talk.

Absolutely RIDICULOUS! What value does ATT even offer?

Coverage? LTE? The latest and greatest handsets?

Coverage? I'll give you that.
LTE? Yes, ATT does have some.
LTE Coverage? HA! HA!
Latest and greatest handsets? Who really cares about that? Many newer phones don't work as well as older versions.

inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

inteller

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

considering ATT's track record updating their branded handsets, I'd consider "latest and greatest" a detriment unless it was an iPhone which is out of their control.
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

I meant the latest and greatest models. There's nothing like the HTC One X, SGS III, Nokia Lumina 900, or iPhones available on ST.

inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

inteller

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

uh yeah there is. I walk into ATT, buy a One X, pop in my ST SIM and I'm done. If it's an ATT banded phone, it's fair game. I'm riding with a Lumia 900 with a ST SIM right now.

Get educated dude....you are being ripped off.
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

said by inteller:

uh yeah there is. I walk into ATT, buy a One X, pop in my ST SIM and I'm done. I'm riding with a Lumia 900 with a ST SIM right now.

Get educated dude....you are being ripped off.

and what did you pay for that handset?

inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

inteller

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

$150 for the 900 off eBay. A $100 for an HTC Titan before that.
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

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Re: actually, it has a name

If I were to walk into AT&T, buy a no contract HTC One X, that's $550.00.

They're $199 with a two year contract.

That's an extra $350 over 24 months = $14 a month.

inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

1 edit

inteller

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

I save over $500 in 2 years if I buy the One X at full price due to ATTs ridiculous rates.

$90 x 24 + 199 = 2359 (90 based on $40 voice plus $30 data and $20 messaging)

$45 x 24 + $550 = 1630

but it gets better.....because I'M NOT IN CONTRACT I'm not stuck with one phone I may like or hate for 2 years. So I can go buy awesome phones at less than the price you buy your subsidized phone (like I'm doing now) and get the same service as you.

gballer
@reyrey.net

gballer to 93388818

Anon

to 93388818
After 2 yrs on that rape contract we will pay less buying the phone outright..

Some people just fail at math.
dfxmatt
join:2007-08-21
Crystal Lake, IL

dfxmatt to 93388818

Member

to 93388818
You can get every one of those phones outside of ATT. You need to wake up and realize that your situation does not = anything of reality.
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

agreed. the contract is on the service, not the handset. anyone can buy a compatible handset and drop their AT&T SIM in it and use their AT&T service

inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

inteller

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

now THAT's not reality and you know it. The most typical scenario ATT wants you to succumb to is buying one of their subsidized handsets at the same time you take service. WHY ON EARTH would someone who already has a handset go and buy ATTs ridiculously expensive service when they are already free from the contract shackles to go with many other cheaper alternatives. You would have to have a frontal lobotomy to do such a stupid thing.

•••
etaadmin
join:2002-01-17
united state

etaadmin to 93388818

Member

to 93388818
said by 93388818:

said by inteller:

wow, so even the 20Gb plan with 10 smartphones on it is not as good as 10 people each getting a $45 unlimited plan from Straight Talk.

Absolutely RIDICULOUS! What value does ATT even offer?

Coverage? LTE? The latest and greatest handsets?

That is a sarcasm right?

BTW didn't you used to or currently work for AT&T?
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

Member

Re: actually, it has a name

not sarcasm at all. i have great coverage in my area and great LTE speeds. i am also using a very recently released handset.

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

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to 93388818
I have AT&T LTE in my area and it is dog slow.

mytwocents
@sbc.com

mytwocents to inteller

Anon

to inteller
As long as the user base does not decrease when hit with a cost increase, this will continue to happen. It is the ol' charge what the market will pay syndrome. When enough customers dump their service after a price increase, then they will have reached the limit of the market and start to find ways to cut costs and not make more price increases. There are hords of people still willing to pay the increases and the noise made by those customers is drowning out the customers that are tired of the increases.
93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned) to inteller

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to inteller
said by inteller:

wow, so even the 20Gb plan with 10 smartphones on it is not as good as 10 people each getting a $45 unlimited plan from Straight Talk.

Absolutely RIDICULOUS! What value does ATT even offer?

IMO AT&T probably doesn't see ST as a legitimate threat to their mobility business.

•••••••••
bka591959
join:2012-06-20
Colorado Springs, CO

bka591959 to dfxmatt

Member

to dfxmatt
Re: "Pay more than before Plan"
I hope you don't mind if I use that when explaining these plans to family and friends.

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH

trparky

Premium Member

Just as bad as Verizon...

This plan of AT&T's seems to be just as bad a Verizon's Share Your Wallet *ahem* Share Everything Plan.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx

Member

Re: Just as bad as Verizon...

Gee, I thought all along that Verizon's plan was called Pay Everything...

Morfein
Lead Peon
Premium Member
join:2004-09-08
Brownsburg, IN

Morfein

Premium Member

wow... up front looks very expensive

Just looking quickly it makes me feel that I'll be moving away from a smartphone and using data....
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx

Member

Re: wow... up front looks very expensive

...or just use Virgin Mobile at $35-$55 per month, depending on how many minutes you need. Granted, Sprint's network sucks in some areas, but give them time to upgrade to Network Vision and you'll get a couple Mbps on 3G, which will top out at 2.5GB for high speed vs. much less for VZ or AT&T's cheaper plans.
grandrivers
join:2005-01-27
Rome, OH

1 recommendation

grandrivers

Member

the pictue of competition

if this is competition I would hate to see price fixing
ShellMMG
join:2009-04-16
Grass Lake, MI

ShellMMG

Member

Copycat

So the "Screw Everyone" plan has been adopted by AT&T.

We will be hanging on to our VZW plan for a long, long time.

•••••••

gigahurtz
Premium Member
join:2001-10-20
USA

gigahurtz

Premium Member

This is a joke.

I was actually looking forward to shared data plans in hopes that maybe, just maybe it would simplify my life (wow, stupid I know).

These plans are so ridiculous. The fact that AT&T charges $30 a month for "dumb phones" who consume no data at all is pathetic.

I have an account with 5 lines - three smartphones and two dumb phones. If I were to switch to the shared 4 GB, my bill would go up at least $70 from where I'm at now.

It looks like I'll be exploring other options for my cell provider. It may just be time to look closer at Sprint.

•••••

Robert
Premium Member
join:2001-08-25
Miami, FL

Robert

Premium Member

Press Statement Wrong Link?

I think the link for the press statement is incorrect.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: Press Statement Wrong Link?

Thanks. Should be the right URL now. Having a hard time loading that press statement from here.
majortom1029
join:2006-10-19
Medford, NY

majortom1029

Member

Hold on sprint

At this rate all sprint has to do is make sure they stay in business. They only have to wait. Soon they will be getting a ton of new customers.

••••
o2cool8
join:2002-04-19
Cary, NC

o2cool8

Member

Typos

Verizon does have more then 10gb plan, when you goto select a plan, you get more choices, also up to 20gb. Verizon plans are

10gb - $100
12gb - $110
14gb - $120
16gb - $130
18gb - $140
20gb - $150

Also, the ATT share plan is for 15gb, not 16gb, for $160

••••••••
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

Crookshanks

Member

did anybody actually expect them to willingly lose revenue?

So long as the market isn't mature and the carriers are still investing billions of dollars in network expansion/upgrades I think it's somewhat naive to expect them to roll out plans that would reduce their ARPU/APRA. There will be more room for them to compete on pricing while still delivering a satisfactory ROI when they aren't investing as much money in plant and equipment but that's many years into the future.

Kudos to AT&T for not screwing over grandfathered customers, though I think Verizon's unlimited plan is worth more given the difference in their traffic management practices. Personally I have a 3G-only phone, regularly use >5GB of data and I've yet to see any noticeable impact from Verizon's traffic management. Occasionally I'll see speed drops into the 40kbit/s to 80kbit/s range but they last less than a minute and then I'm back up to 600kbit/s or more.

I can only surmise that the occasional slowdowns are caused by other users downloading files and congesting the tower I'm on for short periods of time.

••••••••••

scots
Are we there yet??
Premium Member
join:1999-12-06
Raleigh, NC

scots

Premium Member

Incorrect Pricing Mentioned

There is no $5 off per smartphone as this article mentions. The price per smartphone starts at $45 and gradually drops down to $30 per smart phone depending on the amount of shared data you select for your plan. The number of smartphones has no affect on price per phone. You can have 5 smartphones and select 1GB of data to share between the 5, and it's $45 per phone for all 5 smartphones. Select 10GB to share instead, and it's $30 per phone for all 5 smartphones.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: Incorrect Pricing Mentioned

Fixed, thanks. Read that part too quickly.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

1 edit

FFH5

Premium Member

Comparison of AT&T & Verizon share plans

Here is a comparison of the 2 vendors share plans:
»www.pcmag.com/article2/0 ··· 5,00.asp
»news.cnet.com/8301-1035_ ··· ta-plan/

.

PToN
Premium Member
join:2001-10-04
Houston, TX

PToN

Premium Member

Sooo...

If i want 4GB for 1 cell phone only, i would pay $70 + $40 = $110

Shit, if so i can get rid of my # and just do google voice or other SIP forwarding to my phone.

I dont need sms messaging nor "unlimited" talk... All my messaging is done via google voice, google talk, g+ messanger, what'sApp and gmail.

Would this be possible with these data plans...? Meaning that you would be buying Data access only, correct?

Thanks.

Robert
Premium Member
join:2001-08-25
Miami, FL

Robert

Premium Member

Re: Sooo...

No, if you only want service for one phone, you wouldn't get the shared data plans.

MovieLover76
join:2009-09-11
Cherry Hill, NJ
(Software) pfSense
Asus RT-AC68
Asus RT-AC66

MovieLover76

Member

Re: Sooo...

Actually you can sign up for Shared Everything with only 1 smartphone, I went through it on verizon's site to confirm how much more it would cost than my individual plan.

However, I do admit that going to share everything I'd be bumped up for 450 mins to unlimited and 1000 texts to unlimited. though in my case I never use what I have already so it's not important.

banditws6
Shrinking Time and Distance
Premium Member
join:2001-08-18
Frisco, TX

banditws6

Premium Member

Not gonna happen

As a family who almost never uses voice minutes or texts, these plans are clearly not for us. I'd have to pay a minimum of $15 more per month than I already pay AT&T for just the lowest tier being offered in the new shared data plans, and that's a huge net reduction in data allotment vs. what I already have.
sandman_1
join:2011-04-23
11111

sandman_1

Member

Collusion

If this isn't collusion, then what is lol. The plans are almost exactly the same priced with just subtle differences here and there to make it look a little different. It is like Verizon and AT&T got together and said, "Hey lets offer nearly the same plans but you (Verizon) announce yours first and I will announce mine the following month so it doesn't look suspicious. Sound good? Ok let's do it!!"

••••••

scots
Are we there yet??
Premium Member
join:1999-12-06
Raleigh, NC

scots

Premium Member

Discounts?

I have a FAN discount on my account due to who I work for. I'm curious if I'd still get the discount if I switched to this shared data plan. If I get the discount I'd end up paying about the same price, but would get unlimited talk instead of 700 minutes. We never use all the 700 minutes, but getting unlimited for the same price might finally prompt me to dump the house phone.

•••
ak3883
join:2005-08-20
Marlton, NJ

ak3883

Member

At least new users aren't FORCED onto this plan

like Verizon users.

I'm looking forward to getting a new phone this fall since I only have 3 months left of my contract and keeping my current plan(s) for voice($30 after discount/450min), data($18.75 after discount/2GB, and text($5/200, not offered anymore).

All you haters and complainers feel free to leave. The more of you leave the better service I'll have. I've had no issues with service where I live and get a very nice discount through work, and once you are on contract I've found my bill doesn't change at all(as it shouldn't) so I haven't had billing issues. Around here you'd think I am the only person who is satisfied with their service, sheez.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: At least new users aren't FORCED onto this plan

said by ak3883:

like Verizon users.

If you don't like Verizon's plan then you don't have to go with them so you aren't "forced" into anything. How can a non customer be "forced" into purchasing a product they don't want? They can simply to go another carrier that doesn't have share plans as the only option.

shortyd999
join:2008-10-21
Birmingham, AL

shortyd999

Member

About the Same

On my account I have four lines(two iPhones and two basic phones), both iPhones have unlimited data plans and unlimited messaging, one of the basic phones has the $15 200MB data plan and the other doesnt have a data plan. Both basic phones dont have a messenging plans. We're on the family shared 1400 minute plan and the total bill is $221 (with employee discount). Between both iPhones we use less than 6GBs, so the 6GBs would be $90, plus $70 for both iPhones ($35+$35), plus $60 for the basic phones ($30+$30) which would be $220. Im not sure how the discount would factor in but for me cost is almost the same.
music4praise
join:2006-02-22
Big Rapids, MI

music4praise

Member

Looks like current plans may remain available

Maybe I am misreading the press release but it looks like these shared data plans will be available in addition to the plans currently offered. If so, that would be a significant difference from Verizon.

•••••

ropeguru
Premium Member
join:2001-01-25
Mechanicsville, VA

ropeguru

Premium Member

Can you say...

Passive collusion?
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