AT&T Offers New Prepaid Wireless plansMirrors Verizon pricing, though there's no per-GB overages... 02:29PM Monday Nov 23 2009 by Karl Bodetags: business · wireless · alternatives · bandwidth · consumersEarlier this month we noted that Verizon had started offering a trio of new prepaid wireless broadband options for those of you who couldn't find an open Wi-Fi hotspot, simply hate contracts, and don't mind paying a steep premium for bandwidth. Verizon now offers a $15, 75MB "day pass" plan, a $30, 250MB "week pass" plan, or a $50, 500MB "month pass" plan. Not to be outdone, AT&T today alerted us to the fact that they too are now going to be offering prepaid wireless broadband plans. Dubbed the AT&T DataConnect Pass, the pricing and daily usage limits mirror Verizon's plans exactly: •DataConnect Day Pass – 75 MB – for $15 •DataConnect Week Pass – 250 MB – for $30 •DataConnect Month Pass – 500 MB – for $50 One difference in the plans is that Verizon's prepaid passes charge you overages should you cross the cap (20. 12, 10 cents per MB, respectively). AT&T's system doesn't involve overages. According to AT&T, users will get an automated alert once they reach either 30 minutes or 20 percent of allotted data usage remaining in their session, at which time you'll have to buy more time/data. Keep in mind these plans expire, so if you but the 30 day plan -- you'd best use the available bandwidth within thirty days. To use the service, AT&T customers need a new SIM card or their existing SIM card information (SIM ICCID serial number and IMEI equimnet serial number), and then need to log into AT&T's DataConnect pass " buy a session" website.
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canesfan2001
join:2003-02-04
Hialeah, FL | Coincidence? No...
Collusion! | |
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JohnQPublic
Premium
join:2002-03-22
Xanadu | Re: Coincidence? It's like taking candy from a baby. | |
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canesfan2001
join:2003-02-04
Hialeah, FL
1 edit | Re: Coincidence? I'm amazed that cell phone providers don't even have to create the illusion of competition like AMD and Nvidia did! They just change prices in lock-step and no one bats an eye. | |
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canesfan2001
join:2003-02-04
Hialeah, FL
 ·Comcast
 ·AT&T Southeast
| Re: Coincidence? said by OverModded  :They saw what Verizon charged and matched it independently. That's called Tacit collusion. | |
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canesfan2001
join:2003-02-04
Hialeah, FL | Re: Coincidence? So is abortion. I guess that means the debate is over on that too? | |
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cableties
Premium
join:2005-01-27 | LOL! Collusion sans competition!
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Splat | |
| KnightAR
join:2004-04-22
San Marcos, CA | No Competition This is why I believe there is no competition =/ | |
| dfxmatt
join:2007-08-21
Evanston, IL | wow a tenth of the bandwidth for 100% of the price! what a value! /sarcasm. | |
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Cheese
Premium
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL
clubs: | Smart thing for ATT to have done... Was to undercut the price, but they couldn't even do that. Hell, 5 bucks cheaper might bring in more people but alas, ATT hasn't done that. | |
| | OverModded
Premium
join:2002-03-03
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| Re: Smart thing for ATT to have done... said by Cheese :Was to undercut the price, but they couldn't even do that. Hell, 5 bucks cheaper might bring in more people but alas, ATT hasn't done that. Why would they? Then Verizon cuts price; etc; etc. The companies don't maximize income that way.
They don't compete on price. They compete with marketing & services; and devices.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
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Cheese
Premium
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL
clubs:
| Re: Smart thing for ATT to have done... said by OverModded :said by Cheese :Was to undercut the price, but they couldn't even do that. Hell, 5 bucks cheaper might bring in more people but alas, ATT hasn't done that. Why would they? Then Verizon cuts price; etc; etc. The companies don't maximize income that way. They don't compete on price. They compete with marketing & services; and devices. Really? They don't compete on price? Um... | |
| | | stufried
Premium
join:2003-10-13 | There isn't anything improper in business about reading your competitor's website and matching their prices. | |
| iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
·Comcast
·AT&T Wireless Broa..
·Cricket Broadband
·Qwest.net
 ·magicjack.com
·BeeCreek Communica..
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| Wait what? So you can only use 80% of your data allotment before having to buy more? That's a racket right there.
Also, you can get contract-free monthly data service from AT&T for $60/5GB, MUCH cheaper per GB than these offerings, though more expensive per month.
On the collusion argument, Verizon and AT&T are differentiated on features rather than pricing, and that's okay; Verizon's network is (MUCH) bigger, AT&T's network is faster on uploads nearly all of the time (1 Mbps) and on downloads some of the time.
For those who want cheap 3G, you can get it on Virgin Mobile with Sprint's network. $10 gets you ten days of service and 100MB of data, better than $15 for 75/1. $20 gets you a month of service and 250MB of data; that same 250MB would only last a week and cost $30 on VZW/AT&T. $40 gets you 600MB over a month, $60 gets you 1GB...$10 less for 100MB more data. All on the second-largest, third-fastest (behind AT&T and T-Mobile in upgraded markets) 3G network in the US.
You still have to pay upfront for your mobile broadband card, a rather spendy endeavor unless you already have a 3G card (I bought mine a year and a half ago when $20-for-unlimited GoPhone data reigned supreme). Still, in comparison with AT&T's own $35, 200MB contract plan the prepaid plans seem to be actually somewhat palatable, if still ridiculously overpriced. | |
| | jester121
Premium
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL
 ·surpasshosting
·ViaTalk
| Re: Wait what? said by iansltx :So you can only use 80% of your data allotment before having to buy more? That's a racket right there. I think he meant to say you receive a warning at 80% then you "can" buy more, not that you have to buy more. | |
| amungus
Premium
join:2004-11-26
America
clubs: | what happened Wait, less than 1 CD worth of data - $50?
...Makes slightly over 1 DVD worth of data (5GB) for (nearly?) the same price seem like a slightly less insane deal. | |
| vlad1000
join:2005-05-19
Brooklyn, NY
| can you say "robbery without a gun"???? come on...AT&T is making fun of us...just like Verizon is making fun of their 3G coverage...unless someone is pretty dumb, they won't pay for any of these ridiculously priced plans....with Sprint brining out an unlimited 4G plan with much faster speeds...who needs this garbage? | |
| k1ll3rdr4g0n
join:2005-03-19
Homer Glen, IL
| Collusion, confusion, and coercion oh my! So lets analyze the plans:
$15/month - 75MB/day
$50/month - 500MB/month
Source: »/r0/download/1···onth.jpg
Think about that for a second...I can pay $15/month and get ~2GB of data transfer in a month (75MB/day * 30days = 2250MB). Or I can pay $50/month and only get 500MB/month.
Perhaps its so that they can ease the strain on the network over days instead of everyone pounding away in a single hour. But still, it would make the most sense to purchase the $15/month plan because most likely you will only be checking your email or doing light browsing and you the most "bang" for your buck. | |
| | ragingwolf
join:2003-04-22
Nepean, ON | Re: Collusion, confusion, and coercion oh my! Your reading it wrong. "Data Connect - Day Pass" means just that, something that is valid for 1 day (with a 75mb cap) and then expires. It is not 75mb per day for a month, I can assure you. | |
| | | k1ll3rdr4g0n
join:2005-03-19
Homer Glen, IL
| Re: Collusion, confusion, and coercion oh my! said by ragingwolf :Your reading it wrong. "Data Connect - Day Pass" means just that, something that is valid for 1 day (with a 75mb cap) and then expires. It is not 75mb per day for a month, I can assure you. Oh then that puts it in a new light.
Who the F#*% would pay $15/month just to use 75MB in a single day? There are free wifi spots all over the place why should I spill my wallet to AT&T? | |
| jdbob
Premium
join:2009-07-04
John Day, OR
·Verizon Wireless B..
·CenturyLink
| $15 per day! Last time I was in New Zealand I found their "casual data" rate much more reasonable. NZ$1 (about 70 cents US) for up to 10MB in one day. They send you a text message when you get to 8MB to warn you, because overages are pretty steep ($1 per MB I think).
10MB isn't going to do you any good for watching videos, but I found it adequate for email, some web work (like looking for your next hotel), and some IRC with the geekzone crowd.
That sort of plan is also more useful in New Zealand because free Wifi in motels is very rare there. | |
| flyingjoey
join:2005-11-07
Jersey City, NJ
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| I just don't get it! I was down in Argentina back in September of this year. I was there for a week. I found one of the local phone companies offering wireless pre-paid data services for 10 pesos a day (about US$2.50). For 10 pesos I got a gig worth of traffic per day.
While in Argentina I'd use my unlocked 3gs as a modem, made phone calls back to the states using Skype, and listen to streaming audio and watch TV using my Slingbox back at home. Yet I never reached 1 gig in a day.
Not only do I still have the sim card from Argentina, but the rep told me, your service will be active for 999 days. So next time you visit all you have to do is add money to your account and it will be back in effect.
To add insult to injury, down in Argentina I don't know what they're doing with their wireless service, but I was getting closed to 3 megabits and almost 2 for uploads.
We live in the country that invented the internet, and yet we can't get affordable wireless service... Why is that?
I spent less than 13 dollars and got 5 gigs worth of data. As I was leaving the country I got a text from the phone company telling me that, they had an offer, next time I put 20 pesos on my account I'd give me an extra 10, if I put 30, they'll credit me 50.
Anyway... Why doesn't the AT&Ts, Verizons, Sprints & T-Mobiles of the world do the same thing? I am guessing that what we call competition between wireless carriers is no more than a hoax, and there is no real competition.
»www.movistar.com.ar/3g/prepago_n···des.html | |
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PGHammer
join:2003-06-09
Accokeek, MD
clubs: | Re: I just don't get it! How large is Argentina, and how many WISPs are there?
More telling, how many REAL cellular providers are there?
What I mean is cellular providers that are neither government-owned or regional offshoots of one big national provider. | |
| | | flyingjoey
join:2005-11-07
Jersey City, NJ
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| Re: I just don't get it! Well Argentina is HUGE! The US is the 3rd biggest country in the world, Argentina is the 8th.
They have Claro which is the biggest Mobile provider in LatAm. Carlos Slim's shop.
The provided I was using is called MoviStar which is owned by Telefonica. So let's see... Spain, Czech republic, Slovakia, UK, germany, Ireland, italy, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
MoviStar (Telefonica) doesn't sound like a mom and pop shop to me. | |
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PGHammer
join:2003-06-09
Accokeek, MD
clubs: | Re: I just don't get it! I was not implying that they were.
However, are tthey a *national* provider, or more on the order of a regional provider (like US Cellular or the old Cellular One or even Alltel)? | |
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FastiBook
join:2003-01-08
Newtown, PA | No overage. This is a huge deal for some people, and T's "ah hah" to big red.
- A
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LETS GO METS! | |
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PrepaidGuy
@sprintlink.net
| I'm loving it! I'm really loving seeing all of the new entrants to prepaid broadband this year. It really is a great product, although I don't believe that the pricing is quite yet where it needs to be. Also, a true pay as you go option is lacking, and I believe there is a real underlying demand for it, particularly as people get used to whether or not they want this service and how much data they will ultimately use.
To compare available plans across providers, don't hesitate to use this free resource:
»www.prepaid-wireless-guide.com/p···ans.html | |
| ericn32
meh.devoid
Premium
join:2009-09-23
Costa Mesa, CA | Makes you want cable Wow. Even Comcast doesn't charge this much. | |
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