Shared Data Plans Coming to AT&T in August

[fb39ca4]

Why isn't anybody cancelling all their data plans outright and just finding some wifi?

 

[whiteodian]

[citation][nom]fb39ca4[/nom]Why isn't anybody cancelling all their data plans outright and just finding some wifi?[/citation]
Most smartphones through these carries require you to be on some sort of data plan.

 

[captainnemojr]

There's just not enough competition in the US to keep prices down. Just like the airline industry, when someone raises prices, so do all the competitors. It's totally reverse the way it should be.

 

[teh_chem]

[citation][nom]fb39ca4[/nom]Why isn't anybody cancelling all their data plans outright and just finding some wifi?[/citation]
Right, we'll just make up some free, open wifi out of thin air that follows us around wherever we go...

Also, as whiteodian said, even if you don't want to use cellular data on your device, providers force you to carry a data plan for "smartphones" on their network (which I think should be illegal).

 

[fb39ca4]

[citation][nom]teh_chem[/nom]Right, we'll just make up some free, open wifi out of thin air that follows us around wherever we go...Also, as whiteodian said, even if you don't want to use cellular data on your device, providers force you to carry a data plan for "smartphones" on their network (which I think should be illegal).[/citation]
Then buy the phone outright and use it without data, or learn to live without having data everywhere. I don't have a smartphone, but I do have an ipod touch, and I get along fine with just wifi.

 

[donner]

The plan to compare is unlimited family talk at $120/month plus $30 for unlimited shared text messaging plus 2Gb of data for $25/phone (oh wait $30 for 3Gb now). So, considering 2 phones that is $200/month. Or, 3Gb for $30/phone would be $210/month.

Equivalent shared plan would be $70 + $40/phone or $150/month or 6Gb for $160/month.

On the non-shared pricing structure the equivalent cost would be a $70 talk plan with 2 smart phones which looks like 700 shared minutes.

I would say that regardless, the pricing is pretty f'd up.

 

[blurr91]

Interesting how people have this belief that x amount of data should cost y dollars and anything more than that number is unreasonable. Where did you guys arrive at these figures in the first place?

 

[kittle]

WTB "pay as you go" smartphone plan...

 

[bestlink101]

lol what 40 dollars for 1 gb and 45 dollars per added person,

 

[kdw75]

I still don't get why they charge any extra for tethering. Seems like something that should be standard. If I use a GB of data why do they care what I use it on?

 

[beardguy]

Gee, what a "deal".

I hate cell phone carriers, they are as bad as bankers and car salesmen.

 

[Platypus]

Tommy: "Mommmm. Billy's not sharing!"

Mom: "Now, now, Billy. You need to share... if Tommy pays extra."

 

[livebriand]

I guess some companies just can't give me enough reasons to boycott them... For instance, the shared plans were the final straw that made me decide to leave Verizon. I got a phone on T-Mobile prepaid, and will be cancelling my Verizon phone the day the upgrade date comes up. (in 2 weeks...)

 

[livebriand]

I guess some companies just can't give me enough reasons to boycott them... For instance, the shared plans were the final straw that made me decide to leave Verizon. I got a phone on T-Mobile prepaid, and will be cancelling my Verizon phone the day the upgrade date comes up. (in 2 weeks...)

Let's see if it shows up this time...

 

[dontcrosthestreams]

America economy is going to crash harder now. I just moved to a rural area and have found out that satellite internet cost 109$ a month for 1.5mbs and a cap of 5gb. There goes ever using steam or youtube!! Time to spend what little money I have on a laptop and spend all my free time at starbucks 12 miles from my house.

 

[mayne92]

What did you people expect? Verizon and/or ATT was quoted as saying that customers using data for voice and text was hurting them...so what do they do? Charge more for data and give the other stuff "unlimited". However I'm sure you could talk forever and they won't decrease your bandwidth

Fact is now you pay a $40 flat smartphone fee plus $60 for 2GB! Now that is some horse sh!T! It cost my g/f and I $60 for 2Gig when it was $30/ea for 2GB/ea. I have already been looking to pay out of my contract via ETF and buy into SmartTalk "bring your own phone" for $45/mth. To me getting out and in with something like prepaid is worth it! Those peeps interested might want to jump shit now b/c rest assure when everyone starts bailing ship to prepaid prices will rise and maybe "unlimited" will go away like they did with postpay.

 

[caparc]

I'm the broken record. Mobile data plans are too much money except for business users. I'm living without a data plan and have no plans to get the data plan habit. If it's important--CALL ME. Otherwise send your email and I'll look at it when I get back in front of my computer which is connected via comcast, which ain't cheap either but is a way better deal than this mobile crap.

I watch people in resturants, on dates, looking at their smart phones instead of the person they're with. Very few of us are so important we need to be reading emails in public. Messaging another one I don't like. A few of those messages might be time savers but most of them are time wasting junk.

I'd love to have a data plan for remote monitoring, oops, not enough bandwidth for that. I'd love to be able to upload video live from anywhere. Oops again, not enough bandwidth for that. $10-15 per GB is a RIP OFF and It's the wrong with to manage the wireless network. Sooner or later there will be consumer fatigue and the services will die out.

 

[velocityg4]

Wow! I'll go with Sprint.

With Sprint you pay $50 a month for unlimited data and $5 for each additional phone.

I base this off balancing it against the same 1500 minutes family plan with regular phones and no data. Which is $100 per month and $5 per line. While the unlimited data family plan with 1500 minutes is $150 per month and $10 per line.

Also Sprint has no charge for the Facetime video calls while AT&T is going to charge extra to make use of the data you already payed for.

 

[Osmin]

AT&T makes record profits by not being competitive and saving on infrastructure expenses. The 5 FCC commissioners are selected by the president and approved by the senate for five year terms. Thus the millionaires that donate into the political spectrum indirectly influence the elections. They are not there to protect the interests of the consumer but there to help to create anti-competitive regulations in order to price gauge consumers. First you create the infrastructure that give X amount of people unlimited data capability. You don’t upgrade your infrastructure when you reach the limit and become one of the top 5 most profitable businesses in America. If they used their record profits to add additional fiber cables/routers/switches/cell towers etc. for the added influx of customers, then the consumer would still have quality of service with unlimited data plans. The FCC should have never allowed different protocols between carriers so that a phone would work on any carrier and cell tower available in America. This leads to a lot of wasted and duplicated cell towers for each carrier with different protocols. There is no competition if you are forced into specific carriers because they are the only ones that have good connections where you live and they compete by collaborating on higher rates with less service.

 

[JonnyDough]

I signed up for $99 a month with unlimited texts/data (I believe it is now limited though), I was SUPPOSED to be able to tether, but then Verizon decided to just up and take that away too. Unlimited talk too. Still, for one phone with 4G - that's $2000 for the life of the contract, plus the sign up fees and cost of the phone. So in all its more like $2500 or something. Shoot, for $2500 I could buy a used motorcycle and save myself money - enough money for a simple talk phone and cable internet.