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Loophole Means Unlimited Data For AT&T iPhone
An anonymous reader writes "According to a story at NPR: 'Verizon Wireless will start offering the iPhone on Feb. 10 with a draw that AT&T Inc. no longer offers to new subscribers: a plan with unlimited data usage. But The Associated Press has learned that some AT&T iPhone users on limited plans won't need to move to Verizon for all-you-can-eat data. In an unadvertised loophole, AT&T has allowed subscribers who have had an unlimited data plan in the past to switch back. That includes anyone who had an iPhone before June, when the limited plans took effect.'"
Sorry AT&T, people have been fed up with slow internet. Everyone that has wanted an iPhone but waited is going to jump on this.
Everyone with an expiring AT&T contract that was fed-up with AT&T service is going to jump. People have already made up their minds, this little 'incentive' isn't going to help.
Fastest 3G network just like USB2 is faster than Firewire. When it really counts, it isn't.
I can't see how Verizon handles the load.
By unadvertised loophole, AT&T really means offered countermeasure to the prevent loss of a customer to a competitor. This is nothing new or revolutionary.
Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. - Albert Einstein
Just remember, people, that "unlimited" data plans in the US actually cap out at 5GB/month for almost everyone in almost every situation. The only truly un-metered data services I'm aware of are Sprint's plans for phones that offer 4G service or for circumstances where a user was grandfathered in on a contract that offered truly unlimited data service (e.g. Sprint SERO).
-- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
If you had an unlimited plan before they rolled out the metered ones -- you were grandfathered in. Even if you had unlimited on a BlackBerry and later decided to "upgrade" to an iPhone you were grandfathered in....I don't know why this is news. The loophole doesn't affect you -- there is no loophole -- just demand unlimited data from AT&T and threaten to switch if they won't give it to you for $30\month. But then again....maybe they might benefit from 10% of their iPhone users moving over to another network...on paper it may seem bad -- but in the long run it may draw new customers when the service gets "better" from less data traffic.
Individuals must choose, decide their "essential" nature rather than having it given from some transcendent source.
How the hell is this still marked "insightful?" I have the AT&T unlimited data plan with my iPhone and every month go over 5GB, and have yet to see an additional charge or throttling. I think my highest usage month was something like 13GB (which takes a certain amount of doing over 3G, I tell you...).
Hey, if you want to astroturf for Sprint, feel free, but expect to get called on it.
You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
I would and did. I was annoyed by the announcement at first, but then I went on the customer service site and looked at my past data usage. I never came close to 200MB. It's as AT&T stated - it's enough for 65% of their smartphone customers. I check email, I browse the web, I read news apps. I don't stream Pandora over the 3G network all day. I don't stream movies over the cell network. I can wait to watch that YouTube video until I'm on WiFi or I get home - and I'm around WiFi a lot. I mostly use the phone for the apps, and the ones I use don't require tons of data. When I'm away from home and out with others, I try (but don't always succeed) to leave the internets behind and interact with real people in real time. In the meantime, I'm happy to be saving $15/month. I do come close to going over when I travel, but that isn't often. AT&T will let you upgrade to the 2GB plan for the month, then switch back. I suppose we like the perceived notion of unlimited and not having to worry about overage charges, but in reality, the network isn't unlimited. I have no issues with AT&T charging the few users who consume much more data more money. My only complaint is that for my $15/month, I should at least get half a gig of data. But VZW is even stingier and only allots 150MB.
Having worked for ATT in the past and having seen these "loopholes" I can attest to the fact that this wont last long. ATT's billing system is about the nastiest old 70's unix system you can imagine. Up until about 10 years about you still had to log into it with HPUX terminals. Right before I left they were building a web interface for it, but its still the nightmarish terminal system in the background. To get people "Packages" you'd apply codes to their account. ATT was always screwing their customers one way or another and your average billing rep just wants to get the angry customer off the phone. So every once in a while someone would figure out something like: "If I apply the tx320 plan, then the 43t33 plan... then backdate the install date and remove the 43t33, then the main package will go unlimited!!" Then this would get share with a couple of their closest work confidants... this is how to do it and get them off the phone. After a few months everyone knows about it and it's getting applied all over... then the main office finds out about it and brings down the hammer.