After Complaints, AT&T Solidifies, Increases Data Limit

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After Complaints, AT&T Solidifies, Increases Data Limit

Posted by Soulskill on Friday March 2, 2012 @03:12AM from the nice-try-with-the-math-trick dept.

New submitter rullywowr writes "After many users expressed anger, AT&T has moved the slowdown throttling bottleneck from 3GB of data to 5GB of data for users of 4G LTE smart phones. 'Previously, AT&T slowed speeds for subscribers who reached the top 5% of data users for that billing cycle and geographic location. Customers were outraged, arguing that the percentage method meant they had no way to know what the limit was — until AT&T informed them via text message that they were in danger of exceeding it.' AT&T still maintains the position that less than 5% of its users exceed the 3GB threshold each month."

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"Unlimited data" by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 03:18 · Score: 5, Insightful

So "unlimited data" means 3GB/5GB now?
1. Re:"Unlimited data" by the_fat_kid · 2012-03-02 04:20 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  here is to hoping that they "do not change the terms of our deal again"
  well, you deal with the sith and you get what you expect.
  
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2. Re:"Unlimited data" by icebraining · 2012-03-02 04:35 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Then all plans are and always have been unlimited, they just reduce your bandwidth to zero! (Or to 1kbps).
  Calling that unlimited makes it lose all meaning.
  
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3. Re:"Unlimited data" by msauve · 2012-03-02 04:42 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  "Unlimited," as they use the term, means "flat rate," as opposed to the limit on a tiered plan, where you are charged more when you exceed that limit.
  
  Anyone who thinks "unlimited" means "infinite," for timed (monthly) service on a network with bandwidth obviously subject to technology limits, is either being disingenuous or ignorant.
  
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4. Re:"Unlimited data" by afidel · 2012-03-02 04:46 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  No, Comcast throttles if and only if the local CMTS is swamped and it throttles top users first. This is by FAR the most fair system. In fact it's what the wireless providers should be doing for all users as its the logical way to manage the network to insure network quality but it doesn't allow them to as effectively fleece their customers so it's not the direction they went.
  
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It still accomplishes their goal by nweaver · 2012-03-02 03:19 · Score: 4, Insightful

For 3G (read, ALL iPhones) its still 3GB.
So for iPhone customers on the old unlimited plan, they still have a choice:
For the same amount of money, either stick with the "Unlimited" plan which goes useless at 3GB, or go to a metered plan where you get 3GB and above that its $10/GB in overages...
As for the 4G/LTE phones, those are in a much smaller minority, as the big grandfathered ones that AT&T dislikes are the iPhones.

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Still not unlimited by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 03:20 · Score: 5, Insightful

I've avoided AT&T and Verizon for this reason. I should be able to use my phone all I want.
Sprint is definitely in a winning position.
Re:Bandwidth Calculations by Sponge+Bath · 2012-03-02 03:25 · Score: 4, Insightful

I'm not in the industry, but I don't doubt that they crunched numbers... not network capacity, but how little can you give a consumer and how much can you charge before they leave.
AT&T Lies. by geekmux · 2012-03-02 03:26 · Score: 4, Insightful

"...AT&T still maintains the position that less than 5% of its users exceed the 3GB threshold each month."
Really? Seems to me AT&T is causing an awful lot of pain and bad publicity for themselves by creating such limitations around what supposedly accounts for only 5% of their consumer base. Seems like the effort would be worth a hell of a lot more than 5% of revenue.
Why is there throttling in the first place? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 03:28 · Score: 1, Insightful

AT&T promises users a service (unlimited data access) they have no intention of providing. That's false advertising.
1. Re:Why is there throttling in the first place? by 228e2 · 2012-03-02 03:37 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Its still unlimited, just slowed down.
  
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buy a smartphone they said by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 03:30 · Score: 5, Insightful

buy a smartphone they said
watch tv, movies, videos they said
you can't use that bandwidth we advertised and sold you they say
Where's the FCC investigation? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 03:30 · Score: 2, Insightful

These companies should lose all their spectrum for even thinking about throttling connections.
FCC start the investigation. They advertise unlimited (they did, even if they don't now) - throttling is just another way to *restrict* data - it breaks unlimited.
I for one would love to see AT&T and Verizon lose all of it's cellular spectrum because of these greedy shenanigans.
Cost for unlimited/unlimited/unlimited should be about $20.00 a phone per month. That covers any and all uses of bandwidth in use today and yet to be conceived of.
Re:Bandwidth Calculations by wbr1 · 2012-03-02 03:37 · Score: 3, Insightful

Some execs sat in a board room and said where can we place the cap to get more revenue and not piss too many customers off. That is all.

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Re:Bandwidth Calculations by hawguy · 2012-03-02 04:10 · Score: 4, Insightful

The smart thing about their 95% percentile calculation is that the bar keeps getting lower.
If the 95% mark is at 5GB today and they throttle back anyone that exceeds 5GB, no one will be able to go beyond 5GB of usage, so next month the 95% level might be 4.9GB. Then since no one can go much beyond 4.9GB, the next month it becomes 4.8GB. And so on.
Until finally, they are throttling once you hit 100KB of bandwidth and they can advertise the world's fastest wireless network since no one can use it. You can get one hit to speedtest.net to test your bandwidth and see your blazing 25mbit of bandwidth before they throttle you to 144kb of bandwidth.
Sounds like a good strategy.
Re:Bandwidth Calculations by AddictedToCaffine · 2012-03-02 04:13 · Score: 5, Insightful

They're not "hogs" if they paid for "unlimited".