AT&T reveal new data pans for customers in the US:
I have said before that Data is the new Gold for networks, minutes and texts are going to be less of a burden in cost terms to the networks and more of a giveaway as time goes by.
But data is where the real costs and opportunities currently lie for mobile operators.
With the above in mind AT&T has released revised plans for data charges to its customers, but in it they are hoping to provide a little more room to manoeuvre and give more choice for heavy users.
The new plans will come into effect on Sunday and is on the back of AT&T stating that they have had to totally rethink their data policies and pricing due to heavy demand which is only increasing month on month.
Users can move to the new plan if they are on existing contract or they can stay put if it would suit them better to do this based on the information given below.
I think this is pretty fair and one o2 could have offered in the UK when they forced their unlimited data subscribers onto a capped data plan with force, even though people had signed up to a full unlimited data deal.
The deals:
[arrowlist]
- $20 a month you can buy 300MB of data
- Data Pro package 3GB costs $30
- Data Pro 5GB $50 GB this includes the mobile hot spot capabilities and tethering
[/arrowlist]
This compares to previous options of:
[arrowlist]
- 200MB for $15
- 2GB for $25
- 4GB for $45
[/arrowlist]
The company is seen to be encouraging users to use data proved by their own Wi-Fi hot spots at over 29,000 locations across the US, so all in all it seems like an expected move, and one that you will just have to swallow I am afraid, unlimited was never really unlimited anyway!
AT&T also make use of alerts to keep their customers in check if they are close to going over their data allowance, as we all know this can be costly!
So as you can see it is going to be more costly in general but if you are a power user you get a little more for your money than you did before, so it is a little bit like the low end users subsiding the larger consumers of data on the go, but they get a touch more thrown in also….good deal or a deal breaker?
Anthony Munns