AT&T Really Wants You Off That Unlimited-Data Plan

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While price hikes like this suck, at least it wasn't as bad as the one Verizon customers got hit with.

The nation's second-largest wireless carrier confirmed Monday that it is raising the price of its unlimited-data plan by $5, to $35 a month. The change, the first in seven years, will take effect in February. Earlier this month, Verizon raised the price of its grandfathered unlimited-data plan by $20. T-Mobile and Sprint, which each still offer unlimited data as an option, raised their prices in the last few months.
 
Give them a break. Peering data costs probably rose by $0.02 per subscriber, and $5 is a nice round number.
 
Data, the one technology that gets more expensive, especially as the gate-keepers of it consolidate. :p
 
Data, the one technology that gets more expensive, especially as the gate-keepers of it consolidate. :p

Another person that thinks data gets cheaper like normal pc hardware but yet doesn't want to help pay for the infrastructure costs. From $30 to $35 increase in several years. I have no idea what battle your fighting but this is the wrong one.
 
I really do fear for the world when young people have the total lack of understanding of how money making businesses work.

I think they seem to believe the world works like the STTNG universe.
 
Well that's a relief. Thought by the title they were doing something aggressive to get people off unlimited. And whatever ATT does, Vzw does, and vice versa. So glad they are just following suit with vzw. Used 215gb this cycle, another week to go :).
 
Considering that is $15 less than my 5 GB plan I think that is still pretty reasonable ... I gave up my unlimited plan a year ago to get hot spot capability (which I use a lot)
 
$35 is just the data side of things right? They're also charging you $60 to talk, and another $40 to text?
 
$35 is just the data side of things right? They're also charging you $60 to talk, and another $40 to text?

Not unless you are on a really crappy plan ... I pay $105 per month for data plan, voice/text plan, and the phone installment payment ... unless you get one of the more expensive family plans the AT&T plans are probably similar to the Verizon ones and run between $70-100 (all inclusive)
 
I pay around $35 a month for unlimited everything through Net10. First 2 gigs are LTE, everything after that is 3g. The little guys are where it's at.
 
I have been on unlimited for past several years. Just paid verizon bill about an hour ago. Went up by $20.00. This is the new normal?
 
I pay $105 per month for data plan, voice/text plan, and the phone installment payment

You make it sound like that's some kind of deal? If you double that payment you could lease a car you know, a car... not a phone.
 
I've been on this plan for a while. I think these were originally only available when the iphone first came out, due to a mandate from Steve Jobs. I'll probably just suck up the increaes considering that I'm probably using 10x the data now with my android phone then I did when I originally bought my old iphone.
 
I've been on this plan for a while. I think these were originally only available when the iphone first came out, due to a mandate from Steve Jobs. I'll probably just suck up the increaes considering that I'm probably using 10x the data now with my android phone then I did when I originally bought my old iphone.

I got mine on my 3g and have been holding tight since. I'm not a heavy user, but damn I wish there was another figure like Jobs to hold the mobile carriers feet to the fire. I'll probably way the pros and cons of tmobile when it is my time to switch next year.
 
You make it sound like that's some kind of deal? If you double that payment you could lease a car you know, a car... not a phone.

Compared to the values being suggested it is lower ... certainly I will be happy when my phone is paid off and I might just bite the bullet and pay the $700 for phone upfront the next time (which would probably bring my monthly bill down in the $65 range ... it is still cheaper than my company phone from Verizon which is on some sort of Enterprise plan for $190/month (but company pays that, not me)
 
I have Verizon. Just got hit with the $20 increase. Really pisses me off. Can't native hotspot or tether w/o paying for it. Pure bullshit. Now I need to figure out a way to maximize my data usage.

Even $5 more is bs, but it is better than $20.
 
I have Verizon. Just got hit with the $20 increase. Really pisses me off. Can't native hotspot or tether w/o paying for it. Pure bullshit. Now I need to figure out a way to maximize my data usage.

Even $5 more is bs, but it is better than $20.
I dont mind the $5 but mind the BS cap after 5GB as it gets so slow that its almost like not having internet and I always stream low quality youtube .
 
I pay around $35 a month for unlimited everything through Net10. First 2 gigs are LTE, everything after that is 3g. The little guys are where it's at.

Yep.
On the T-Mobile family plan. $90 ($100 with taxes/fees) for 3 phones. Unlimited voice/text and now 2GB of 3/4G data, then 3g after that. I'm on WiFi most the time, so I don't even hit 1GB normally.
 
They can have my unlimited data when they pry it from my cold dead hands. The day I lose my unlimited data is the day I throw my smartphone in the trash.
 
I USED to be conservative in my use of my grandfathered VZW data plan... now? I leave qbittorrent open and download steam content even at home just the fuck because... 110GB last month... My wife doesn't even use wifi at home now...

pigfuckers
 
I USED to be conservative in my use of my grandfathered VZW data plan... now? I leave qbittorrent open and download steam content even at home just the fuck because... 110GB last month... My wife doesn't even use wifi at home now...

pigfuckers

Is your land line service that bad ... my speeds and performance of my cable internet greatly exceed my mobile service ... even if I wasn't limited I would try and favor my land line over my mobile one ... ultimately carriers in the USA are not contractually obligated to provide unlimited for all time, if too many users become extreme users they will engage more aggressive throttling or just end the service completely
 
Yep.
On the T-Mobile family plan. $90 ($100 with taxes/fees) for 3 phones. Unlimited voice/text and now 2GB of 3/4G data, then 3g after that. I'm on WiFi most the time, so I don't even hit 1GB normally.

tmobile service is ok in the city but if you stray to far it gets to be crap... At least in Minnesota. Which is a big deal at least in MN as everyone has a lakes they like to fish.

I have been slowly moving my account from Verizon to Cricket and been very happy so far. ATT service is better in the out of town areas I go to, and you can get 4 lines for $100 (5th is free). Taxes/fee built in to the price which is refreshing.

Downside? 4G is throttled at 8mb/s, and 2.5GB cap with 128k molasses speed afterwards (which I have never hit yet but not a huge phone data user).

After my work stipend, I practically get paid for having a cell phone lol.
 
Another person that thinks data gets cheaper like normal pc hardware but yet doesn't want to help pay for the infrastructure costs. From $30 to $35 increase in several years. I have no idea what battle your fighting but this is the wrong one.

I don't think you guys fully understand that, much like wired internet, the cost to supply unlimited data to one of their customers is less then $1. The cost of sending every text message on their entire network in a day costs less then 10 cents but millions of people are charged $10 a month or more.
 
Just when it looks like it's making a return visit...
 
I don't think you guys fully understand that, much like wired internet, the cost to supply unlimited data to one of their customers is less then $1. The cost of sending every text message on their entire network in a day costs less then 10 cents but millions of people are charged $10 a month or more.

Companies cannot grow more profitable by charging only their costs to consumers. It is a business, get over it. Switching carriers is the best you can do, complaining on an unrelated forum will change absolutely nothing.

Text messaging charges was a brilliant move on thier part tbh. It fit within the handshake packet so it did not require network changes and they made a fortune off it.
 
now things like, i just found out my parents phone bill is $250 a month with sprint. Mind you they have 2 non smart phones and a tablet. I am going over to fix this because they obviously were screwed by the sales person at the kiosk, but that is just piss poor business practice by the sales person not representative of the whole company. When my bill with att is $65 a month for 2gb and can add each parent for $20. Cant really complain about att as my bill has been steadily going down since I got it. When I first had my galaxy nexus with them it was $100 a month for 2gb. With the mobile share system and a couple decreases in charges it has gotten a lot better.
 
If they increased the family plan caps I would consider switching but currently they are way to low especially if you are sharing.

Streaming media (video, audio, pictures) has become common place and devices are using more and more data while the data caps do not budge. I believe smartphone usage has overtaken the PC as the primary device for consuming media especially amongst the younger generation.

(On a side note I applaud T-mobile for trying to actually create competition by having streaming not count towards data caps. Its only 480p content but its a start. Also having their data plans not shared between phones)
 
Considering my price has been the same since I signed up for that plan (2007), I don't consider $5 to be all that big of a deal to be honest. At least they still offer an unlimited plan.
The second they get rid of it, I'll bail. It's literally the only thing keeping me on AT&T.
 
We have ATT, 5 lines, 15 gig share plan for $344 a month.
Sure there are smaller cheaper companies, but for northern michigan, ATT is the best.
We were on a boat trip down to lake Cumberland, some friends of ours were bragging about their cheap $20 a month pre-pay phones. Sound great, but they lost service down in Cumberland, no data, no calling ...no nothing. They had to use my expensive ATT phone to call and see what the deal was, after two days of calling and several transfers. Basically no service in that region. Sometimes you do get what you pay for. sort of. :D
 
I don't think you guys fully understand that, much like wired internet, the cost to supply unlimited data to one of their customers is less then $1. The cost of sending every text message on their entire network in a day costs less then 10 cents but millions of people are charged $10 a month or more.

Can I ask what you're basing that on?
 
We have ATT, 5 lines, 15 gig share plan for $344 a month.
Sure there are smaller cheaper companies, but for northern michigan, ATT is the best.
We were on a boat trip down to lake Cumberland, some friends of ours were bragging about their cheap $20 a month pre-pay phones. Sound great, but they lost service down in Cumberland, no data, no calling ...no nothing. They had to use my expensive ATT phone to call and see what the deal was, after two days of calling and several transfers. Basically no service in that region. Sometimes you do get what you pay for. sort of. :D

Interesting... the cheaper companies generally use one of the 4 major networks. You just have to find out which one they use. The ones that use TMobile and Sprint are probably not worth it (at least in my area).

Cricket for example uses ATT network (they are actually owned by att), so far I have not noticed any difference in signal vs my true ATT service friends.

They do say some of the smaller companies do NOT get the same roaming partnerships but I don't have any idea in when (or how often) that is a consideration. Guess its just like anything else with cell service, it really is dependent on your area and where you go most often.

Personally since the major companies are pretty much making you buy your phone outright, I see very little reason to stick with them.

They want you to pay full price for "their" bloated crapware phone that gets slow updates and eventually support disappears.

If they offered generic non-branded phones from the vendors it would at least be consistent that they want the get out of the "device" market. But no they still want the $$$ from their apps and their control even though you are paying full price and in some cases more than the cost to buy out-right.
 
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