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AT&T Moves Away From Unlimited-Data Pricing - WSJ.com
I read this on Wall Street Journal...
AT&T Inc. is abandoning unlimited-pricing plans for new wireless subscribers to email and Internet services on smartphones, kicking off an important and long-awaited shift in how carriers bill their customers.
The change, which takes effect next week, could lower the cost of service for the vast majority of AT&T's users but potentially raise rates significantly for heavy data consumers.
With the move, AT&T's second price cut for wireless plans in six months, the company appears to be trading a hit to short-term revenue for greater control of its network and more power to price accordingly as wireless-data usage grows.
AT&T said Wednesday it will eliminate its $30 unlimited data plan for new smartphone subscribers starting June 7, when Apple Inc. is expected to announce its latest iPhone. The plan will be replaced by new offerings costing $15 an month for 200 megabytes of data traffic or $25 a month for 2 gigabytes. AT&T says 98% of its customers use less than those amounts. Users who exceed 2 gigabytes of usage will pay $10 a month for each additional gigabyte.
The new plans will lower the cost of an entry-level voice and data plan for smartphones by $15, to $54.99. Existing users will have the option of sticking with their current plans indefinitely, even if they switch phones, AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said.
AT&T is also dropping the $30 unlimited-data option for new buyers of Apple's wireless-enabled iPad and replacing it with the $25 a month 2-gigabyte plan. IPad users currently paying for unlimited data will be able to keep doing so.
"The new plans appear well designed to reduce undue network stresses, as they will sweep AT&T's heaviest users into higher priced plans, or, perhaps more likely, will curtail their profligate usage," said Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein.
Executives at AT&T and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, have said this year that consumers are going to have to start paying for the amount of data they use as devices become more sophisticated and traffic explodes.
The question now is whether other carriers will follow suit. A spokesman for Verizon Wireless declined to comment, but Verizon Wireless Chief Executive Lowell McAdam indicated in an interview with The Wall Street Journal last month that he, too, is looking at pricing based on use.
"The old model of one price plan per device is going to fall away," Mr. McAdam said, adding that he expects carriers to take an approach that targets a "bucket of megabytes."
Sprint Nextel Corp. wasn't immediately available to comment.
AT&T is scrambling to improve its network in New York and San Francisco, two cities where the crush of data use from the iPhone has hurt call quality. The company believes heavy data use by a small number of subscribers is hurting network quality. Ralph de la Vega, chief executive of AT&T's wireless and consumer units, has said 3% of the company's subscribers account for 40% of its data traffic.
The difficulties are a key concern for Apple, an important partner for AT&T, still the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs, speaking at the All Things Digital conference Tuesday evening, said the carrier has made progress but has more to do.
"They're doing pretty good in some ways, and in others they could do better," Mr. Jobs said. "I wish they were improving faster... [but] I'm convinced that any other network, had you put the iPhone on it, would have had the same problems."
In January, AT&T and Verizon cut the price of their unlimited voice plans by 30% in part to pull more subscribers into data plans. Growing data revenue at AT&T has offset the erosion of voice plans. The company said the new data plans would only have a minor impact on revenue and said they don't affect its announced financial projections for the year.
Analyst Philip Cusick at Macquarie Securities says AT&T may see lower growth in data revenue in the short term as a result of the new changes, but will gain leverage over the heaviest data users, improving its ability to manage its network and charge for capacity. Tiered plans may also pull more customers into data plans, he said.
Separately, AT&T said it would allow iPhone users to use their devices as modems beginning June 7, a practice called tethering, for an extra $20 a month.
—Roger Cheng contributed to this article.
This is exactly why Tmobile is looking better and better to me. I don't want to have to worry about going over a limit of my usage
I hope all carriers don't jump on board this.. I'm planing on getting an Evo with Sprint and would be pissed of they did a bait and switch on me..
Wow I feel bad for all the people who bought ipad 3gs.
Talk about bait and switch, $10 a month over 2 gigs.
I did over 3 gigs (3.4ish) just a couple months ago on my HTC touch pro 2, so it seems I'm done with ATT.
Gives me a reason to finally switch to verizon anyway.
im glad the 10$ family data plan is still here
th3b055 said:
I hope all carriers don't jump on board this.. I'm planing on getting an Evo with Sprint and would be pissed of they did a bait and switch on me..
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They can't.
If you're ALREADY in your contract on the previous plans they can't change them on you without your consent, if they do you get a instant out on your contract..but they wont. Just get's annoying because now if you want to add tethering after the 7th they WILL switch you to the new plans.
Heh with T-Mobile's "Unlimited Plan" (which I use) it's actually 10gb which isn't bad and I've only gone over it once because I was tethering and doing instant play on Netflix. This will probably move people from AT&T to dying Sprint because of this and Sprint is getting the Evo 4G.
ohwut said:
Just get's annoying because now if you want to add tethering after the 7th they WILL switch you to the new plans.
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You're on XDA and you think you need to add tethering to your plan to tether?
/boggle
The ThunderBolt™ by HTC, the First 4G LTE Smartphone for Verizon Wireless Arrives March 17
ThunderBolt™ by HTC Available Beginning March 17
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless and HTC today announced that the ThunderBolt™ by HTC, exclusively from Verizon Wireless, is available on March 17 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $249.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
Powered by Android™ 2.2, the ThunderBolt by HTC is the first smartphone to take advantage of Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network. The ThunderBolt by HTC features the latest version of the HTC Sense™ experience, which offers enhancements including new personalization options, a consolidated e-mail inbox, and unique camera effects and filters. The ThunderBolt by HTC is equipped with support for Google Mobile Services, including Gmail™, YouTube™ and Android Market™ with thousands of free apps. Additionally, the ThunderBolt by HTC will feature 4G LTE optimized apps such as EA's Rock Band, Gameloft's Let's Golf, Tunewiki and Bitbop.
Additional features:
4G LTE – customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage area
4.3" WVGA display
8- megapixel rear facing camera and HD (720p) video recording
1.3- megapixel front facing camera with video chatting capabilities
Newest generation of the 1GHz Snapdragon processor
Mobile Hotspot capability – share 4G connection with up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices
8 GB of onboard memory and a pre-installed 32 GB microSD card (Actual formatted capacity will be less)
Built-in kickstand for easy media viewing
With the ThunderBolt by HTC, customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a 4G LTE data package. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access and an unlimited 4G LTE data plan is $29.99 monthly access.
Mobile Hotspot allows users to connect up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the nation's fastest wireless network via an application available on the ThunderBolt by HTC. Mobile Hotspot will be included through May 15 for no additional charge. After May 15, customers may choose to activate Mobile Hotspot for $20 for 2 GB of data per month. Customers can track their data usage by downloading the My Verizon app available in Android Market or by logging on to their My Verizon accounts online at www.verizonwireless.com/myverizon.
For additional information on Verizon Wireless 4G LTE visit www.verizonwireless.com/4glte. For more information about the ThunderBolt by HTC please visit www.verizonwireless.com/thunderbolt. For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, and serves more than 94 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 82,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, Nasdaq: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.
SOURCE Verizon Wireless
yup, good news for all. the only thing that i and some others are wondering is how long unlimited 4G/LTE plans will be available and if verizon will someday alter existing plans to avoid grandfathered data plans.
This was confirmed yesterday....
Sweet!
Sent from my Droid
I was kinda underwhelmed by the incremental upgrade of this phone (though everything of course looks good about it...) but seeing the unlimited 4G without a price hike makes me seriously itch to see about jumping on this while it's still unlimited.
What do you figure the odds of being able to retain that unlimited data plan for your next phone after the tbolt are? For forever we kept an old verizon plan that was far cheaper and had unlimited data...until they coerced us to "upgrade" to use any new phones
I'm on At&T right now and I've been considering buying a contract for Verizon while the 4g unlimited plans are still available. I have a grandfathered unlimited plan right now and it includes 4g service (for my Atrix), but they haven't activated the HPSA+ in my area and it seems like they never will.
Does Verizon have a history of altering contracts whenever they feel like it or is it like what I have with AT&T where I can keep the contract, grandfathered, for as long as I don't alter it?
I would just hold out for the Bionic to come out, but it seems like that could be a few months and I don't want to miss out on the plan if it goes away...
ApplCobbler said:
I'm on At&T right now and I've been considering buying a contract for Verizon while the 4g unlimited plans are still available. I have a grandfathered unlimited plan right now and it includes 4g service (for my Atrix), but they haven't activated the HPSA+ in my area and it seems like they never will.
Does Verizon have a history of altering contracts whenever they feel like it or is it like what I have with AT&T where I can keep the contract, grandfathered, for as long as I don't alter it?
I would just hold out for the Bionic to come out, but it seems like that could be a few months and I don't want to miss out on the plan if it goes away...
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Grandfathered plan is grandfathered plan. Droid Bionic is supposed to arrive this quarter, so hop on board now.
johnchad14 said:
I was kinda underwhelmed by the incremental upgrade of this phone (though everything of course looks good about it...) but seeing the unlimited 4G without a price hike makes me seriously itch to see about jumping on this while it's still unlimited.
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^ THIS. When I heard about that this morning when I called VZW and tried to get them to give me the Wirefly price for the phone, I almost just said yes anyway. Living in Jersey City, right outside of NYC, i'm almost guaranteed that I will get 4g coverage. Now I just have to decide if I want to let go of my Incredible, it's so hard...
g00s3y said:
^ THIS. When I heard about that this morning when I called VZW and tried to get them to give me the Wirefly price for the phone, I almost just said yes anyway. Living in Jersey City, right outside of NYC, i'm almost guaranteed that I will get 4g coverage. Now I just have to decide if I want to let go of my Incredible, it's so hard...
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Did they match the price? I am thinking of doing the same to add two new lines to a plan. I might walk into a store and see if they will match wirefly or their own online 199 and waive activation. Effectively same as Wirefly in the end. Except for tax.
No they didn't match it, so I just bought it at their 2 year price. I didn't really try that hard cause it didn't matter that much to me . I'm sure with a little pressure you can get them to match it. I didn't have activation fees either.
Some guy was there actually getting 4 Thunderbolt's. 1 was an upgrade, 3 were for the family plan he was getting. They were working with him to make the total as cheap as possible for him. So like I said, with a little conversation, i'm sure you can get them to help you out in some way.
g00s3y said:
No they didn't match it, so I just bought it at their 2 year price. I didn't really try that hard cause it didn't matter that much to me . I'm sure with a little pressure you can get them to match it. I didn't have activation fees either.
Some guy was there actually getting 4 Thunderbolt's. 1 was an upgrade, 3 were for the family plan he was getting. They were working with him to make the total as cheap as possible for him. So like I said, with a little conversation, i'm sure you can get them to help you out in some way.
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interesting.....as seen in other threads here there are certain discounts online if you have an employee discount (e.g. my employer's verizon store portal shows $229/1 year and $199/2 year contract). i was going to go to a verizon store today to see the thunderbolt in person before purchasing, maybe i can get them to give me the online prices available to me. i'll head there after work and let you all know if i have any success in getting cheaper online prices in-store.
Yea, our company is one of the ones that offers 199/229 for 2/1 year contracts. So I can pick it up online for 229 for 1 year but tax and 35 activation put me way above Amazon or Wirefly+Fatwallet.
On the upside, if I do 1 year I can probably upgrade and sell the TB and recoup a large chunk of the difference if I need to.
HTC wasn't kidding when they said this isn't the phone you want, its the one after that.
I am more than happy with my G2 because I love having a hardware keyboard, but the unlimited LTE data plan is the reason I am leaving. I'm probably going to buy a multi-core phone well before my 2 year contract is up.
Just Bought ThunderBolt online and after Company Discount and Upgrade priceing I got it for 199.99 plus tax. Payed 250 ish Straight up. Im a Added line so I only pay 10$ a month plus 30$ Unlimited 4g Data plus 5$ insureance. My Monthnly bill is now gonna be 45$. *SNORTS*
bummer....the verizon i went to (and it was a corporate store, not an authorized retailer) said for whatever reason they don't match online corporate discounts. i'm heading back north to where i live tomorrow so i'll check out stores there, otherwise i'll have to get it online and wait for delivery.......blah.
i guess other people have nice verizon reps nearby who are either more accommodating or more eager to make sales.
bkiminfinity said:
bummer....the verizon i went to (and it was a corporate store, not an authorized retailer) said for whatever reason they don't match online corporate discounts. i'm heading back north to where i live tomorrow so i'll check out stores there, otherwise i'll have to get it online and wait for delivery.......blah.
i guess other people have nice verizon reps nearby who are either more accommodating or more eager to make sales.
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free online 2 day shipping. pretty fast.
Mine was $199 in store, but only because of my NE2 $50 discount.
Took advantage of work discount. -$50 off of price of phone but tax rapage on list price ate that and some. 22% off 450 min voice plan (no text since I use Google Voice). Activation waved. I'll be happy if I can get Verizon to add 450 bonus mins per month to match my Sprint plan.
This is directly from TMoNews but I'm curious to see how the results will compare with theirs. I figure that TMoNews just might be... a little biased. You think?
So I wanted to post a poll on here where there are a variety of people that would share their opinions. Some of you are with AT&T... some might be with T-Mobile... others... well... why do you even care anyway?
Right... so on with it.
So unless you’ve been sleeping for the past month you likely know AT&T is purchasing T-Mobile. Understandably so, there is a population of readers up in arms and want T-Mobile to stay T-Mobile and those who see the benefits of an AT&T deal. Here is your chance to sound off, T-Mobile reads this blog every day so they’ll see your vote. Will it affect anything, probably not. However, it is a chance to make your voice known as to how you feel regarding this shocking news. Vote away! (quoted from TMoNews)
WARNING!
By the way, keep this ON TOPIC! If it strays from topic I will close it without hesitation. This will not be used to raise your post count, this will not be used for flaming, this will not be a troll fest. If I see ANY of this, the posts will be removed, the member(s) will receive an infraction and the thread will be closed!
I'm not sure what to make of it, even if it does succeed. I prefer T-Mobile to AT&T for better data speeds and cell service where I am. But AT&T has decent cell service, too. Their data speeds aren't as good as T-Mobile's. Regardless of whatever happens with the acquisition, T-Mobile would be wise to market quad band 3G data phones because just the idea of AT&T buying them will severely hamper any sales of phones. If people know their brand new T-Mobile smartphones will continue to work with AT&T, then they will continue to buy. But if T-Mobile doesn't take steps to ensure the continued operation of their phones with AT&T, even if the acquisition fails, then sales will plummet.
MartyLK said:
...T-Mobile would be wise to market quad band 3G data phones because just the idea of AT&T buying them will severely hamper any sales of phones. If people know their brand new T-Mobile smartphones will continue to work with AT&T, then they will continue to buy. But if T-Mobile doesn't take steps to ensure the continued operation of their phones with AT&T, even if the acquisition fails, then sales will plummet.
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I agree. Some T-Mobile devices already support AT&T 3G. To my understanding the Vibrant does already. Although I haven't tried it for myself. They are also releasing several new phones in the near future that got me all excited such as the HTC Sensation. I love pretty much everything about that phone and I can't wait until it's release this summer! BUT! If I can't use it on AT&T's 3G network... then what would be the point of buying it? Unless AT&T adopts T-Mobiles 3G spectrum which is also a possiblity. But honestly, I am having second thoughts now about upgrading to a new phone because what if this merger DOES go through and worse case scenerio DOES happen? I'm on a T-Mobile Loyalty plan that I love! After this deal goes through (assuming of course, it does) I don't think that AT&T will want to keep me on this 'special' plan.
Just comparing what I have now with AT&T:
Tmobile:
Plan: Unlimited Loyalty $49.99
Includes - Unlimited Whenever Minutes, Unlimited Weekend Minutes, Unlimited Weeknight Minutes, WorldClass International Service
Services:
CallerTunes $1.49
Data and Text: T-Mobile Android Unlimited Web + Unlimited Messages $34.99
TOTAL: $86.47
If I was to try to get something similiar with AT&T
AT&T
Plan: Nation Unlimited $69.99
Services:
DataPro 4GB for HSPA+ Smartphone Tethering $45.00
Messaging Unlimited $20
TOTAL: $134.99
Difference of 1gb less data each month and costing me $48.52 MORE every month.
I don't think so.
More 2/3G towers for TMO users to access and new HSPA+ towers for ATT..
Yeah good deal for signal.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
What will happen to T-mobile contracts to those who still have T-mobile when and if AT&T buys it? will we start to pay more? or will we keep the same prices? what's going on :c
caoticpsycho said:
What will happen to T-mobile contracts to those who still have T-mobile when and if AT&T buys it? will we start to pay more? or will we keep the same prices? what's going on :c
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T-Mobile keeps saying that nothing will change.
AT&T says that nothing will change.
But we all know that AT&T is not going to be offering T-Moble rate plans to new customers so they will probably be grandfathered. Which means once you change your T-Mobile rate plan to an AT&T plan... you can't go back. Also when you change your phone by upgrading it is possible that you may have to change your rate plan and services.
So worse case scenario here, you go with the merger, become an AT&T customer and two or three years down the row you want to get the newest and latest phone. By that time AT&T will more than likely NOT be able to allow you to keep your current plan.
But... all of that is just my own personal assumption and again... worse case scenario.
AT&T haven't acquired TMobile. Only T-Mobile USA as I understand it. Either way, my feelings are nothing. I nothing it as I'm English and really don't care nor understand the politics of choosing a phone provider in America!
MarkusPO said:
AT&T haven't acquired TMobile. Only T-Mobile USA as I understand it. Either way, my feelings are nothing. I nothing it as I'm English and really don't care nor understand the politics of choosing a phone provider in America!
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Then why respond to the thread?
My opinion is that it will only benefit AT&T customers (maybe)
T-mobile customers will be screwed. We will be grandfathered in until we want an upgrade and be forced to switch. It will also create a GSM monopoly which will benefit no one (customers, I don't care about shareholders or CEO bonuses) I truly hope they block this merger.
Sent from either my Nexus S, N1 or telepathically using two tin cans and some string.
If i dont see some good deals then im going right to verizon
Binary100100 said:
T-Mobile keeps saying that nothing will change.
AT&T says that nothing will change.
But we all know that AT&T is not going to be offering T-Moble rate plans to new customers so they will probably be grandfathered. Which means once you change your T-Mobile rate plan to an AT&T plan... you can't go back. Also when you change your phone by upgrading it is possible that you may have to change your rate plan and services.
So worse case scenario here, you go with the merger, become an AT&T customer and two or three years down the row you want to get the newest and latest phone. By that time AT&T will more than likely NOT be able to allow you to keep your current plan.
But... all of that is just my own personal assumption and again... worse case scenario.
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As one of the oldest people in this forum, this will not be good for the consumer. I do mergers and acquisitions, and this one will not be a price reduction to us. Bottom line this will not benefit us the consumer. It will help ATT... but for us....... we will come up short and most likely have to look at going to Verizon or Sprint I hope it does not go through.
It is a terrible concept. At&t claims it will save consumers money, but as soon as new phones come out, and T-mobile customers want to upgrade to them, they will have to move to AT&T's expensive plans. I think the reasonably priced underdogs should have teamed up (Sprint and T-mobile) And I mean teamed up not bought out. Then they would be able to afford their cheap plans, they would be given the newest phones, and would make it to number one. Instead At&t will suck everyone dry until Sprint is out of business, and At&t customers realize how much they are getting ripped off. Then it will just be Verizon on top.
IMO
There's a reason Ma Bell was split up in 1984 due to an antitrust suit. Slowly they're sucking up the competition again. I don't think that having a GSM monopoly here in America is a good choice at all. It's bad for consumers because it's taking away our choices. I prefer GSM at this point to CDMA because I like the flexibility of a sim card and the fact that as far as 3G is concerned, the speeds are faster. (I'm not factoring in anything that has to do with LTE sim cards as it's still too new) I don't want to switch to Sprint or Verizon, I get too good of a deal on T-Mobile. I've had AT&T in the past and I lived in an area with a TON of dropped calls. It was horrid, and I hated their customer service. I do NOT want to be a part of AT&T again. I really hope this does not get approved. At least then T-Mobile gets 3 billion dollars from AT&T, some spectrum, and roaming agreements.
Censura_Umbra said:
...It is a terrible concept. At&t claims it will save consumers money, but as soon as new phones come out, and T-mobile customers want to upgrade to them, they will have to move to AT&T's expensive plans...
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Which is EXACTLY what I was referring to in post #7. And I don't look forward to paying $50 or more every month. Yes... it would be ~$50 according to my comparison:
Just comparing what I have now with AT&T:
Tmobile:
Plan: Unlimited Loyalty $49.99
Includes - Unlimited Whenever Minutes, Unlimited Weekend Minutes, Unlimited Weeknight Minutes, WorldClass International Service
Services:
CallerTunes $1.49
Data and Text: T-Mobile Android Unlimited Web + Unlimited Messages $34.99
TOTAL: $86.47
If I was to try to get something similiar with AT&T
AT&T
Plan: Nation Unlimited $69.99
Services:
DataPro 4GB for HSPA+ Smartphone Tethering $45.00
Messaging Unlimited $20
TOTAL: $134.99
Difference of 1gb less data each month and costing me $48.52 MORE every month.
So has anybody heard of any recent updates to this?
well ... i "vomited" online, all over, my rants ( opinions) on this matter, so, all i have to say is :THIS IS CRAP WRAPPED WITH A PRETTY AND SHINY BOW ... BUT AFTER U GET RID OF THE BOW, THE CRAP STILL SMELLS LIKE ...S /-/ iT ...
HERE IS MY REPLY / VIEW ON THIS from another post. We need to show our resent to FCC and DoD to stop this deal. Is there any cases/notices/appeals/votes going on ?? I am no lawer but i seriously believe that we can win the case by just presenting some of the FACTS from these posts.
Every company has flaws. For ATT it happens to be their network. As another member said pick your poison. I will agree with you that verizon is even more expensive than ATT but i wont agree that TMO-ATT merger can be good. I wont compare services as they are location dependent. But just for the competition sake. For e.g. :
1. TMO offers completely different plans than ATT. (and one of the cheapest data plans for $10). Also international users still have a choice of unlimited data plans. Its just what suits you.
2. TMO has more choices of top smartphones. Some of the current and future dual core phones for TMobile are - LG G2X, HTC sensation, Galaxy S2 while Atrix is the only dual core yet announced (Both are supposed to get LG 3Ds). TMO even beats ATT selection in single cores. Almost a year old Iphone 4 and Captivate are next best phones on ATT. While TMO has/had plenty of HTC, Samsung and motorola phones to choose from.
Just answer if GPS on captivate didnt work what choice were ATT customers given - none till this feb, meanwhile all the other companies released tons of android devices to suit everybodys needs. I know ATT supposed to release 15-20 android phones this year but when ? we are done with 1/3 year and all we know is LG thrill 3D and Infuse without any dates. I am sure even then TMO will have more choices to select from.
Its very important for US customers to have GSM competition as all new phone technology in world is first released in GSM. CDMA versions (IPhone, Bionic) are always months late.
3. Again right now TMOs 4G is ON while ATTs not. Atleast some GSM customers have a choice to select a working service.
4. As for what you said "Better coverage, lower prices? ", I seriously doubt less GSM competition will result in lower prices. Plus GSM coverage will still be the same. Its just that ATT will have it all and customers wont have any choice.
To conclude, If TMo-ATT deals is allowed to happen, competition (all the above stated FACTS) will severly degrade with only one GSM player.
I tried to be as neutral as i could & Just presented it from shoppers point of view. I know ATT has many positives over TMo as well. All the more reason the deal shouln't happen. Just to have a choice and maintain competition of devices and services. ATT should improve their network like everybody else by investing in it rather than buying off competition.
P.S: I hate long replies
link12245 said:
The reason HSUPA isn't enable is because android is very finicky with HSUPA. With the captivate, for example, you could change a modem file and get HSUPA, but it would normally knock out Bluetooth, or call quality. They're working to fix this, it's already in testing, so you should have your fix very soon. Also, what's your beef with the T-mo buyout? Better coverage, lower prices? Seems to be a win win for me. Either way, you can't really stop it, so just go to Verizon, get your Thunderbolt which is 1/2 as powerful with 1/4 the battery and twice the bill. Enjoy your 12mb/s (in only about 40 cities) while I'll enjoy my plenty fast 5-8mb/s when the back-haul to the towers is all complete (which in my area is the end of this month). Oh no, it actually takes time for a company to push out a nation wide roll out! Amazing that they can't just nod their head and it be done.
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What's going to happen is just like what happened when alltel got baught out by verizon. Here's the scoop when your grandfathered in with tmobile and the switch happens, you can still keep your plan when you upgrade. You can still have the tmo plan but att is billing you. So it won't hurt people I don't think. Just better signal all around. Besides when the buy out is complete there will still be tmobile stands in some markets, if it goes accordingly as it did with alltel and verizon. Good or bad? I say good! Now America will have a good gsm network. Very much comparable to verizon.
they dont even have their own network together to be trying to buy someone else out!!!!
Someone needs to buy AT&T out! Even though it will never happen!
After having heard the news about Verizon getting rid of their unlimited data plan, I felt a chill run down my spine, thinking what if Tmobile did this. Then I googled "Verizon no data plan" and found out that AT&T was the first to get rid of their unlimited plans.
I pray to God, that the AT&T buy out of Tmobile will not go through. If it does and they get rid of our unlimited plan, then this G2x will be my last smart phone, because let's face it, there's a movement to destroy the U.S. economy, not only is the dollar losing it's value, but most people have less income and living expenses are increasing, and now the mobile carriers are getting into it and milking us till our nipples bleed.
What will yall do if Tmobile ceases to offer us unlimited data, or AT&T buy out goes through? Have you looked at the cost of their data plans? Ridiculous!
All current t-mobile subscribers would get grandfathered in, so we wouldn't have to worry.
I'm on the same boat as you. My plan has 5 smartphones in it and without unlimited data, my bill would go through the roof. It's gotten to the point where my laptop is a side gadget. Haha
Also, as a previous ATT customer, I can say that everything about that company is ****...
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I would have a pace maker installed for my heart cause I can't live without my smartphone anymore.
Or get a third full time job to pay the extra cost of the bill. Luckily I have a lot of dumb people that live around me so I have lots of open Wifi to steal internet from too.
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I recently (2 months ago) switched to a carrier called Simple Mobile. UNLIMITED everything for $60.00 a month. Network is all on the same as the T-Mobile frequencies, I do get 4G just as fast as my buddy who is still on T-Mo.
In areas where coverage is limited it switches over to the T-Mo network.
jacob808 said:
After having heard the news about Verizon getting rid of their unlimited data plan, I felt a chill run down my spine, thinking what if Tmobile did this. Then I googled "Verizon no data plan" and found out that AT&T was the first to get rid of their unlimited plans.
I pray to God, that the AT&T buy out of Tmobile will not go through. If it does and they get rid of our unlimited plan, then this G2x will be my last smart phone, because let's face it, there's a movement to destroy the U.S. economy, not only is the dollar losing it's value, but most people have less income and living expenses are increasing, and now the mobile carriers are getting into it and milking us till our nipples bleed.
What will yall do if Tmobile ceases to offer us unlimited data, or AT&T buy out goes through? Have you looked at the cost of their data plans? Ridiculous!
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Um.....I thought they stopped a few months ago. With their more and even more plans...and soon with their Value/Classic plans. Unless we're talking about 2 different things here
Did you read this rumor? http://www.tmonews.com/2011/06/in-depth-with-t-mobiles-new-classic-and-value-rate-plans/
Let them take away unlimited plan cuz they will just recieve a bunch of disconnects cuz i for one know a smart phone requires way to much bandwidth to even try to pay as you go teir plans.
This is BS how U.S. cell companies get away with this highway robbery. We are about to default on the countries debt.. millions of people without jobs and they want to penny pinch some more out of us.
Secondly we dont even have real 4G speeds and Singapore has faster and cheaper cell plans then us... wow its just sad
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They are doing it because with smart phones, unlimited data isn't a realistic option with current infrastructure and technology in mind. Its too costly to let people use 30 gigabytes of data a month with no additional penalty on the customers part. 95 percent of users fall within the tier limits of 2gb or less.
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Yes the unlimited data thing really blows, I use my wireless hotspot to connect my wifi iPad to and watch movies and work remotely. I average about 25GB a month, but now with all these caps its going to be like having Comcast. They call me up several times a year and threaten to d/c me because I'm always going over their 250GB cap. The thing is, almost 200GB come from the three TV's that are constantly streaming HULU and Netflix, and the rest is normal internet stuff.
This is going to really screw me up, I guess I'll have to ask for my work to contribute more towards my calling plan.
You don't have to worry about it. FTC regulations state that when a firm acquires another, it must honor any and all lingering agreements of the acquired firm. Meaning if AT&T does buy T-Mobile they are legally obligated to provide you with the service you were promised by TM.
Everything gets abused. What's the point of smart device that you cannot acess all of it's cool features?
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LordButtersI said:
You don't have to worry about it. FTC regulations state that when a firm acquires another, it must honor any and all lingering agreements of the acquired firm. Meaning if AT&T does buy T-Mobile they are legally obligated to provide you with the service you were promised by TM.
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All current t-mobile subscribers would get grandfathered in, so we wouldn't have to worry.
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Sure, you'll have service, and your data will be EDGE after they shut down the T-Mo 3/4G. I dont think anywhere in the contract does it say they are obligated to give you a certain throughput. So after you are fed up with slow data you will be force to buy a new phone.. BUT, will this mean that we can get a new "LTE 4G" ATT phone, unlock it and have our grandfathered plan from former T-Mo with new ATT network??
I imagine AT&T would offer something where we can upgrade to a GSM-compatible phone at minimal if any charge. Even if they don't advertise something like that, it would almost certainly be an option their customer service can push through.
Effectively ruining pretty much every smartphone customer's phone would be PR suicide, and possibly even grounds for a class-action lawsuit.
Yes AT& T will honor our plans, until you need to change a service or phone and then you will have to go to there plans!
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jacob808 said:
After having heard the news about Verizon getting rid of their unlimited data plan, I felt a chill run down my spine, thinking what if Tmobile did this. Then I googled "Verizon no data plan" and found out that AT&T was the first to get rid of their unlimited plans.
I pray to God, that the AT&T buy out of Tmobile will not go through. If it does and they get rid of our unlimited plan, then this G2x will be my last smart phone, because let's face it, there's a movement to destroy the U.S. economy, not only is the dollar losing it's value, but most people have less income and living expenses are increasing, and now the mobile carriers are getting into it and milking us till our nipples bleed.
What will yall do if Tmobile ceases to offer us unlimited data, or AT&T buy out goes through? Have you looked at the cost of their data plans? Ridiculous!
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T-mobile still has unlimited data but you have caps now, once you hit your cap you get bumped down to Edge (2G) speeds.
McFroger3 said:
All current t-mobile subscribers would get grandfathered in, so we wouldn't have to worry.
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All current t-mobile subscribers that are on contract when the buyout proceeds would get grandfathered in for the duration of their contract.
Then, they'll no longer grandfather your plan and will force you to "upgrade" to their current plans.
Black6spdZ said:
Sure, you'll have service, and your data will be EDGE after they shut down the T-Mo 3/4G. I dont think anywhere in the contract does it say they are obligated to give you a certain throughput. So after you are fed up with slow data you will be force to buy a new phone.. BUT, will this mean that we can get a new "LTE 4G" ATT phone, unlock it and have our grandfathered plan from former T-Mo with new ATT network??
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This transition should be a few years in the making after the buyout proceeds. Every customer who bought a 3G/4G phone should be off-contract by the time the transition happens & then they'd offer you a new phone with a contract extension (like normal). This shouldn't be a big deal at all.
AT&T is under zero obligation to honor the TMO plans after the term of your contract is up (and even then, if it 'costs' them too much to honor it, they can cancel the contract and force you to either update or leave, but at least you'd be able to leave without an ETF). From what I've read, they didn't grandfather the Cingular plans for most people, so I don't see why they'll grandfather the TMO plans now (meaning after your contract is up, they have no reason to continue allowing you to use the TMO pricing).
Sigh, this really sucks. I hope the government disallows this merger. For people like me who only supports GSM tech, this is a freaking disaster and is obviously a monopoly. How can the government not see this. 1 GSM network is NOT a choice.
However, I'm guessing when AT&T was willing to say that they'd pay T-Mobile if the merger doesn't go through, they've probably paid off the right people with millions to make sure that they don't actually have to pay off that few billions since the merger will go through regardless. The so-called due-process currently occurring is likely to be a sham =(
tjhart85 said:
All current t-mobile subscribers that are on contract when the buyout proceeds would get grandfathered in for the duration of their contract.
Then, they'll no longer grandfather your plan and will force you to "upgrade" to their current plans.
This transition should be a few years in the making after the buyout proceeds. Every customer who bought a 3G/4G phone should be off-contract by the time the transition happens & then they'd offer you a new phone with a contract extension (like normal). This shouldn't be a big deal at all.
AT&T is under zero obligation to honor the TMO plans after the term of your contract is up (and even then, if it 'costs' them too much to honor it, they can cancel the contract and force you to either update or leave, but at least you'd be able to leave without an ETF). From what I've read, they didn't grandfather the Cingular plans for most people, so I don't see why they'll grandfather the TMO plans now (meaning after your contract is up, they have no reason to continue allowing you to use the TMO pricing).
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hasn't this merger already passed? people keep saying that it will happen but still nothing.
it should pass by next year
Well as it stands right now I'm at 8.6 out of 5Gb of unlimited data on my G2X and its been throttled to 60Kbps. its throughput is roughly 7.1KB per second when downloading a file. so I might as well not even have a smart phone since I cant even check my damn email or use the FB/Google+ apps.
I currently have Tmobiles $60 monthly 4G prepaid plan. I have been using an HTC G2 I bought off of craigslist. I just sold a Galaxy S and my G2 on ebay and have enough money to get an HTC Sensation 4G.
Will it be better to open a contract with Tmobile and get the phone for $100, or buy the phone off of ebay or the BST here for around $300. I do not know if there are any hidden fees or anything, and don't want to stray to far from $60 a month. What would you guys do? Im leaning towards buying the Sensation 4G off of ebay.
Extra: What phones are like the Sensation 4G and work with Tmobile 4G?
Screw the contracts. I'm on Simple and pay on $40 a month.
Pay cash for all of my phones.
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Stay
Stay where you're at if you're happy with it - I pay about $180/month on contract with Verizon for just 2 phones....
I would stay on prepaid. My spouse was with US Cellular and the plan was supposed to be $79.99 a month for unlimited everything. It always came out to be about $140 with all the extra charges. Fees for this, fees for that. We're both on Simple Mobile now and pay $40 each... can't beat that!
if your on Prepaid Stay with it, one of the best things about T-mobile was the use of any phone on prepaid. Still kicking myself over going to a contract
Saito2185 said:
Still kicking myself over going to a contract
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Haha! Same...
pputhoo quoted
I vote for prepaid! No more unwanted bills, just pay and play each month
Especially if you get free extra bonus for extending your account balance with prepaid
Contract ends up cheaper in the long run.
I pay 29EUR a month. For me cheaper as prepaid... With prepaid i was at 60EUR or more a month... And i got a HTC Sensation XE but SGS 2 is better
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I vote prepaid. I was on their monthly plan and it felt good being able to go to Verizon without paying them anything.
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Depends on where you use it for. Contracts in my country are obvious cheaper when you call alot, but if you only use mobile internet like me and almost never use up my montly call & sms limit then you might as well stay with prepaid, unless you can score a new phone without having pay high contract costs.
WiFi and voip are the combo I use, I just pay € 10 exclusive tax and then I call for 120 days free with a fup ofcourse and after those 120 days I just start using my credit and pay € 0,02 per min.
But my contract was with a free new phone on that moment worth about € 500 so that;s reason I have a contract with mobile internet, because it just cost me about € 4 each month, so I don't mind that I don't call so much.
But next time I will just stick with WiFi and use no sim card or prepaid as I think in my country the contracts are not cheap any more.
Yeah
I definitely think you should stay with what you have if your happy with it. I'm paying about $155/month on Sprint for 2 phones.
Verizon does offer prepaid for smartphones too, you just need to bring your own device. But, it's gonna run you $80.
Now, you can stay on Tmobile prepaid and use any GSM phone that's locked to Tmobile, or unlocked for any GSM provider(Granted that the phone has the right bands to support Tmobiles HSPA+ connection for full data speeds), but like any prepaid service you're gonna get the bottom of the barrel service. You do pay more with contracts 9/10, but you get so much better service and support. Sprint is going to be the cheapest and most flexible contract service at about $75-$85 after taxes with the starting 450 data plan(unlimited mobile talk, text, and data, 450 land line minutes nights and weekends start at 7), and phone selection isn't too bad either. Now you will be limited on 4g, since Sprint's Wimax service is next to nothing. If you don't have credit, you're looking at $50-$100 for a deposit.
AT&T is known to be the more expensive one out of the 3 carriers, but AT&T is actually just as much as Verizon would be. If you have no credit, you're looking at maybe $200-$400 for a deposit. For $90 a month, you get 450 land line minutes plus any minutes you don't use roll over to the next month, 5000 night and weekend minutes with rollover, unlimited texting, and 3gb of data. For service, it's hit or miss. AT&T will claim they have service in one area, but how AT&T does it is if they can even pull a single bar of service and connect to their towers, it counts as having service. Their LTE network isn't so big right now, but it's growing. Device selection is actually pretty decent right now, about the same as Sprint with the SII, the GS, a dual core Motorola device, a single core HTC phone, a dual core HTC phone, and the Iphones.
Verizon hands down has had the best service, and if you don't have credit maybe $125-$200 for a deposit. Verizon does have the biggest LTE network, and has a deal right now where you can get 4gb for the price of 2gb until the 31st of March on any LTE phone(but it has to be an LTE phone). Their plans are kind of limited though, $90 for 450 minutes, unlimited texts, and assuming you're going for an LTE phone 4gb of data. You only get unlimited to verizon phones, and nights and weekends start off at 9pm instead of 7 like Sprint. You can go up to 900 minutes for $20 more and get 10 numbers to get free minutes to however. Device selection is pretty decent for Verizon, but expensive. The cheapest LTE device Verizon pretty much has that's worth anything is the Stratosphere, but there's hardly any development for it. I love the service I get with Verizon, they're the only company in the Toledo area that has any type of 4g service, but the only reason I have Verizon now is because of the dealer plan Verizon offers to Radioshack employees.
If you're looking for your first contract phone, I wouldn't recommend Tmobile right now, but after they get the spectrum they got from AT&T setup then I would probably consider them, but easily for first contract go Sprint. Flexible, requires almost nothing to be approved, and decent service for Sprint. EVO 3d right now through Radioshack is $50 as well as the Photon, which would be the 2 most cost effective phones on Sprint right now.
vbetts said:
You do pay more with contracts 9/10, but you get so much better service and support.
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If by "service" you mean connection, are there any stats for this? I'm about to switch to their $30 prepaid, and would love to know if there's a catch.
i pay about $100.00 a month with AT&T and i don't have unlimited data. i'm about thinking about switching to prepaid as well when my contract ends.
thebobp said:
If by "service" you mean connection, are there any stats for this? I'm about to switch to their $30 prepaid, and would love to know if there's a catch.
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Most prepaid services are only going to have access to certain towers, meaning you couldn't use a Boost mobile phone that uses Sprint towers and roam off of Verizon or Clearwire, or any CDMA towers.
vbetts said:
Most prepaid services are only going to have access to certain towers, meaning you couldn't use a Boost mobile phone that uses Sprint towers and roam off of Verizon or Clearwire, or any CDMA towers.
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Is this a limitation for GSM-only phones (like mine)?
Edit: or is there any other limitation that you know of?
^ no he's referring to CDMA. Death to contracts.
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Yeah... I regret going into a contract.. Paying around $100 a month just for 1 line and its not even unlimited data.
Luckily its up in July and I can hopefully go prepaid