Tag: att (Page 3 of 9)

      AT&T to do away with unlimited data, offer tethering

      June 4, 2010 /

      iPhone tethering.AT&T will be making some changes to its existing data plans on June 7th, the same date it’s rumored Apple will announce the next iPhone. Unlimited data will be going away, and in its place, AT&T will finally offer tethering.

      Here’s what you’re looking at for plans:
      – DataPlus. Provides 200 megabytes (MB) of data – for example, enough to send/receive 1,000 emails (no attachments), plus send/receive 150 emails with attachments, plus view 400 Web pages, plus post 50 photos on social media sites, plus watch 20 minutes of streaming video – for just $15 per month.** This plan, which can save customers up to 50 percent off their wireless data charges, is designed for people who primarily like to surf the web, send email and use social networking apps. If customers exceed 200 MB in a monthly billing cycle, they will receive an additional 200 MB of data usage for $15 for use in the cycle. Currently, 65 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 200 MB of data per month on average.

      – DataPro. Provides 2 gigabytes (GB) of data – for example, enough to send/receive 10,000 emails (no attachments), plus send/receive 1,500 emails with attachments, plus view 4,000 Web pages, plus post 500 photos to social media sites, plus watch 200 minutes of streaming video – for $25 per month.** Should a customer exceed 2 GB during a billing cycle, they will receive an additional 1 GB of data for $10 for use in the cycle. Currently, 98 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 2 GB of data a month on average.

      – Tethering. Smartphone customers – including iPhone customers – who choose the DataPro plan have the option to add tethering for an additional $20 per month. Tethering lets customers use their tethering-enabled smartphones as a modem to provide a broadband connection for laptop computers, netbooks or other computing devices. Tethering for iPhones will be available when Apple releases iPhone OS 4 this summer.

      The big thing you might notice in there is that 98 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than that 2GB limit, according to AT&T anyway. All in all, the plans seem pretty flexible, but I have a feeling the people who go with tethering will be paying some pretty exorbitant fees for the service. It might be difficult to hit 2GBs of traffic on your smartphone. It’s another matter entirely on your laptop.

      iPhone, Mobile, News

      Is Wi-Fi the answer to AT&T’s network problems

      May 25, 2010 /

      Times Sqaure.AT&T has a revolutionary and imaginative solution to its network congestion problems in places like NYC: Wi-Fi. Okay, so it’s neither revolutionary or imaginative, but it could actually work.

      AT&T plans to rollout free Wi-Fi across Times Square as a test bed for traffic offloading. The idea is that all those crazy people stomping around one of the most active city hubs will use the Wi-Fi network to upload pictures and Facebook posts and shoot off emails to mom and dad about their visit to the Big Apple, instead of relying on AT&T 3G. The result would be thousands of gigs of data traversing a much wider pipeline, giving you the chance to, I dunno, make a reliable phone call for a change.

      The only thing is, the network has to actually work. I can see this thing getting a solid rollout and then bombing, which will undoubtedly result in a big data push as angry users send their rants to Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress accounts, all back on the old 3G pipeline. Done right, though, this could be a huge boost to congested network performance. Remind me again, why did it take until 2010 for this become a reality?

      Photo from: Declan McCullagh

      Mobile, News

      AT&T jacks their ETF, claims its unrelated to the next iPhone

      May 21, 2010 /

      AT&T spider.If you’re thinking about terminating your relationship with AT&T, do it fast. Come June 1, AT&T is raising its early termination fee from $175 to $325. According to the company, this has nothing to do with the impending release of the next iPhone.

      Right, guys. Right. That big influx of customers you’re sure to get, not to mention all of us idiots who will re-sub to get the next iPhone, we have no bearing on the decision to nearly double your ETF fees. If anything, consider this your warning if you haven’t made the switch yet. I love my iPhone – believe me, I do – but I loathe AT&T. If you think you might hate it enough to call it quits before your two years is up, be ready to part with $325.

      Oh, and in case you weren’t completely convinced this is about the iPhone, AT&T said it will be lowering the ETF for feature phones, down to $150 from $175. So just those new iPhone subs get screwed? Got it.

      Source: WSJ

      iPhone, Mobile, News

      AT&T blocks employee vacation days in June

      April 20, 2010 /

      iPhone 4G shot from Gizmodo.This news came out a few days back but without much substance I didn’t want to get overly excited. Now that the iPhone 4G has leaked, though, it seems appropriate to share that AT&T has blocked employee vacation requests for the month of June. You can bet that’s for the iPhone 4G release.

      Historically speaking, AT&T has only ever blocked vacation days to support the extra traffic associated with an iPhone launch. There is really no other reason (c’mon, who’s actually excited about AT&T as a carrier). Come mid-June you can bet I’ll be seriously considering selling my current 3GS to pick up the 4G. Then again, AT&T hasn’t released those ridiculous rules for upgrading to the newest iPhone model so who knows, I just might get screwed. Wouldn’t be the first time, though, right?

      Source: BGR

      iPhone, News

      The femtocell situation

      April 12, 2010 /

      Microcell 3G.After Gizmodo posted a quick review of AT&T’s upcoming Microcell 3G, I wanted to take a look at the femtocell situation as a whole. By and large I think femtocells are a great idea. They provide a relatively low cost method for increasing your cell signal at home. The cost could be lower though, as in free, and would breed a lot of good blood between provider and consumer.

      As it stands there are a few options for a femtocell. There’s the AT&T Microcell 3G, which costs $150 plus $20/month if you opt for the unlimited Microcell minutes plan. Without a plan your femtocell minutes will be deducted from your monthly account as usual. You can get Sprint’s Airave, which runs $100 plus $15/month for unlimited calls on one line. MagicJack is also reportedly releasing a femtocell, which will likely be the most reasonable of the bunch, at an undisclosed unit cost and the $20/year service fee.

      It’s hard to fault MagicJack for the yearly fee since it isn’t a service provider, and yet it provides the best service out of any of these solutions. It seems odd, in the case of AT&T and Sprint to pay to use your existing broadband connection to send data more reliably than over the cellular network for which you also already pay. It reeks of customer extortion.

      Consider an alternative – AT&T says hey guys, we’re really sorry about our crappy network performance, but these femtocells will run you $50 one time, won’t count against your cellular minutes, and will drastically improve your home service since we’ve basically replaced your home phone anyway. Do you know how many people would buy one? Everyone. Every single person with a cellphone would get one of these things, and everyone would be a lot happier with their current service.

      You can bet people will flee from AT&T once the iPhone is available elsewhere. This is just another reason to leave.

      Mobile

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