AT&T has really changed its tune when it comes to mobile data. Less than a year ago the CEO of AT&Ts Mobility and Consumer Markets division, Ralph de la Vega, complained bitterly about people who used a lot of mobile data. But today AT&T has revised its mobile data rates – and people who use up to 2GB of data a month get a much better deal than lower users.
What’s the story?
There are two new plans announced today – DataPlus and DataPro. If you think you’ll be using a lot of mobile internet then go for DataPro, trust me. Just look at this:
DataPlus costs you $15 a month – and gets you 200MB. Not great, but not bad enough to be shocking.
DataPro costs you $25 a month – and gets you 2GB a month! For a measly $10 extra, you get TEN TIMES the data use!
Anything else?
There are three other things about this plan that show how serious AT&T is getting about mobile internet.
1) Tethering: the new data plans from AT&T aren’t just aimed at smartphone users – there’s also a tethering option that allows you to use your phone as a portable modem for laptops. This does cost an extra $20 a month, though, so it’s not real cost-effective unless you’re a DataPro user.
2) Optional: you don’t HAVE to take either of these plans if your don’t want to. Existing smartphone owners can stick with the rates they’ve already got. AT&T isn’t forcing anything on you.
3) Overage: for the consumer, one of the risky parts of mobile data has been using more than you’ve bought. Traditionally, operators charge you an arm and a leg per megabyte you use over your monthly allotment. AT&T is taking a different stance with these plans. If you use more than your monthly allowance, it simply sells you another months worth at the same rate. So if you’re a 200MB user, you are automatically granted another 200MB for $15. If you’re a 2GB user, you get another 1GB for $10.
What we think?
A lot has changed since last year. In the time since De la Vega got mad at mobile internet users, AT&T has been chasing after wireless networks with a single-minded passion. The operator declared that fully wireless networks which ran completely on data would be the saviour of operators. And when AT&T announced details of its new $1 billion investment this year, upgrading its networks to handle data better was one of the major goals. In fact, AT&T is now one of the poster boys for mobile internet and data services.
But it’s also a realistic company. It has pointed out that less than 2% of its subscribers come anywhere close to using 2GB per month. It’s far more likely to get people on the 200MB plan – with about 45% of subscribers using that amount of data.
