AT&T's Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan Customers Get 5GB on LTE Before Throttled

[Steve Williams]

by Jordan Golson

AT&T has verified to MacRumors that customers currently holding unlimited data plans will be able to keep those plans when upgrading to the iPhone 5, and will now get 5GB of data before being throttled. On 3G smartphones, users would get throttled after 3GB of transferred per month.

Additionally, unlike Verizon, which is no longer offering unlimited data customers discounted pricing on new handsets -- even with a new, two-year contract -- AT&T will honor its subsidized pricing policies even for its customers with unlimited data plans.

However, AT&T customers who aren't using the company's new Mobile Share plans will not be able to use FaceTime over Cellular.

AT&T customers who are eligible for an upgrade can order an iPhone 5 16GB for $199 beginning on Friday through the Apple Online Store or att.com/iphone. Users can see if they're eligible for an upgrade by checking AT&T's upgrade eligibility checker.

 

[Steve Williams]

AT&T Won't Charge for FaceTime Over Cellular, Will Require New Mobile Share Plan
Friday August 17, 2012 1:28 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
AT&T will not charge customers for using the FaceTime over Cellular feature in iOS 6, but will require users to be on one of its new Mobile Share data plans. Last month, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson declined to talk about how the company would handle the new FaceTime feature, saying "it's too early to talk about pricing."

AT&T's new Mobile Share data plans will launch August 23rd, allowing users to share their monthly data allotment across multiple devices. The plans are structured with two basic components: a monthly cost for a data allotment and a per-device charge that varies from $10 to $45 depending on the type of device and the data plan selected. All of the plans include unlimited talk and text.

Here's the statement from AT&T:
AT&T will offer FaceTime over Cellular as an added benefit of our new Mobile Share data plans, which were created to meet customers’ growing data needs at a great value. With Mobile Share, the more data you use, the more you save. FaceTime will continue to be available over Wi-Fi for all our customers.
While AT&T is clearly encouraging customers to switch to the new Mobile Share plans, users can keep their existing tiered single-phone or grandfathered unlimited data plans -- though without the FaceTime over Cellular feature.

In the U.S., Sprint has said it will not charge for FaceTime over Cellular. Verizon hasn't specified what it will require of customers to use the feature.

 

[Steve Williams]

If you are an ATT customer this link will tell if you are eligible for an upgrade

https://www.att.com/phoneupgrade/

 

[amirm]

I can't stand the new plans. I like to upgrade but Verizon will take away my unlimited unless I pay full price for the handset which is as much as $500. I like the AT&T model better as otherwise, my kids could run up huge costs here. One is using over 2 gigabytes of data right now! BTW, he is the only one with a 4G handset in the family!

 

[DaveyF]

Interesting that you now bring up these new "plans" being offered by AT&T. I just got off the phone with a very good friend of mine who happens to work for AT&T! He was complaining to me how the company is continuing to lay-off US workers and hire workers in India and elsewhere. They aren't even calling this out-sourceing anymore as AT&T is going direct to these countries ( as they are now established there) and hiring with no "outsourcer" needing to be paid. All in the name of MAXIMUM profit. Randall Stephenson should be proud.....

I think the consumers in the US need to wake up.