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Have you guys seen this? Doesn't totally surprise me. I figured it would happen sooner or later. Still makes me sad though.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...plans-for-existing-subscribers/?tag=cnetRiver
as soon as it happens, I'm cancelling my contract (since they violated the TOS), and jumping ship to an MNVO.
I don't mind not having unlimited data so as far as my bill reflects that.
xredjokerx said:
as soon as it happens, I'm cancelling my contract (since they violated the TOS), and jumping ship to an MNVO.
I don't mind not having unlimited data so as far as my bill reflects that.
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Please forgive my ignorance, but what is an MNVO?
I don't know if they would be violating the TOS. I'm pretty sure the contracts that we all signed gave them the right to change any damn thing they want, whenever they want to.
This move has probably been planne for since 4g was a but a twinkle in their eye.
I'm pretty sure we'll have to wait out our "upgraded" contracts until the original end dates. And they're betting that by then, we'll have gotten used to the "upgrades."
I just love that have the nuts to call this an upgrade. Freaking hilarious.
well from what ive read, it's for customers with a 3G phone going to a 4G phone. I think if you don't upgrade from them you should be able to keep it. Looks like if the Nexus line expands and is sold through the google play store, im buying my phones straight from google
dewhashish said:
well from what ive read, it's for customers with a 3G phone going to a 4G phone. I think if you don't upgrade from them you should be able to keep it. Looks like if the Nexus line expands and is sold through the google play store, im buying my phones straight from google
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that how i'm reading it too, it doesn't sound like i will be required to change my data plan until i upgrade again.
The way it will likely work is that as 3G unlimited contracts expire, Verizon will push subscribers to upgrade their devices to smartphones on company's 4G LTE network. These customers will then have to sign up for the data share plans.
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standard101 said:
that how i'm reading it too, it doesn't sound like i will be required to change my data plan until i upgrade again.
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Probably. But that's the velvet glove. Do we know anything about the iron hand inside? If Verizon's spiel is "Upgrade to 4G LTE" and the customer's response is "No thanks", will Verizon counter with "Upgrade to LTE or else find another provider"?
The mindset I'm sensing behind killing off grandfathered unlimited is that they want all of their customers capped, and if you won't be capped, you won't be their customer. They're playing chicken, and most of their affected customer base will be the first to flinch.
They updated their plan...
http://m.cnet.com/news/57436642
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA
When does this take into effect
sirrdeezy said:
When does this take into effect
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Verizon hasn't said anything more exact than "this summer".
Class action lawsuit.
Tappin' and talkin' with Tapatalk.
theeStig said:
They updated their plan...
http://m.cnet.com/news/57436642
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA
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Yeah, looks like they've opened a loophole in their plan. You lose your grandfathered unlimited if you buy a subsidized new phone (i.e., renew contract). So, if you craigslist or ebay a phone, and convince Verizon to activate it, you'll keep the unlimited data. (Or, if you like giving money to Verizon, buy the phone new from them.)
Interesting. I wonder how many upgrading customers who want the new-new shiny and don't pay much attention to contract plan dynamics will miss that distinction and lose their unlimited access without fully realizing it?
Yup im switching to tmobile! This is such bs!! Tmobile will b the only carrier left with "unlimited" data, after verizon pulls this stunt!!! Oh well, tmobile @ least has the one series phones. Suck it verizon!!
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Xparent ICS Blue Tapatalk 2
kwyrt said:
Please forgive my ignorance, but what is an MNVO?
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Its fake cellphone company, Basically the mvno just runs a billing system but "borrows" the cellphone network from someone like Att.
virgin mobile is an example of an mvno as they run off of the sprint network
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_virtual_network_operator
Just upgrade now, or get a new one off cl like someone already stated
...
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA
Wow, ridiculous. Does your greed know no bounds, Verizon?
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA
Sorry if this is old news(I didnt see a thread about it), but finally the govt does a little something right. And its kinda nice to see greedy Verizon get slapped in the face. :/
hxxp://gizmodo.com/5930610/verizon-officially-cant-force-you-to-pay-20-for-tethering-anymore?tag=verizon
sorry im a new user cant post links
Unless I missed something it doesn't necessarily mean that tethering will be free. What the govt. did was slap them on the wrist for blocking tethering apps in the app store, forcing customers to use their paid app. I could be wrong, though. Anyhow I've heard that a number of people were already tethering anyhow. Just don't go overboard on the data usage even if you have an unlimited plan.
Drunkula said:
Unless I missed something it doesn't necessarily mean that tethering will be free. What the govt. did was slap them on the wrist for blocking tethering apps in the app store, forcing customers to use their paid app. I could be wrong, though. Anyhow I've heard that a number of people were already tethering anyhow. Just don't go overboard on the data usage even if you have an unlimited plan.
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this.
It wasn't just for blocking users from using third party programs, it was for charging LTE subscribers to tether, period (especially users on limited tiered pricing). That is why the share everything plans all include free hotspot now.
Now I'm tempted to get a share everything plan. Can anyone recommend any apps to wifi tether on the market?
Foxfi
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Would you even need a 3rd party app on a shared plan if hotspot is included? Wouldn't that use the built-in app?
If you are on share everything, then you can just use the built-in hotspot.
Here is an interesting article regarding FCC's ruling:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...eans-to-you-faq/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title
People definitely need to read that CNET article. Anyone on an older unlimited plan still has to pay to tether. It's only existing customers with a fixed amount of data per month who can tether for free.
This ruling makes no sense at all. Why would it allow wifi tether on tiered plans but not unlimited?
im goingto guess because the deal was for the 4g range not the 3g range.... unliited plans werent for 4g only 3g.
mtbrgeek said:
im goingto guess because the deal was for the 4g range not the 3g range.... unliited plans werent for 4g only 3g.
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Not entirely true... there was a period of a few months, I believe, where you could get 4G and still be unlimited. I'm pretty sure I fall in that bucket
mossholderm said:
Not entirely true... there was a period of a few months, I believe, where you could get 4G and still be unlimited. I'm pretty sure I fall in that bucket
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Me too! I got my Bionic for free, since it was 100 bucks with a 2 year contract minus some discount I got for using more than 1 GB of data a month. Still unlimited data, no unlimited talk. Still 91 dollars a month for basic service.
5thAgent said:
Me too! I got my Bionic for free, since it was 100 bucks with a 2 year contract minus some discount I got for using more than 1 GB of data a month. Still unlimited data, no unlimited talk. Still 91 dollars a month for basic service.
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How did you get a bionic early? They didn't release it until after they stopped offering the unlimited plan. I signed up the last weekend unlimited was available and the only 4g phones that were out were the Tbolt, Revolution, and Charge.
Sent from my Bionic on leaked ICS!
KaneOfMars said:
How did you get a bionic early? They didn't release it until after they stopped offering the unlimited plan. I signed up the last weekend unlimited was available and the only 4g phones that were out were the Tbolt, Revolution, and Charge.
Sent from my Bionic on leaked ICS!
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I didn't get mine early... I was just allowed to go to the Bionic w/o giving up my unlimited plan.
KaneOfMars said:
How did you get a bionic early? They didn't release it until after they stopped offering the unlimited plan. I signed up the last weekend unlimited was available and the only 4g phones that were out were the Tbolt, Revolution, and Charge.
Sent from my Bionic on leaked ICS!
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I got my bionic in December, then called in February and got switched to unlimited data. They had a loophole for a while where unlimited hotspot was listed in the features section of the website, but it failed if you tried to add it to your plan. You just had to call and many reps would tell you you needed to be on unlimited data to get that, so you just asked then to switch you to unlimited data. The unlimited data was even 29.99 instead of 30 for 2 or 4GB. Plus, if you had any kind of group service discount it applied to the unlimited data but not the tiered plan.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
fozzir said:
This ruling makes no sense at all. Why would it allow wifi tether on tiered plans but not unlimited?
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It actually makes COMPLETE sense (for Verizon's sake) - since you will run through your allotted 2GB or whatever plan you have. If you have unlimited, then you can just power your home WiFi or whatever you want, which is not what you're paying for when you have unlimited data for your cell phone.
Anyway, this is XDA, so this shouldn't really matter to anyone here...turn that 1 to a 0 with an SQL editor and enjoy your free tethering.
I have a stock charge and am using foxfi free tethering on unlimited plan. I will have a bionic in 3 days
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda app-developers app
KaneOfMars said:
How did you get a bionic early? They didn't release it until after they stopped offering the unlimited plan. I signed up the last weekend unlimited was available and the only 4g phones that were out were the Tbolt, Revolution, and Charge.
Sent from my Bionic on leaked ICS!
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Seconded. I bought mine release day with an upgrade and the only question I asked the sales rep was that I make sure I stay on unlimited data, which I have. In theory, the ruling should support free tethering on all 4G service, including unlimited.
T-Mobile is launching a new sub brand, which offers $45/mo prepaid with unlimited voice, text, and 5GB "high-speed" data. It might be a interesting option for people who need more minutes than T-Mobile's $30 Monthly4G 100min plan, but don't want to use Straight Talk.
https://www.gosmartmobile.com/
When would they be available? I called there customer service and they are not active yet. They said micro sim phone might not get all the features like regular sim phone. I have nexus 4 which is micro sim hmmmm
I am interested cause its unlimited talk text and 5gb of hspa+42 data for 45. I am using straight talk right now.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-6
This is a good deal. Sticking with the $30 plan since I don't use much minutes
They are only doing a test launch in a few certain cities for now from what I hear.
sent via xda premium with Nexus 7 or Nexus 4!
Sounds pretty equivalent to the $70/month prepaid plan I just signed up for yesterday.
it's 3g not 4g
wissou050987 said:
it's 3g not 4g
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45dollars is 4g
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-6
I just read the fine print at the bottom of the page you linked to, and they consider 'high speed' web to be 3g. The $45/month plan is 5gb of 3G, then its goes to 2G
Was going to post this, glad I did a search!
If we can figure out what the microSIM issues are, if any.. I might move from the $30 plan to this, at least for my girlfriend.. VoIP's working but this is still cheap enough to be rid of all the headaches.
It seems like ordering a kit isn't restricted to any markets at the moment.. not sure if I want to be the first to take the plunge
definately sounds like a good deal. if ST AT&T doesnt work out well this month ill be definately switching to this next month. just wondering if it will be 3G UMTS or the full HSPA+
Hmm this is very intriguing. I just recently got on a straight talk plan and have consistently used over 100mb of data in a day and keep getting throttled to ridiculously slow edge speeds.
Does anyone know if they cap the data usage and if so what is considered maximum 3g speeds? Or does it just not use 4g towers? I have no idea how that works haha.
I don't get speeds over 2mbs anyways in my neighborhood with a "4g" service plan. Hopefully its all the same network and I won't notice a difference.
gotokyo said:
Hmm this is very intriguing. I just recently got on a straight talk plan and have consistently used over 100mb of data in a day and keep getting throttled to ridiculously slow edge speeds.
Does anyone know if they cap the data usage and if so what is considered maximum 3g speeds? Or does it just not use 4g towers? I have no idea how that works haha.
I don't get speeds over 2mbs anyways in my neighborhood with a "4g" service plan. Hopefully its all the same network and I won't notice a difference.
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just curious, how many times did you have to go over 100mb in a day to get throttled? and are you on ST AT&T or TMO? im on TMO prepaid right now and theyre pretty straightforward with their data, as in however much you pay for you can use it how ever you want. but im gonna be trying out ST AT&T next week just because TMO reception is a bit spotty around where i live. i use less than 2GB a month and maybe go over 100mb one or two days a month
I'm ordering a SIM card to try out. I'll post to this thread with comparisons to my T-Mobile $30 5GB plan.
While I don't plan on switching from my $30 plan, I have some family members for whom this plan sounds great.
If they allow full speed streaming up to 5gigs, this may be a decent deal over ST.
If it's not HSPA+ full "4g" speeds, it's meh.
I am in if it's hspa+42mbps unlimited call, text and 5 gb data even better than solavei and simple mobile which they throttle after 4gb of data for 49.99.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-6
very interested in giving these guys a shot, they are no contract monthly prepaid right?
Sparta507 said:
very interested in giving these guys a shot, they are no contract monthly prepaid right?
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yep
so high speed is 3g lol tmobile...
Not bad for those who need unlimited minutes. I wish T-Mobile's service was a tad bit better for rural areas. I use my phone 5x more when over at family functions or clients away from the city (out of boredom, really) and having to deal with EDGE is a pain in the ass. I'm trying out ST AT&T for the first time and have been pleased thus far. If they throttle me, though, I'm flushing their SIM card down the toilet.
digweed4me said:
45dollars is 4g
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-6
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Up to 5GB of High-Speed web (5GB at 3G speeds, then 2G speeds for the rest of the cycle).
It's 3G. If you're not even going to read the source, don't post.
So T-Mobile's 50MB hard cap on data roaming with the unlimited data plan is seriously cramping my style. Knowing that whenever I'm out of T-Mobile coverage area, my phone roams on AT&T, today I picked up a prepaid SIM on AT&T. I went with the $65 smartphone plan, just so I could try it for a month and see if I might want to switch from T-Mobile.
For those who don't know, it includes unlimited talk and text, plus 1GB of data. After using it tonight, I'm quite aghast at some of the restrictions AT&T places on these prepaid plans.
First off, prepaid accounts don't get access to MyAT&T, neither on the web nor the Android app. This means that the only way you can check your data usage is to dial *777*3# every time. To add insult, it only tells you the amount of data you have remaining, not how much you've used. Its easy to do simple arithmetic, but couldn't they show data usage in the same manner everyone else does? I've never seen anyone show data remaining in lieu of data used.
Next, it appears, for prepaid users anyway, that speedtest.net is blocked somehow. When opening the app, it finds a server, does the ping test, then hangs, unable to start a download. Trying it over WiFi works fine, so it would seem to be an AT&T issue.
Next, they do not offer any prepaid plan with more than 1GB of data. The guy at the store said that it will just cut off after you reach the 1GB cap, but the info sheet I got says they would bill $0.05 per megabyte, deducted from my prepaid account. This would NEVER work for me if using AT&T as my daily carrier. 1GB is child's play for me. I'd burn through that in a week.
Because of all this, I'm kinda faced with a predicament. I will either need to switch to an AT&T individual postpaid month-to-month plan with 450 minutes, unlimited texting, and 5 GB of data for $110/mo and get the vast coverage, or I can stick with my T-Mobile Simple Choice plan where I get unlimited talk, text, and data for $70/mo, but am limited to 50MB of data roaming. And before anyone mentions an AT&T MVNO like Straight Talk, it's not an option for me. I have friends that use Straight Talk with an AT&T SIM, and I can tell you horror story after horror story of data throttling headaches. In addition, most of them have had issues with traffic prioritization. It can be a real problem during heavy use times in this market.
So I'm going to go straight to the source and either stay with T-Mobile or go to AT&T. Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm really torn.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
You should check out AT&T's $50 pre-paid go-phone plan. If they don't recognize your IMEI, then you essentially have unlimited data (HSPA+ included), voice, and text for $50 a month.
dsass600 said:
You should check out AT&T's $50 pre-paid go-phone plan. If they don't recognize your IMEI, then you essentially have unlimited data (HSPA+ included), voice, and text for $50 a month.
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I assume you mean if they don't recognize the IMEI as a smartphone?
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk HD
oldblue910 said:
I assume you mean if they don't recognize the IMEI as a smartphone?
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk HD
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Exactly.
dsass600 said:
Exactly.
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Interesting. That may definitely be worth checking out. The bigger question would be, how long until that IMEI *IS* recognized as a smartphone? haha
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk HD
I recently switched to AT&T prepaid too so maybe I can help
oldblue910 said:
First off, prepaid accounts don't get access to MyAT&T, neither on the web nor the Android app. This means that the only way you can check your data usage is to dial *777*3# every time. To add insult, it only tells you the amount of data you have remaining, not how much you've used. Its easy to do simple arithmetic, but couldn't they show data usage in the same manner everyone else does? I've never seen anyone show data remaining in lieu of data used.
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Click to collapse
While I agree it's kind of weird that they do that, I can kind of see why. With prepaid, you buy it, then drain it. This way, you can see how much you have left before you need to reload. I'm not disagreeing with you and saying it's good that they do it this way, I'm just saying that maybe I can see why.
oldblue910 said:
Next, it appears, for prepaid users anyway, that speedtest.net is blocked somehow. When opening the app, it finds a server, does the ping test, then hangs, unable to start a download. Trying it over WiFi works fine, so it would seem to be an AT&T issue.
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I've noticed this too. I can't get speedtest to work. However, I know that I am getting HSPA+ 15 when using data. I don't know how fast it is, but I am getting HSPA+ 15.
oldblue910 said:
Next, they do not offer any prepaid plan with more than 1GB of data. The guy at the store said that it will just cut off after you reach the 1GB cap, but the info sheet I got says they would bill $0.05 per megabyte, deducted from my prepaid account. This would NEVER work for me if using AT&T as my daily carrier. 1GB is child's play for me. I'd burn through that in a week.
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While one gig is enough for me, I can see if you use more. Technically, you can buy data in increments, at $25/gb. This can get expensive basically after the first gb. My solution? In your next paragraph.
oldblue910 said:
Because of all this, I'm kinda faced with a predicament. I will either need to switch to an AT&T individual postpaid month-to-month plan with 450 minutes, unlimited texting, and 5 GB of data for $110/mo and get the vast coverage
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Right here. If I found that I used more than one gb a month, I would go month-to-month post-paid, get better coverage (coverage isn't a deal for me, but whatever), get way more data, and get more options from AT&T, all for cheaper than prepaid. Basically, I'm paying $50/month for prepaid and getting 1 gb a month and 250 minutes (I barely ever talk on the phone, that's plenty). To add another gb would hike the price another $25 up to $75. For post-paid, I got quoted by a salesperson at my local store 450 minutes, 3gb, and unlimited texting for $70/month.
So basically, if I found myself using more than one gb a month of data, I would go post-paid, and that's what I suggest you do. That's my two cents, anyway.
**EDIT**
As for that $50 unlimited everything plan that was posted earlier: I've heard of people getting their Nexus 4 working on it, but that plan is for feature phones. Why does that matter? Since the plan is for feature phones, the data is throttled at 2G speeds. I can't remember using 2G, but I'm pretty sure even web-browsing would be painful at that speed. That's just what I've heard, anyway.
If you're having problems with speedtest go into apn and clear our everything but apn, mmsc, mms proxy
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Wow, in Canada people complain about 3 year contracts (I never sign them myself thank god), but our monthly prices are not this insane!
For $50/month postpaid I'm getting 500 minutes, unlimited incoming, unlimited calling between 6 pm and 7 am and on weekends, unlimited SMS, and 1 GB of LTE data. And that's on a subsidiary of Rogers which is Canada's AT&T pretty much.
jlear3 said:
If you're having problems with speedtest go into apn and clear our everything but apn, mmsc, mms proxy
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
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That worked! I'm getting about 6 megs down and one meg up inside my apartment. That's about what I get with T-Mobile. I'll see what it's like outside with a good strong signal tomorrow.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
jlear3 said:
If you're having problems with speedtest go into apn and clear our everything but apn, mmsc, mms proxy
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oldblue910 said:
That worked! I'm getting about 6 megs down and one meg up inside my apartment. That's about what I get with T-Mobile. I'll see what it's like outside with a good strong signal tomorrow.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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Worked here, too. Now my only question is this: should I permanently keep my APN with just those 3 settings or does that lag only apply to the speedtest? FYI: I'm only pulling 3.6mbps down and 1mbps up with that APN on that test.
dsass600 said:
You should check out AT&T's $50 pre-paid go-phone plan. If they don't recognize your IMEI, then you essentially have unlimited data (HSPA+ included), voice, and text for $50 a month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The $65 plan the OP is on is a GoPhone plan. I also don't see your reasoning about the IMEI. Even if they don't have the IMEI in their database they can still see your data use and there is a 1GB cap regardless of type of data used (2G, 3G or 4G). The OP obviously needs a plan with more data and the only way to get it reliably is to pay for it.
kzoodroid said:
I also don't see your reasoning about the IMEI. Even if they don't have the IMEI in their database they can still see your data use and there is a 1GB cap regardless of type of data used (2G, 3G or 4G).
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Not sure if I fully understood your post. Are you certain that on the $50 Unlimited Call, Text, & Data GoPhone Plan that there is a 1GB cap even though it states it is unlimited on the AT&T website? If so, is that from experience?
a63548 said:
Not sure if I fully understood your post. Are you certain that on the $50 Unlimited Call, Text, & Data GoPhone Plan that there is a 1GB cap even though it states it is unlimited on the AT&T website? If so, is that from experience?
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The $50 unlimited plan only has unlimited data for basic phones, smartphones have to add a data package to this plan. Which now I think I understand the other persons post, he's claiming that since the IMEI is not registered it shows up as a dumbphone and he's able to use the $50 unlimited plan as is. I didn't even think of going with that option and paid for a separate 1 GB data plan with the $25 monthly calling plan. After I use up the 1 GB of data, which I never have, I should get charged the per KB fee. Of course once AT&T adds the IMEI to their database, if they haven't already, they will tell you you need a data plan to keep that service.
So as an update, I went to an AT&T store today and signed up for a postpaid account. 450 minutes, unlimited texting, 5GB data. Unfortunately I canceled the service 2 hours later. First, I get MyAT&T set up only to discover that the app has no widget and getting to your data usage requires 3 or 4 taps. Strike one. Both Verizon and T-Mobile have data widgets so you can check your usage at a glance or one tap at max.
Strike two was visual voicemail. After sideloading AT&T's visual voicemail app, it wouldn't work. I called AT&T's customer service and after looking, the rep (who was very helpful) said that he couldn't provision visual voicemail on my account because it's only included on LTE accounts. Unless the SIM was tied to an IMEI of an LTE device, visual voicemail on the N4 is a lost cause. I need visual voicemail because navigating past voicemail messages via the system prompts over the phone is a deal breaker. If you get a lot of phone calls and messages, visual voicemail is the greatest thing ever.
Strike three was the data speeds. I drove to five different areas of town doing speed tests and never got more than 2.6mbps down. At these same sites, I would always try the T-Mobile SIM and never got below 9mbps down. The other night at my apartment, I was getting about 6mbps down on AT&T prepaid, but it was late at night on a weekday. Clearly the network is going to be busier at mid morning on a Saturday and it showed.
Luckily, since I canceled within 3 days, I wasn't liable for any charges and basically we just called it a wash.
For now I'll stick with T-Mobile since they give me the stuff I've grown accustomed to, plus truly unlimited data. I'll just learn to live with the 50MB data roaming cap.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Update: It's official. http://www.aiowireless.com/shop/plans.html
Not quite as good as initially promised. Unlimited voice and text on all plans. You get 250 MB for $40, 2 GB for $55, or 7GB for $70. Also, 250 MB of tablet data for $15. On all the phone plans, you get unlimited throttled data after going over your high-speed allotment.
The fine print says maximum data speed of 4 Mbps, which is lower than the 7Mbps I can often get on AT&T's network, but still not bad.
They do have a bring your own phone program. They ask for your IMEI. I put mine in and went ahead as if I were going to check out, and they seemed okay with me using a Nexus 4.
When you go to the website, it may ask for your zip code before you can view plans. This is presumably because it's being test-marketed in certain parts of the country. The earlier reports were that test markets would be Florida and Texas. I entered a random Florida zip code (34105) and it let me in to view plans. I haven't tried signing up, but I think there's a pretty good chance you could sign up and enter your real Zip code.
My take on this now is that $55 is a little too high for what they're offering. I'll stick with Net10, with 1.5GB of high-speed data guaranteed for $42.50 with a discounted SIM. But if you regularly use more data, this could be a worthwhile offering. The $70 for 7GB of high speed data is pretty much unheard of for prepaid, so if you use that much per month, I'd jump on that.
Original post:
A website called Fierce Wireless has reported that AT&T will start offering a new prepaid option starting as early as June. The plan will include unlimited voice and texts, plus 2GB of HSPA data, for $50 per month. Once you go over 2GB, you'd be throttled back to 2G. The Fierce Wireless report doesn't clarify if it's HSPA or HSPA+ (in other words, is it 3G or 3.5/4G?). They may offer a plan with 5GB of high-speed data for $70, though that's undecided.
You can read the entire article here: http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/att-planning-june-launch-all-one-prepaid-brand/2013-05-02
I've never heard of Fierce Wireless, so I don't know if they have a good reputation, but the report is very specific, talks about things happening in the very near future, and is about a subject most trolls would find too boring to make up a whole fake thing about. Also, The Verge, which I consider a reputable source, published a story about the Fierce Wireless piece without doubting its truth.
Even so, this sounds a little too good to be true. In comparison, here are the other deals you can get right now with AT&T prepaid or MVNO:
PureTalk USA: $44 unlimited voice and text, 1GB data, $10 per extra 100 MB overage
Straight Talk: $45 unlimited voice and text, ambiguous amount of high-speed data.
Net10: $50 unlimited voice and text, 1.5GB hard data cap
AT&T GoPhone: $50 250 minutes, unlimited text, 1 GB data
Red Pocket: $60 unlimited voice and text, 2GB hard data cap
Black Wireless: same as Red Pocket
H2O Wireless: same as Red Pocket
AT&T GoPhone: $65 unlimited voice and text, 1GB data
Every one of these plans has a severe disadvantage vs. the new rumored AT&T plan. It's no longer possible to buy Straight Talk SIM cards from their website, and many customers (including me) have been throttled at much lower data levels than ever recently. PureTalk looks like a good deal but has insanely expensive overage charges. The others are either the same price or more expensive than the rumored AT&T prepaid plan, and you have to pay for more data if you go over, rather than simply being throttled down to 2G. Note also that most MVNOs are known for having atrocious customer service.
The comparison is especially stark if you compare it to AT&T's postpaid plans:
450 minutes, unlimited texts, 3GB data: $90
unlimited minutes and texts, 3GB data: $120
That's a lot of money to pay for LTE data, more coverage in unpopulated areas, and a subsidized phone every two years.
If AT&T really does come out with the rumored data plan, and they do give you full speed HSPA+ data, it could put a lot of their MVNOs out of business. And I suspect it will start to cannibalize their lucrative postpaid business.
So my guess is, AT&T will hobble this plan somehow. Either your data will be throttled to 1Mb down, or you'll only get 500 MB or 1 GB of high speed, or the price will be higher. Nothing about the way their MVNOs have behaved recently tells me AT&T wants to make its prepaid offerings more attractive. But I hope I'm wrong with that prediction.
Sounds too good to be true. Guess time will tell. Thanks for the breakdown of mvno's, getting ready to look into one as soon as my contract ends in a couple months.
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If they did I would probably directly my parents there. Right now I am on straight talk with t mobile and while its better and much faster in Atlanta I don't know about their part of KC. But they already have AT&T so they know what they'd be getting.
Meh, ATT still sucks around here (socal) they have good coverage but they still have call quality issues so I'll stick with Tmo but bring on the competition.
If this is true I'll be all over it
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My ex-wife works at AT&T and says she's heard nothing about this to date. They usually get info around 30 days ahead of a released plan so if this is in the works, it's quite a ways under the radar. I would suspect it'd be more of a working memo that got released or something but, hey, who knows? It'd be great to see them all finally start competing on price!
Bump because new information in OP about confirmed plans.
This looks to me like an okay deal if you want presumably better service, 2GB of data guaranteed, and to be throttled rather than shut off if you go over.
The $70 plan for 7GB looks like a great deal if you use that much data.
$55 is a good price, direct from ATT, and they seem to be far more honest about what they are offering. I still don't like ATT but this is the right direction for them to be going.
Has anyone outside of the cities listed tried putting in a zip code from one of the listed cities and then just have it shipped to there address outside of that city?
I'm on straight talk and hardly use any data but yet I'm still constantly throttled to the point that it's not usable.
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DJPrelude said:
Has anyone outside of the cities listed tried putting in a zip code from one of the listed cities and then just have it shipped to there address outside of that city?
I'm on straight talk and hardly use any data but yet I'm still constantly throttled to the point that it's not usable.
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ATT or Tmo on straight talk? I never got throttled on either SIM using over 1gb/mo but I'm curious what you are using.
What I'm wondering is if they'll throttle people for steaming like straight talk or if they'll be more like T-Mobile in the way that you can do whatever you want with your data until its used up.
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lowrider262 said:
What I'm wondering is if they'll throttle people for steaming like straight talk or if they'll be more like T-Mobile in the way that you can do whatever you want with your data until its used up.
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We won't know for sure until people start actually using the service and report back, but their terms of service do not say anything about streaming. They do say no tethering, and of course they give themselves an escape clause that "unlimited does not mean unreasonable," and you can't do anything that congests the network too much.
http://source.aiowireless.com/legal-info/terms-and-conditions-of-service.html
I'd be very surprised if they banned streaming. I've only ever seen that from Straight Talk and other services owned by the same company. AT&T has often been accused of prioritizing their own customers over MVNO people when the network gets congested. I wonder if AIO customers will get any priority at all.
threeclaws said:
ATT or Tmo on straight talk? I never got throttled on either SIM using over 1gb/mo but I'm curious what you are using.
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ATT
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I have 500 minutes, unlimited text and unthrottled 4g LTE/HSPA+ data for 75/month from T-Mobile. Eff At&t prices. They do, however, have good coverage.
DJPrelude said:
ATT
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They are supposed to be more stringent
I called yesterday and they told me I can get service even though I'm not in one of the 3 cities as long as I do it online or drive to a city with a store.
Doing it online isn't a problem but she told me that right now you can only port your number if you go into a store and that porting should be available online within a week.
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DJPrelude said:
Has anyone outside of the cities listed tried putting in a zip code from one of the listed cities and then just have it shipped to there address outside of that city?
I'm on straight talk and hardly use any data but yet I'm still constantly throttled to the point that it's not usable.
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I did and it didn't work. I got some error telling me to enter a valid ZIP code for my city and state, weird.
MkVsTheWorld said:
I did and it didn't work. I got some error telling me to enter a valid ZIP code for my city and state, weird.
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When it just asks for your zip code at the beginning put in 77002. Later it should allow you to put in your real zip code and address
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Is this just another mvno or is it directly from at&t. I couldnt find anything regarding roaming and whether or not these are treated like mvno or at&t prepaid. How do you guys expect this to function during peak hours? Since they cap the speed at 4mb/s does that mean they have the same priority as postpaid on at&t?
DJPrelude said:
When it just asks for your zip code at the beginning put in 77002. Later it should allow you to put in your real zip code and address
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That's exactly what I did. It won't let me order using my zip code. Either it's a site glitch or they really don't want people outside the test markets ordering.