AT&T announces new smartphone data plans
AT&T has announced new smartphone data plans, outlined below and effective January 22. This is the first significant update to AT&T's smartphone data plans in a year and a half, aside from AT&T's inclusion of an additional 2 GB of data per month for tethering customers. We've provided some comparison with the old plans so you can get some idea of what you're getting for your money under AT&T's new scheme.
New plans:
DataPlus 300 MB: $20 for 300MB -- extra 300 MB costs $20
DataPro 3 GB: $30 for 3 GB -- $10 per additional GB
DataPro 5 GB: $50 for 5 GB, with mobile hotspot / tethering -- $10 per additional GB
Old plans:
DataPlus: 200 MB for $15 -- extra 200 MB costs $15
DataPro: 2 GB $25 -- $10 per additional GB
Tethering: Additional $20/month for DataPro customers and adds an additional 2 GB of data
In summary, overall tier pricing has risen by $5 per month across the board, but the data plans are also more generous by 50 MB on the low end and 1 GB on the middle and high tiers.
AT&T also has two new tablet data plans for the iPad:
$30 for 3 GB
$50 for 5 GB
The existing $14.99 for 250 MB plan remains available. These are still month-to-month, contract-free plans available to owners of the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G models.
Existing customers can stick with their current plans if they prefer, but new AT&T customers will be limited to the new options after January 22.
