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AT&T to allow grandfathered unlimited iPad data plans on iPad 2, your weekend rave to continue
Good news, iPad 3G owners. If you were lucky enough to snag one of those coveted unlimited data plans with your original AT&T iPad, you won't have to toss it when upgrading next week. The carrier has confirmed to us that those who currently have the aforementioned plan will be able to keep it on their account when upgrading to the iPad 2, which in turns gives you no reason whatsoever to turn down the opportunity. Except for the lack of a USB port, SD card slot and a screen that touts the exact same resolution as the first model, of course. [Thanks, David]
T-Mobile getting ready to roll out new webConnect broadband plans, offer 20 percent discount
Already a T-Mobile subscriber? Been thinking about adding a mobile broadband plan to go along with it? Hold on to that credit card for a little longer, as we're hearing that the company is about to roll out new webConnect plans that will, at least in some cases, include a 20 percent discount for those who already have voice plans. The date March 13th is mentioned as something of a line in the sand between the current and new offerings, but really that's about all we know at this point. Well, about these plans, anyway. We know lots of things about other stuff.
AT&T intros new postpaid plans for the iPad 2 and other tablets
AT&T introduced two new postpaid plans for tablets, a category that includes the upcoming iPad 2. Unlike prepaid plans, which require customers to buy data allotments upfront, these new plans can be added to a customer's current monthly cellular bill. This new postpaid option is month-to-month and does not require a long-term commitment. Pricing for the postpaid plans mirror the prepaid plans with a $14.99 plan that provides 250 MB of data or a $25 plan with 2 GB of data. Overages on the new postpaid plans will be charged at a rate of $10 per 1 GB of overage. This is slightly less than the prepaid plans, which charge customers $25 for an additional 2 GB of usage. These new plans give customers the freedom to choose how they would like to be billed for data to be used with their shiny new 3G iPad 2. As a benefit for early adopters of the iPad 2, AT&T is offering a limited-time promotion that provides one free month of service for those that sign up for the new $25/2 GB plan.
AT&T introduces new post-paid plan for tablets, for those who prefer paying ex post facto
Month-to-month billing is a great way to go for those who aren't going to be traveling with their tablets all the time. If you'll be a more frequent mobile data user, but still don't want to get stuck with a contract, AT&T is introducing new post-paid plans. They can be added to an existing wireless plan (single billing FTW) and will see you billed automatically every month, but now you can cancel whenever your heart desires. Initial pricing is on-par with the pre-paid plans, which means $14.99 for 250MB or $25 for 2GB. It's only the overage charges that are different here, $10 per 1GB versus $25 for 2GB on the pre-paid option. Not a huge difference, that, so really this is more of a convenience thing.
Verizon to drop unlimited iPhone data plans
During the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom conference on Tuesday, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo confirmed that Verizon will be moving to tiered data plans as early as this summer. Speaking about the unlimited data plan available with the iPhone 4, Shammo said, "Everyone knows that isn't long-term. We will move to tiered pricing in the mid-summer time frame." The iPhone 4 was launched with a $30 monthly plan that included unlimited smartphone data. The company previously offered a $15/150 MB plan that appealed to some customers, but this plan was removed when the iPhone 4 launched. Verizon is hoping tiered plans will grab entry-level customers who want a smartphone, but don't want to pay the high price for cellular data. A low-cost data plan would entice those on the fence to take the plunge and pick up a smartphone. Verizon currently has 25 percent smartphone penetration and hopes to use these low-cost data plans to boost that rate to 50 percent by the end of 2011. Shammo would not confirm the price of these tiered plans as the entry level price point is still under discussion. Last year, AT&T introduced tiered data plans with a $25 / 2 GB plan for smartphone owners. Verizon would most likely equal or beat the value of these AT&T plans.
Verizon targeting mid-summer for tiered data plans, doesn't yet know what kinds of tiers they'll be
Verizon's made no secret of the fact that $30 unlimited smartphone data wouldn't last forever, but CFO Fran Shammo just made things a little more interesting today at the same Morgan Stanley conference Sanjay Jha rocked yesterday: turns out they're targeting "mid-summer" to rearrange the carrier's data pricing. Interestingly, Shammo says they're still working through the details and that they don't yet know whether the tiers will be based on speed, bit buckets, or some combination of the two. Of course, Verizon's already dipped its toes in the tiered game with a $15 / 150MB option that evaporated around the time that the CDMA iPhone launched. Speaking of the iPhone, Shammo notes that the unlimited data plan was kept around to draw users into the iPhone fold -- iPhone users tend to consume a lot of data, after all -- so it'd seem that they might comfortable with that one-time conquest before parting ways with unlimited for good.
Verizon announces Xoom pricing: $600 on contract, $20 per month for 1GB data
Verizon just filled in the rest of the Xoom pricing story -- in addition to the $800 off-contract version that's already up for pre-order at Best Buy, you'll be able to sign a two-year data contract and pick up a Xoom for $600 upfront. That's a decent savings, although you'll be getting just 1GB of 3G data for $20/month, so it's not exactly a stunning deal in the end: a Xoom and 24GB of data over two years for $1,080. On the plus side, Verizon has confirmed that the Xoom LTE upgrade will in fact be free when it goes live in Q2, which is terrific news -- but we're waiting to see what the LTE data plans look like before we get too excited. PR after the break. Update: We're hearing from Verizon reps that the Xoom will also be able to take advantage of the carrier's larger data plans as well -- $35 a month for 3GB, $50 a month for 5GB, and $80 a month for 10GB. Still no word on LTE pricing, though. [Thanks, droiddoesall]
AT&T adding $35 3GB plan, cutting 5GB plan to $50 for LaptopConnect devices
We're still mourning the untimely death of unlimited data, but the good news is that carriers are still playing with plan pricing to figure out what the market will bear -- and in at least some cases, it's for the cheaper. AT&T's on the verge of revising its 5GB LaptopConnect plan (the type of plan you use on USB modems and MiFis) down from $60 to $50 per month with overage now $10 per 1GB rather than $0.05 per MB previously -- $50 per GB. Additionally, the old 200MB plan for $35 is being replaced with a "promotional" 3GB plan at the same price (also with $10 per 1GB overage), though no expiration date has been put in place just yet. The changes dovetail conveniently with the recent tethering / mobile hotspot boost to 4GB, and might even suggest a boost in AT&T's confidence over its network as it starts upgrading to HSPA+ nationwide. [Thanks, Amg]
Verizon 4G LTE might offer $30 unlimited data plan, if you're lucky
The mobile rumor mill has been abuzz about Verizon's potential move away from unlimited data plans for a long time now, but we're not putting the rumors to rest. In fact, we're just fanning the flames -- according to the folks at Droid Life, Big Red's $30 unlimited data plan could be coming to 4G LTE. The site's sources point out that this might mean $30 plus $15 for 4G data, and that pricing structures are likely to change as the LTE Juggernaut powers ahead. Considering the first Verizon 4G phones haven't even made it to market yet, unlimited data might be around for sometime to come ... then again, it might not -- don't you just love speculation?
AT&T adding an extra 2GB to phone tethering plans, launching Mobile Hotspot app February 13th
What, 2GB of monthly data isn't enough for your laptoppin' needs? Yeah, us either -- fortunately, AT&T's tweaking its phone tethering plan a bit with an extra 2GB that can be shared among all devices for a grand total of 4GB. As before, you'll need to start off with the $25 DataPro plan and tack on an extra $20 for tethering, bringing the total to $45 a month. In conjunction with the move, AT&T has announced that it'll begin rolling out a Mobile Hotspot app starting with the HTC Inspire 4G at its launch on February 13th, which means these guys are finally coming around and embracing the data revolution that's been taking hold the last year or two across the industry -- a trend that began with its first launch of a MiFi a few months back. Existing DataPro tethering customers will get the extra 2GB automatically added to their accounts, so there shouldn't be anything you need to do; obviously, we would've preferred something closer to unlimited, but something tells us that ship has sailed. Follow the break for the press release.
Verizon confirms iPhone will get $30 unlimited data plan, we try to act surprised (update: WiFi tethering prices)
Hot on the heels of re-tooling its data plans Verizon is now confirming that the iPhone will indeed be eligible for the company's $30 unlimited data plan. COO Lowell McAdam told The Wall Street Journal "I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot," thus confirming what we already knew and showing his keen sense for both business and self-preservation. No comment on whether discontinuing the company's $15, 150MB monthly data plan will result in penetration wounds to any other appendages, but time will tell on that one. Update: As spotted by SlashGear, WSJ has posted an update indicating that the unlimited plan is a decidedly limited time thing, with tiered pricing to come in the "not too distant future." Intrigue! Update 2: And Macworld's confirmed that Verizon's iPhone WiFi data tethering pricing will be the same as all their other phones: $20 a month on top of your regular data plan, with a separate 2GB cap and $20-per-gig overage charges. [Thanks, Mike]
WSJ: Verizon confirms $30 unlimited data plan - for now
Verizon will offer a $30 unlimited data plan, the Wall Street Journal confirmed this morning, similar to the original plan that AT&T offered when the iPhone was originally introduced. This comes after a couple weeks of speculation. "I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot," said Lowell McAdam, the carrier's chief operating officer. Engadget, however, is showing that Verizon is doing away with its tiered data plan option entirely. This offers another incentive not only for new iPhone customers, but luring over current AT&T users who are on the fence about whether or not to switch. AT&T has had capped-tier data plans since June, but those iPhone customers with older contracts had their unlimited data plans grandfathered in. Update: The WSJ updated its blog to say that the unlimited data is a limited-time option, and that Verizon will be moving to tiered pricing in the near future. [via MacRumors]
Verizon tweaking low-end data plans, using '3G' distinction to upcharge for LTE
Well, that didn't last very long at all: looks like Verizon is killing off its $15 150MB data plan for smartphones altogether, instead corralling folks into the $30 unlimited option. Of course, with the proliferation of data-hungry smartphone apps on Android (and soon, the iPhone), 250MB per month of usage is becoming less and less reasonable by the day, so we can't say we're terribly surprised. Meanwhile, the $9.99 25MB feature phone data option is getting a bump up to 75MB with $10 per 75MB overage, a slight drop from the 20 cent / MB overage that those customers deal with currently. Finally, you'll notice that the $30 unlimited plan is now qualified as applying to "feature phones and 3G smartphones," not merely "smartphones" as they were before -- a nod to the fact that Verizon's upcoming LTE handsets won't be eligible for the same pricing. What, did you think you were going to be blazing on your ThunderBolt at 20 or 30Mbps without a care in the world? [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Sprint increasing 3G data plan pricing by $10/mo, calling it 'premium data'
Oh, Sprint, you sneaky devil. The nation's third-largest carrier just announced that it's tacking on an extra monthly $10 "premium data" charge to its 3G Everything data plans -- in effect, charging 3G phone owners the same total price that Evo and Epic owners pay now for 4G service. It's especially weird because Sprint's hidden the price increase in a press release entitled "Smartphones Drive Wireless Data Explosion" that initially appears to be about increased use of data before shifting abruptly into a defense of the additional charge and potshots at tiered data plans -- we know no one wants to talk price increases, but let's have some gumption, guys. Existing 3G Everything plan holders won't see their rates go up until they "upgrade or activate another smartphone," which doesn't sound great for family plans, but we'll get some clarification on that and let you know. Either way, we'd say picking up a non-4G Sprint phone just got real silly. PR after the break.
Virgin Mobile abandons unlimited data in favor of throttled 5GB plan
Well, it was fun while it lasted, but it looks like Virgin Mobile customers in the US will soon have to make do without their truly unlimited $40 data plan. Starting on February 15th, that will be replaced with a new plan that gives you 5GB of unhindered data use, and throttled bandwidth for anything used beyond that limit. For its part, Virgin says that most customers who use the BB2Go plan for "internet surfing and reasonable downloading will likely not be impacted/notice any difference," but we're sure there's plenty of folks out there that will beg to differ. As you may recall, T-Mobile also introduced some bandwidth throttling of its own this past year, but it actually did so in lieu of overage charges, which is a bit easier to accept than throttling slapped on top of a once unlimited plan. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
T-Mobile UK backs down a bit, limits 500MB fair use policy to new and upgrading customers
Alright, folks -- if you've already got a T-Mobile UK account in your back pocket, you can breathe a sigh of relief, because that ugly new data cap doesn't apply to you. It took the operator just a day to realize that putting a hazy "fair use" restriction of just 500MB per month on existing accounts wasn't going over too well with its customer base, so they've conducted a "further review" and decided that they'll instead only be applying the rule to new and upgrading customers as of February 1 only. We wouldn't call this an outright win by any stretch -- the policy is still enormously restrictive, vague, and a pretty clear-cut disadvantage of the competition-reducing Everything Everywhere hookup, and it looks like they'll still end up tagging you as soon as you try to upgrade your plan or your hardware anyway... but we'll take whatever reprieve we can get. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Verizon reportedly ready to offer unlimited data plans on iPhone
Still not believing that Verizon Wireless will introduce a CDMA'd iPhone for its network tomorrow? We can't say we're completely sold either, but it's getting harder and harder to fight off the emotions pointing to "yes." The Wall Street Journal has followed up on its earlier reports by suggesting that not only will VZW soon carry Apple's iPhone 4, but that it will make no changes to its data plans once that happens. Of course, it's not like anyone actually expected Big Red to do such a thing, but it's definitely one more reason for heavy users to consider Verizon Wireless over AT&T. Grandfathered customers notwithstanding, AT&T users who buy a new iPhone 4 are hit with a few tiered data plan options, with the largest ($25 / month) being capped at 2GB. With Verizon, $29.99 per month nets you "unlimited" data, though you could run into issues if you routinely suck down more than 5GB -- a rather typical 'gotcha' in the American cellular space. The real question, however, is this: will the Verizon iPhone be compatible with Verizon's $14.99 / month (150MB) plan, and moreover, will it ever be upgradable to handle the LTE network we heard oh-so-much about just days ago? Bookmark our liveblog and tune in tomorrow to find out!
WSJ: Verizon iPhone will offer unlimited data
We've been wondering for the past day or so what the distinguishing features of the Verizon iPhone might be. Will it come in colors? Aside from VZW's respectable network and CDMA technology, how will the iPhone experience on Big Red be different? If the Wall Street Journal is right, there'll be a big difference in the service plans: unlimited data. The paper cites a source familiar with Verizon's plans saying that an unlimited data option will be available. By comparison, AT&T moved to a capped tier this summer, which angered some users who preferred the unlimited option. [via Business Insider]
MetroPCS tweaks LTE plans: $40 gets you unlimited talk, text, and web*
Ah, there always has to be fine print, doesn't there? Don't get us wrong -- $40 for unlimited talk and text alone is still a pretty fantastic deal in the scheme of things -- but in tweaking its LTE service plans today, MetroPCS has made the data situation just a little confusing. Technically, the $40 plan also includes unlimited web access plus YouTube... but at the $50 price point, you get 1GB of "additional data access" for features that aren't covered under MetroPCS' definition of "web browsing." You also get turn-by-turn navigation, international text messaging, access to corporate email accounts (another arbitrary distinction that we'd kind of like to see go away), and audio / video features through the carrier's MetroSTUDIO service. At $60, you get unlimited access to MetroSTUDIO including 18 channels of on-demand video content. MetroPCS' lowest-cost LTE offering had previously been $55, so it's a step in the right direction -- but pro-net neutrality? Yeah, not so much. Follow the break for the press release.
Three's The One Plan serves up all-you-can-eat data in the UK
Unlimited data. No, for real this time. While US carriers are tripping over each other to claim the death of uncapped data allowances, the UK's 3G-only network operator is bringing them back like a pair of retro sneakers. Three's grandly titled The One Plan takes all limits and fair usage gotchas away and just lets you suckle bandwidth to your heart's content. And that explicitly includes tethering your phone to your laptop and using it as a 3G modem -- very classy. New and old customers will benefit from this, meaning that if you're already on this plan you're in line for a free upgrade. The offer's effective now and contracts start at £25 a month with a minimum term of one year. We'll be highly impressed if Three's network, never mind this deal, survives a full year of being bashed over the head by iPlayer streams and YouTube uploads, but here's hoping, eh?
