“AT&T is once again experimenting with offering unlimited data plans to smartphone customers while promoting its DirecTV service, signaling a potential reversal of industry trends toward data caps and charges for big video watchers,” Tali Arbel reports for The Associated Press. “AT&T is trying to capitalize on its $48.5 billion purchase of DirecTV last year. On Monday, it’s announcing an unlimited data plan for cellphones, if you also get DirecTV or AT&T’s home-TV service, U-verse.”
“The unlimited data deal may be cheaper than AT&T’s limited-data plan if you have a family that watches a lot of video and want cable; if it’s one person, sticking with the existing plan is likely a better value, especially if you don’t want cable,” Arbel reports. “It’s a limited-time offer but AT&T won’t say when the promotion would end. People who sign up can keep their plans when or if the promotion ends.”
“T-Mobile and Sprint, the No. 3 and No. 4 carriers, currently offer unlimited plans for new customers (T-Mobile also just raised the price ). But they throttle, or slow your speed, after you use up 23 gigabtyes. AT&T says it may do this if there’s a lot of demand on the network once you’ve hit 22 GB,” Arbel reports. “That translates to about 25 hours of high-definition video in a month. Verizon says it has stopped doing this.”
Arbel reports, “The unlimited plan with one phone, including a first year of DirecTV, costs at least $110 a month and will rise to at least $140 a month after a year because of the DirecTV promotional price. This does not include fees, taxes or the cost of the phone itself.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Unlimited*.
*limitations apply.