vB Easy Archive - Think the $20 unlimited data plan will force down prices of other data plans?

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Think the $20 unlimited data plan will force down prices of other data plans?
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Posted by: cowboy1964

I've said for months now that $20 a month for unlimited data is a killer deal, compared to $40, $60, whatever.

I hope this will eventually drive down the cost of data plans in general. Frankly I think that extra $20 a month ($480 over two years!) is a make-or-break deal for a lot of people. It certainly makes shelling out $500 or $600 upfront for the phone a lot more palatable.

Posted by: OGHowie

This was one of the reasons I jumped ship from Verizon. I was paying $45 a month for unlimited.

Edge has also been faster than I thought it would be.

Posted by: secrecyguy

$20 for unlimted data for AT&T? I didn't know that. I thought it was more.

To answer your question, no.

T-mobile been doing that for a while now for their Blackberries and Sidekicks.

Posted by: Angelo921

Can AT&T raise the unlimited price for data or is is tied into our contract with the monthly plan for the iphone?

Posted by: scaredpoet

I don't think it's tied into the contract. Though I think Apple strongarmed AT&T into pricing the data plan at $20, so it's unlikely to change.

Posted by: phoneorama

Since the iPhone data plan is limited to the iPhone and the iPhone is so limited in what it can do with data I don't see this bringing down data prices in general. In fact, data prices can be very low right now.

For example, Sprint offers its SERO plans with unlimited EVDO data at no additional cost and plan costs far less than the iPhone plans.

-D

Posted by: mjohns2

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoneorama

the iPhone is so limited in what it can do with data
-D

How is the iPhone limited in what it does with data?

Posted by: bigmike20

Me too. I'm impressed w/ EDGE. Thought it was gonna slower when compared to my past phones that access just wap pages.
Happy with the Iphone so far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OGHowie

This was one of the reasons I jumped ship from Verizon. I was paying $45 a month for unlimited.

Edge has also been faster than I thought it would be.

Posted by: ahduke99

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjohns2

How is the iPhone limited in what it does with data?

i dont know what he's talking about. i've used much more data on the iphone than i ever have with any other phone. it's such a pleasure to use. who wants to surf the web on any other device?

Posted by: Mark Booth

The other data plans aren't likely to get much cheaper because the true cost of those other phones are still being subsidized through your monthly rate plan!

Everyone keeps forgetting that you actually buy the iPhone outright. AT&T isn't subsidizing the cost of the iPhone. Thus, Apple was able to negotiate a better deal for the iPhone plan!

Mark

Posted by: ponda baba

dash users with t-mo only pay 5.99 for unlimited data.

Posted by: XanderMac

Quote:

Originally Posted by ponda baba

dash users with t-mo only pay 5.99 for unlimited data.

I have t-mobile and a dash, and while what you say "can" be done you know well what hoops you have to jump through to do it! Not to mention that the loophole is being closed. The $5.99 it a tzones plan for wap, nothing more. Data for the dash is $29.99 per month (or $19.99 if you're grandfathered into the old plan like i am). Be honest next time, everybody sees through that rubbish.

Posted by: BIGMERF

i hope they dont raise the 20..

Posted by: grigsby1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Booth

The other data plans aren't likely to get much cheaper because the true cost of those other phones are still being subsidized through your monthly rate plan!

Everyone keeps forgetting that you actually buy the iPhone outright. AT&T isn't subsidizing the cost of the iPhone. Thus, Apple was able to negotiate a better deal for the iPhone plan!

Mark

what better deal, since we bought the iphone outright, the data should be part of the plan package, like sprint i had a motorola q on sprint before switching to the ipone, total for the plan was $59 wich incl. min, data etc.
i think verzion was the only carrier that higher higher plans than att before the iphone. everybody else was already cheaper.

Posted by: KDarling

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Booth

AT&T is still subsidizing, it's just that Apple is taking most of that money for themselves.

Apple reportedly collects up to $200 bounty per contract along with $3-9 a month revenue sharing. That's the subsidy that sales outlets and buyers usually share.

So, instead of the customer getting $300-400 off the price of the phone, Apple gets that money (plus the profit on the device sale itself). It's amazing that editorialists ignore this. Fanboys may love lining Apple's pockets, but most buyers would not.

Perhaps some extra goes into the data plan, but it just feels more like AT&T thought $20 was all the market could stand for an EDGE device... when 3G plans at $30-40 give up to twenty times the speed. That is, they'll be able to charge more for the 3G iPhone.

Posted by: BIGMERF

Quote:

Originally Posted by KDarling

Exellent point on the 3g comment

Posted by: ATT*Mark

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaredpoet

I don't think it's tied into the contract. Though I think Apple strongarmed AT&T into pricing the data plan at $20, so it's unlikely to change.

hahaha how ignorant and funny. that pricing is actually smartphone unlimited data . its been that price forever. nothing new as far as pricing goes .

Posted by: TerKeZy

Can the iphone be purchased with a data plan only and no phone plan for just $20 a month?

Posted by: scaredpoet

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATT*Mark

hahaha how ignorant and funny. that pricing is actually smartphone unlimited data . its been that price forever. nothing new as far as pricing goes .

The iPhone is not a "Smarpthone." It has features will easily put it in the PDA class, which many Cingular users pay $40 a month for unlimited data on. AT&T has long deliniated a "PDA" class phone as one with a touch screen, is PIM syncable, and can browse the full web (or at least make an attempt at it).

And then there's the case of the the Samsung Blackjack. It does not fit all this criteria, lacking a touch screen and thus making it a "smartphone." Yet people still pay $40 a month for data on that. How ignorant and funny of you to ignore that fact.

Posted by: XanderMac

if you call AT&T and ask them how much iPhone data is they'll tell you $40! They told me my voice was $39.99 (900 minutes) and data was $40.00, it works out to the same price as apple advertises but why the confusion I wonder? Even the website shows $40 for data!!?!?!

Posted by: ChivalricRonin

Is that unlimited data w/unlimited texts? There are 3 iPhone data plans that I know of $20 = unlim data w/200 text, $30 = unlim data w/1000 txts, $40 = unlim data w/unlim txts.

Its probably the SMS usage. Though personally, if most of your friends are on ATT too, get the $5 unlimited in-network text messaging.

Posted by: Mark Booth

The AT&T website doesn't break down the iPhone plan. It simply lists the 900 minute plan as $79.99 and shows that it includes unlimited internet:

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-ph...honeCenter.html

Also, the least expensive personal data plan for a Blackberry on AT&T is $35 a month. So I don't know where these other figures are coming from. That's $15 a month more expensive than the iPhone.

Mark

Posted by: ATT*Mark

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaredpoet

buddy i work for AT&T you arent telling me anything new.....The blackjack uses PDA connect because of its data usage. Its 3G so right there its going to use more data than the 3125 or 2125 smartphones. not to mention are discontinued. id hardly call the iphone a PDA . it runs no editing software for documents, not one push email and cant even view email attachments . oh it has a touch screen that automatically makes it the most powerfull PDA on the market

and guess what , the iphone data with 1500 text is the EXACT same price as smartphone max with 1500 messages. wow funny how that works.