Is Att screwing with thieir mvnos data plans?

**Big Blue 023** · 08-10-2012, 04:25 AM

First H20 started with their majorly inconsistent data plans and now throttling. Red Pocket gives a gig but throttles. Straight Talk/N10 now throttles. Idk about Air Voice. This is just too big a coincidence. Any insiders know anything about this. Is Att squeezing its mvnos? What's up?

**kevdogg329** · 08-10-2012, 07:20 AM

not an insider, but ATT sets the playground the MVNO's play in. They dictate pricing, data limits, and with ATT trying to jack up the pricing on their postpaid data, it makes since they are making everyone else's data inconstant, to get people to go to an ATT data plan.

**johnhere** · 08-10-2012, 07:37 AM

My vz source tells me just a matter of time before Vz plans something similar with theirs also, so pp may go through similar.

**Big Blue 023** · 08-10-2012, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by johnhere

My vz source tells me just a matter of time before Vz plans something similar with theirs also, so pp may go through similar.

Hope not, but Page Plus's has been cranking up the data big time. The gap between Verizon prepaid and Page Plus is still big but closing ($80 smartphone plan, added value Bis/Bes service, increased 3g phone byod, $50 unlimited feature phone plan). I don't mind throttling on "unlimited" data plans, but on fixed amount plans, they should be upfront and say how much is full speed and how much is throttled.

If I buy a gig, I want a gig at full speed, not changing their definition of a gig every week.

**Endeavor** · 08-13-2012, 12:22 AM

No.

AT&T charges their MVNOs on a per kilbyte basis. The MVNOs decide how to package their plans to maximize their profits. They assume that most people won't come near the maximum, even set the maximum in a way that's geared to acheive that result, hoping that they'll make money on the difference between what you paid for and what you used. The MVNOs are simply competing with one another and attempting to maximize their profits and their customer base and they've been paying around with their offerings lately in an attempt to maximize profits.

If anything AT&T has likely dropped the pricing on data lately, as evidenced by the generally lower cost per MB at the retail level (including on AT&T's own plans).

Originally Posted by Big Blue 023

First H20 started with their majorly inconsistent data plans and now throttling. Red Pocket gives a gig but throttles. Straight Talk/N10 now throttles. Idk about Air Voice. This is just too big a coincidence. Any insiders know anything about this. Is Att squeezing its mvnos? What's up?

**billm261** · 08-13-2012, 04:59 AM

Originally Posted by EndeavorOR

No.

AT&T charges their MVNOs on a per kilbyte basis.

It could be a combination of factors but rest assured AT&T has their hands in it.

**Endeavor** · 08-15-2012, 01:55 AM

Sure, by lowering their per kb wholesale price for data and per minute price for minutes, AT&T has undoubtedly caused the MVNOs to change their pricing structure..

Originally Posted by billm261

It could be a combination of factors but rest assured AT&T has their hands in it.

**Jairzinho** · 08-15-2012, 09:44 AM

If at&t charges per kb basis only, I don't get why no MVNO comes up with data packages for PAYG plans, that is without the evil "voice tax" attached in all the plans currently being offered. "You want data? ok, but you gotta buy from us a bunch of minutes you don't need too with it".

**Endeavor** · 08-16-2012, 02:22 AM

Because they want to make MONEY. The way that they make money is by charging you more than they pay for the cost of the service. The way that they justify charging you $45.00 per month (or $50 or $60) is by giving you something that the know you probably won't use. Most talkers don't use a lot of data. Most texters don't talk. Most data hogs don't talk or text. If you actually do a ton of talking, texting, and data, they'll probably boot you for "abuse."

Originally Posted by Jairzinho

If at&t charges per kb basis only, I don't get why no MVNO comes up with data packages for PAYG plans, that is without the evil "voice tax" attached in all the plans currently being offered. "You want data? ok, but you gotta buy from us a bunch of minutes you don't need too with it".

**Endeavor** · 08-16-2012, 12:47 PM

Kajeet (an AT&T MVNO) is now offering a dialtone for $4.95 per month, with no included minutes, and $24.99 for 1 gb of data. It is unclear if the data is a monthly offering, or a per use offering, i.e. use 1 GB of data and then buy another 1 gb, or use up to 1 gb of data in 30 days, and then reup.

Either way, it appears that an MVNO has started doing what you'd like. I hope you don't want to make any phone calls, though, because that'll cost you!

UPDATE: My bad. Kajeet is a Sprint MVNO. Figures.

Originally Posted by Jairzinho

If at&t charges per kb basis only, I don't get why no MVNO comes up with data packages for PAYG plans, that is without the evil "voice tax" attached in all the plans currently being offered. "You want data? ok, but you gotta buy from us a bunch of minutes you don't need too with it".

**Yeswap** · 08-16-2012, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by EndeavorOR

Kajeet (an AT&T MVNO) is now offering a dialtone for $4.95 per month, with no included minutes, and $24.99 for 1 gb of data. It is unclear if the data is a monthly offering, or a per use offering, i.e. use 1 GB of data and then buy another 1 gb, or use up to 1 gb of data in 30 days, and then reup.

Either way, it appears that an MVNO has started doing what you'd like. I hope you don't want to make any phone calls, though, because that'll cost you!

Nice but Kajeet is a Sprint MVNO, not AT&T. Check the phones they sell, all CDMA including many also sold by Sprint.

**kevdogg329** · 08-17-2012, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by Yeswap

Nice but Kajeet is a Sprint MVNO, not AT&T. Check the phones they sell, all CDMA including many also sold by Sprint.

Also you need to check coverage of ANY carrier before purchasing....some do cover areas better than others. I know Sprint is not good where I live, and Verizon is non-existent.