Database Users

[news] AT&T Pulls the Plug on Its Unlimited Data Plans

Poor att users, I'm so glad I switched to t-mo.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/197755/atandt_pulls_the_plug_on_its_unlimited_data_plans.html
The New AT&T Mobile Data Plans
•· DataPlus is the cheapest plan available, which provides you with 200MB of data for $15 per month, a much better value plan for light data users who pay $30 for the unlimited plan right now. AT&T says that on average, 65 per cent of its customers use less than 200MB per month. If you exceed 200MB in a month, you can get another 200MB for an additional $15.
•· DataPro is the new highbrow mobile data plan from AT&T, which includes 2GB of data for $25 per month, and will charge each additional GB used over this limit at $10. This new plan is designed to replace the outgoing Unlimited plan, as AT&T claims 98 percent of its smartphone customers use on average less than 2GB of data per month.
•· The Tethering plan for iPhones will work only along the $20 per month DataPro plan, and costs an additional $20 monthly. Unfortunately, this extra $20 won't give you any extra GB of data usage, as the 2GB included in the DataPro plan will be shared between your phone and the tethered device. Tethering for iPhones is expected to be available when Apple releases iPhone OS 4 this summer.
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So this is only for new customers right? I'm assuming the customers already on unlimited will keep it correct?

sucks for them. $45 a month for 2GB including tethering optionis just ridiculous.

im sure AT&T will force people to switch to this plan eventually like they did the smartphone plans.

FYI, this is grounds for any current customer to get out of the ETF if they try and force you to switch over before your contract is up.

agreed I feel sorry for you guys, we get screwed with 3 year contracts, but im ok with that since I pay $30 for 6gb and that includes tethering. To pay an extra $20 and not get an increase in your bandwidth limit sucks.

Ouch.
Maybe my girlfriend's iPhone will have a tragic accident so we can get out of Dodge...
*sad face*

pjcforpres said:
FYI, this is grounds for any current customer to get out of the ETF if they try and force you to switch over before your contract is up.
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So is this for sure. I am on ATT right now and been thinking about dropping them and getting a new service. Either Verizon or Tmobile. Even though tmobile isnt all that great its cheaper for a 3 person family plan. AND I would be able to have my N1 on 3G. Edge really sucks.

i don't think the new ETF has taken into effect; i called yesterday and asked how much it would be to get out of my family plan, and the rep gave me numbers based on $175 and not $325; thinking about moving to Sprint (23% discount from employer plus EVO)
also, i don't think this is grounds for getting out of paying ETF since, as of now, customers still have the option to keep current data plans and if they switch, it doesn't renew contract
while this is a bad deal for those who uses data a lot, this is somewhat of a benefit for my dad's iphone (i just checked and since he got the phone, he only uses about 100mb/month) so he can save $15/month

i imagine the unlimited will be grandfathered just like the old 10cent/kb plan i used to have since like 2000
glad ive got the unlimited while it was still available, according to this tiered pricing my bill last month just for data would have been over 50 bucks.

futango said:
So is this for sure. I am on ATT right now and been thinking about dropping them and getting a new service. Either Verizon or Tmobile. Even though tmobile isnt all that great its cheaper for a 3 person family plan. AND I would be able to have my N1 on 3G. Edge really sucks.
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Mmmm, considering what ATT is doing here, I'd say Tmo is great. In addition to the fact that you're stuck using Edge, which adds even more value to Tmo.

futango said:
So is this for sure. I am on ATT right now and been thinking about dropping them and getting a new service. Either Verizon or Tmobile. Even though tmobile isnt all that great its cheaper for a 3 person family plan. AND I would be able to have my N1 on 3G. Edge really sucks.
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you should just call ATT and ask how much it would be if you terminate your contract; you can have an answer directly from them

futango said:
So is this for sure. I am on ATT right now and been thinking about dropping them and getting a new service. Either Verizon or Tmobile. Even though tmobile isnt all that great its cheaper for a 3 person family plan. AND I would be able to have my N1 on 3G. Edge really sucks.
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I doubt it because [according to Engadget] current unlimited data subscribers are welcome to keep their $30/mo plan for as long as they'd like, so you're not being forced to change your plan.
When I first read about the change I thought it sounded pretty bad, but I just checked my data usage and I only use just over 1gb a month despite very very heavy web browsing on my phones. If I tethered often or streamed video, I might not like this plan, but I cannot fathom how much web browsing I'd have to do to go over 2gb a month.

If you guys use the wifi tethering feature, they probably won't be able to detect that you are tethering, right?

What I don't understand is how they will find out if you're tethering?
What if you're using a Nexus One on AT&T with FroYo. How would they know if you're tethering or just using your phone a lot?

yeah this stinks in a way. but all of us are grandfathered in. this is only for new customers. until you sign a new contract you can keep using the current pricing. but after that...
i've been out of contracct for 4 years now and only use unlocked phones, so i guess i could theoretically stay grandfathered indefinitely.

Paul22000 said:
What I don't understand is how they will find out if you're tethering?
What if you're using a Nexus One on AT&T with FroYo. How would they know if you're tethering or just using your phone a lot?
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they really cant tell the difference. so dont even worry about it. the only thing that could give it away is if you blow thru insane amounts of data, and download things like 500mb torrents which obviously gives you away.

Paul22000 said:
What I don't understand is how they will find out if you're tethering?
What if you're using a Nexus One on AT&T with FroYo. How would they know if you're tethering or just using your phone a lot?
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They can't unless they built it into the phone. So if you can get froyo on your att nexus you can tether without paying the fee.
All other 2.2 phones will be modified by their respective carriers to "check in" before enabling the built in tether option.

RogerPodacter said:
they really cant tell the difference. so dont even worry about it. the only thing that could give it away is if you blow thru insane amounts of data, and download things like 500mb torrents which obviously gives you away.
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This is true. I have used my WinMo phones to tether on at&t for quite some time, beginning with HTC Faraday. Back then I called because I was stupid having problems getting the faraday to tether to my personal computer (The one I tested it on was fine) and the guy was like, you have to buy the tether package for $60/month to get the right cable. I was like no I don't, I did it earlier on another PC. He stammered and was like, well, if you try to access data heavy sites like youtube, it probably won't work. I was like okay w/e...hung up, played around, got it to work, and streamed an episode of Family Guy with no problems just to prove him wrong (once I let it DL. stupid EDGE). I've yet to see an extra charge for my data. (even when I was using the $10 MEdia Net package with a smartphone, which I was with the Faraday)

i going to ride out my grandfathered tmobile plan for as long as i can... $5/month for unlimited 3G data and tether/hotspot

Aria IMEI

I know it is a sensitive topic, but I'm so frustrated with ATT, and was wondering if I could get any directions from you guys.
I bought for my wife new Aria (full price) so she can collaborate with me without using her brain. Few days after the change I realized att changed her unlimited data plan to tiered one. That move really pissed me off, and I had to switch her back to old nokia to preserve unlimited plan. I used to have an iphone with this plan (unlimited data for $15/month), and it looks like they are enforcing new, more expensive plans not only on new customers, but also on existing ones.
Enough said... I would like to get some hints on changing imei, so I get to keep my old plan...
Thanks

Not 100% sure but just swap the sim and it should work. ATT are assholes for doing away with unlimited data made the mistake of losing my unlimited data plan when the iPhone 4 was released thanks iphone!
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App

I upgraded to the aria And had the unlimited data plan transfered..if u just call customer service and tell them that u have been a loyal customer for a long time now and u should be able to keep the plan u have had..u should mention being grandfathered in, be polite and tell them if they can't help u then u might be looking at other carriers. U would be amazed at the things I have gotten for free or discounted by just calling and talking to customer service..if they say they can't do it ask to be transfered to to the person who can, u might be on the phone for a minute but u can get it done I promise u
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App

Post this same info on ATT's Facebook.
Same thing happened to me, I went from an iPhone to the Aria, and had the unlimited data removed, put a post on ATT's facebook, and within the day, I was talking to a guy who gave it back, credited my account, and gave me an additonal discount, to make my bill cheaper.

Interesting... if that's what they did to you then I may actually get somewhere. I just pulled the plug on one line to get G2 from tmo, and may threaten to close another line if they refuse to keep my plan...
If it comes to sim swap then it won't work with att branded phones. The only thing that may work (it worked with my old line) is to use unlock phone and ask them to update imei. They will mark your line as unlocked phone and never update your plan again. It worked for iphone...
Thx for your input.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

How much data do you actually use on your plan? I use my phone's data very regularly throughout the month and the most I've ever managed to use in a month was a gigabyte, making the $25 plan a cheaper solution than the $30 PDA Smartphone plan that preceded it.
I work in a retail position in which I handle AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile customers on a daily basis, and I have yet to meet anyone who uses more than 2GB a month, and some of these people use the phone as if they do not have a home internet service!
Thankfully AT&T has a very easy way of checking to see the monthly data usage you use, and even gives you a nice graph of the last six months of data usage, so you can decide for yourself what data plan is right for you.
"Unlimited" 3G data (w/ 5gb limit) for $30 on a smartphone is going the way of direct connect. Verizon will not be far behind with unveiling their new data plans and T-Mobile is talking about doing the same thing. I think once it is all said and done, we won't even see unlimited plans on 4G networks, especially once Sprint gets enough people back onto their service.

Just do the switch yourself. If you bought the phone full price you could have gotten it anywhere besides AT&T, swapped the SIM and been on the same plan. that's what i did coming from my Fuze. I just moved the SIM card to the new phone, and it worked flawlessly. kept my unlimited plan and everything.
as for data usage. When i had my Fuze i used maybe .5gig a month, but as soon as i got the Aria my usage spiked. I use consistently well over 2 gigs a month, breaking 4 gigs in August. I don't use it for tethering, i don't download huge video files, in fact i'm pretty tame with my phone usage. I'll be keeping my unlimited plan when i get a free upgrade in January.

shark0807 said:
How much data do you actually use on your plan? I use my phone's data very regularly throughout the month and the most I've ever managed to use in a month was a gigabyte, making the $25 plan a cheaper solution than the $30 PDA Smartphone plan that preceded it.
I work in a retail position in which I handle AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile customers on a daily basis, and I have yet to meet anyone who uses more than 2GB a month, and some of these people use the phone as if they do not have a home internet service!
Thankfully AT&T has a very easy way of checking to see the monthly data usage you use, and even gives you a nice graph of the last six months of data usage, so you can decide for yourself what data plan is right for you.
"Unlimited" 3G data (w/ 5gb limit) for $30 on a smartphone is going the way of direct connect. Verizon will not be far behind with unveiling their new data plans and T-Mobile is talking about doing the same thing. I think once it is all said and done, we won't even see unlimited plans on 4G networks, especially once Sprint gets enough people back onto their service.
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You sound like att spokesperson addressing all dumbasses that purchased smartphone thinking it will make them look smarter. Your data usage statistics are off, and just because you ask your customers about their data usage, it doesn't mean it makes you right. I have observed the data usage by mobile devices in the enterprise I manage in the past 3 years. It seems people spend more time using internet driven apps when their experience improves. That pretty much means the faster mobile network becomes the more bandwidth is consumed. Another huge impact on data usage comes from pushed advertisement. People love free apps, but in order to support brightminded developers those apps have to display small banners. lets do quick math here... each banner is about 5KB. Popular apps rotate them in intervals of 10s, or display new ad whenever you go to new page. If your phone supports multitasking, for example new iphone, then if you don't close the app (for example weather app) it may actually keep rotating those ads in the background eating up your bandwidth. That's 5KB every 10s throughout billing cycle gives us total of about 1.3GB each month. That's based on single app that probably won't be running 24/7, but you may have few of such apps running at the same time, so this will definitely bring you close to that number.
Now, lets talk about 4G, and your assumption of all carriers going with tiered plans. I've been enjoying my G2 over HSPA+ so much. You tube videos are actually in visible quality now. Those very same videos over att 3g were just a joke, and waste of time. What do you think how much bandwidth those HQ videos consume? How about video calls? How about flash driven apps? Limiting users to tiered plans would mean blocking all those services, and worse it would bring technology development for mobile devices to a halt (at least in US).
Mobile carriers are facing very hard times. There is more bandwidth demand than they estimated. ATT for example chose greed, and decided to oversubscribe their infrastructure hoping iphone will save them. Verizon however, invested in their network to ensure they can handle the growth. They all should be thankful to Apple for stealing the name "smartphone", and introducing it to masses in the form of a dumbphone. That move changed the industry, and right now we're all paying for it through higher cost, development by spending more time rooting devices than coding new apps, and reliability. I love my mac, but I hate Jobs for the iphone so much...

cegna09 said:
Just do the switch yourself. If you bought the phone full price you could have gotten it anywhere besides AT&T, swapped the SIM and been on the same plan. that's what i did coming from my Fuze. I just moved the SIM card to the new phone, and it worked flawlessly. kept my unlimited plan and everything.
as for data usage. When i had my Fuze i used maybe .5gig a month, but as soon as i got the Aria my usage spiked. I use consistently well over 2 gigs a month, breaking 4 gigs in August. I don't use it for tethering, i don't download huge video files, in fact i'm pretty tame with my phone usage. I'll be keeping my unlimited plan when i get a free upgrade in January.
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Aria is the only woman friendly (small) android phone that supports att 3G. I paid for it $300 (new). Legacy, which seems to be pretty much same phone is $200 more, and doesn't support att 3g frequencies. It looks like att is getting better in cat/mouse game. I may just have to threaten to leave, to get something done...
BTW
any android phone is concidered by att as smartphone, and they require smartphone plan with it. My wife previously had unlocked nokia, so they did not know what kind of phone it was, and allowed regular $15/month unlimited data plan. Once you put your sim into device that they have in their database they enforce on you smartphone plan that's currently available. If her previous plan was unlimited data for smartphone ($25/month), then I agree, she would be able to keep it.

chopperpl said:
BTW
any android phone is concidered by att as smartphone, and they require smartphone plan with it. My wife previously had unlocked nokia, so they did not know what kind of phone it was, and allowed regular $15/month unlimited data plan. Once you put your sim into device that they have in their database they enforce on you smartphone plan that's currently available. If her previous plan was unlimited data for smartphone ($25/month), then I agree, she would be able to keep it.
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didn't realize you came from a non-smartphone. I came from a Fuze (touch pro), so i was already on the $30 unlimited smartphone plan. I made the phone switch right after they announced the end of unlimited plans, and just swapped the phone on my own. Their system caught it, changed my profile on AT&T's site, but did nothing to the plan. I still have the unlimited plan, and will be keeping it as i foresee my usage staying hight.

Do what i did.
Change the sim into a dumb phone and turn it on, wait about an hour, then log into your account online. The options for the medianet packages will reappear. Remove the smartphone data plans then enable the medianet plan for unlimited data. After switch the sim back to the smart phone, if you get a text or email saying they detected your smartphone just call them up and tell them you do not have a smartphone and give them the IMEI number of the dumb phone and have them remove the data and restore the medianet.
I know its a bit much to lie to them but it is robery that pay as you go data is $2 per 1MB, $15 for 200MB and $25 for 2GB when the service sucks inside any building in lower Manhattan.

joshua54 said:
I upgraded to the aria And had the unlimited data plan transfered..if u just call customer service and tell them that u have been a loyal customer for a long time now and u should be able to keep the plan u have had..u should mention being grandfathered in, be polite and tell them if they can't help u then u might be looking at other carriers. U would be amazed at the things I have gotten for free or discounted by just calling and talking to customer service..if they say they can't do it ask to be transfered to to the person who can, u might be on the phone for a minute but u can get it done I promise u
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App
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this is what i did.

I called cancellation dept, and they still refused to roll my old plan back
Going back to my initial request... Any hints on changing imei?
Thanks

Is it doable at all?
I don't want to waste anymore time on it. Can some of the bright ones just tell me, if imei on this phone is "burned-in" or is it changeable via software?
Thanks

So... I've done more research, and seems people are saying it is illegal to change imei... Illegal???? I think, if changing/spoofing for criminal activities then it is illegal. Carriers clearly abuse that id to rip more money from people. Where is the government to protect us? I wouldn’t mind, if there was an alternative, but there is none. How come I pay full price for the smartphone, and can’t deny data plan? I want to roam through local hot spots offered for free by my cable provider to sync phone instead of X fuc…ing G!!!! I think it is time for people to start filing complaints with FCC...

chopperpl said:
I don't want to waste anymore time on it. Can some of the bright ones just tell me, if imei on this phone is "burned-in" or is it changeable via software?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off AT&T can see immediately when you switch, and to what phone you are using, as well as the kind of traffic, to categorize your phone... so spoofing an IMEI won't get you anywhere - the bandwidth usage from a regular phone vs a smartphone is miles apart.
Second and more importantly Unlimited data for smartphones ($30) vs unlimited data for a regular phone ($15) are two completely different plans. Your old nokia was clearly not a smartphone if you were paying $15 for unlimited data.
I had a blackberry 9700 and went to an Aria, smartphone to smartphone. They let me keep my same smartphone unlimited data plan.
Bottom line you can't switch from a regular phone unlimited data to a smartphone unlimited data plan and keep the same plan.
You're SOL.
Your best bet is to talk to a manager in a retail store - as they are the only people who can work miracles. AT&T grants them special privileges, like allowing you to "early upgrade" (essentially re-start your contract) for a fee + regular advertised phone prices (way cheaper then a new phone at full retail price), and then allowing you to spend that "fee" as a credit on retail store accessories.

dexmix said:
First off AT&T can see immediately when you switch, and to what phone you are using, as well as the kind of traffic, to categorize your phone... so spoofing an IMEI won't get you anywhere - the bandwidth usage from a regular phone vs a smartphone is miles apart.
Second and more importantly Unlimited data for smartphones ($30) vs unlimited data for a regular phone ($15) are two completely different plans. Your old nokia was clearly not a smartphone if you were paying $15 for unlimited data.
I had a blackberry 9700 and went to an Aria, smartphone to smartphone. They let me keep my same smartphone unlimited data plan.
Bottom line you can't switch from a regular phone unlimited data to a smartphone unlimited data plan and keep the same plan.
You're SOL.
Your best bet is to talk to a manager in a retail store - as they are the only people who can work miracles. AT&T grants them special privileges, like allowing you to "early upgrade" (essentially re-start your contract) for a fee + regular advertised phone prices (way cheaper then a new phone at full retail price), and then allowing you to spend that "fee" as a credit on retail store accessories.
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I'm afraid you're wrong, and this is why. I've had iphone 3gs on unlimited data plan ($15/month) for over a year. Before that I had Nokia N95 (which is still much smarter than iphone 4) on the same plan also for about a year.
You're saying they monitor bandwidth usage... How come they never picked up on my international SIP calls, and radio streaming? and yes, spoofing will get me somewhere. ATT holds only imeis from att branded/approved phones. If my imei is not found they assume it is simple multimedia phone. How do I know that? I talked to cancellation dept manager two days ago, and was ensured I will get my plan back once my imei doesn't match any of those from att smartphone lineup.

dexmix said:
Bottom line you can't switch from a regular phone unlimited data to a smartphone unlimited data plan and keep the same plan.
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Click to collapse
So what you are telling me is that basically, you want people on here to help you do something which is admittedly illegal in many counties, so your new smart phone appears as a multimedia phone and you can pay less and keep your unlimited data plan.
*scratches head*
edit: you would have been better off just getting an Aria for free with a 2yr contract and then paying for a 2G plan.

dexmix said:
So what you are telling me is that basically, you want people on here to help you do something which is admittedly illegal in many counties, so your new smart phone appears as a multimedia phone and you can pay less and keep your unlimited data plan.
*scratches head*
edit: you would have been better off just getting an Aria for free with a 2yr contract and then paying for a 2G plan.
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Well, not exactly. I've had that plan since gen 1 iphone, which was running on Edge, and three months later I switched to n95 3g. Basically I'm trying to retain my old data plan, and that's because I have not received any special treatment, or services in order to pay more... If they rolled out LTE, and use that for justification then I would agree.

dexmix said:
edit: you would have been better off just getting an Aria for free with a 2yr contract and then paying for a 2G plan.
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Better off????? 2 year contract means locked in with old technology. Those contracts don't do any good to people. By signing, you let att screw you any way they want. You can't walk away, or negotiate. If I wasn't tied up with the contract when att announced new plans, then I would switch to verizon long time ago... If you are real smartphone user then you better off buying unlocked phone, and use it the way it was designed to use without extra fees (tethering $60 ), but if you are one of those guys thinking "smartphone will make me look smarter", then your best bet is to buy discounted phone with the contract.

G2 and Tmobile $10 data plan

Does anyone know if this combo would work?
I read around the web and the Vibrant worked.
Does anyone have the web2go plan or even tzone?

Didn't for me, they made me switch to the android data at 30 per month...
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

They definitely made me upgrade. However, I've seen reports of people getting away with the lower plan. Something about certain sellers, I think. If you haven't done some searching, do so.

papeshfoo said:
Didn't for me, they made me switch to the android data at 30 per month...
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
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Call retentions and ask for the "Preferred Android Data Plan." Unlimited data for $20/month. Fairly easy to get.

papeshfoo said:
Didn't for me, they made me switch to the android data at 30 per month...
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
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Damn, that sucks. Just got the G2, so I was hoping this would work.
Oh and apparently the Vibrant didnt worked after all. Only for a few hours at most

Worked for about 3 days... then was forced to upgrade to 24.99 plan.

Its either upgrade to $30 monthly or have a existing g1 $24.99 plan.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

ultma75 said:
Its either upgrade to $30 monthly or have a existing g1 $24.99 plan.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
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No it is not. Why doesn't anyone listen to me...
Call retentions and ask for the "Preferred Android Data Plan." Unlimited data for $20/month. It is not hard to get.

KShatzkes said:
No it is not. Why doesn't anyone listen to me...
Call retentions and ask for the "Preferred Android Data Plan." Unlimited data for $20/month. It is not hard to get.
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Click to collapse
I wonder if I can get mine changed and save $5 lol
Sent from a Visionary temp rooted G2

yes, call retentions as mentioned above and they should give it to you.. it helps if you've been with tmo for a while.. i have it for $20 and they had no problems giving it to me

KShatzkes said:
No it is not. Why doesn't anyone listen to me...
Call retentions and ask for the "Preferred Android Data Plan." Unlimited data for $20/month. It is not hard to get.
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Click to collapse
Ive been with tmobile for quite a while now, but never had a data plan.
Do you think Id be able to get this "Preferred Android Data Plan?"
Id figured you'd have to have at least a data plan at some point in time before.

WHATS THE PROS AND CONS OF THIS...
Sent from my HTC HD2 FROYO DARKSTONE using XDA App

potentdro said:
Ive been with tmobile for quite a while now, but never had a data plan.
Do you think Id be able to get this "Preferred Android Data Plan?"
Id figured you'd have to have at least a data plan at some point in time before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No prior data plan required, this is my first data plan too
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

My first data plan and spoke to the "loyalty" department. Have mine unlimited for $20, but then again been a T-Mobile customer when they were still called Voicestream. Also read somewhere that T-Mobile is starting a new data plan for smartphones where its $10 for 200mb of bandwidth if you don't use that much data.

you guys DO know that the EVEN MORE PLUS plan for $59.99 is cheaper than pretty much everything combined.....
\you get 500 with N/w + Unlimited Text + Unlimited 3G Data, with mobile to mobil..... and NO Contract

^^ yea thats true, however if you are still under contract they will charge you the ETF before you can change plans

funkadesi said:
you guys DO know that the EVEN MORE PLUS plan for $59.99 is cheaper than pretty much everything combined.....
\you get 500 with N/w + Unlimited Text + Unlimited 3G Data, with mobile to mobil..... and NO Contract
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Click to collapse
Yes, but on the Even More Plus, you are not under contract and pay FULL price for your phone.
If you are still under contract you will pay the Early Termination Fee.
Why throw in something that's only relevant to 1 or 2 people? Most of us are under contract.

KShatzkes said:
Call retentions and ask for the "Preferred Android Data Plan." Unlimited data for $20/month. Fairly easy to get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird story about this, I've had internet with tmobile for 3-4 years and I still have my 20 dollar plan pricing. Since it was already on our plan my wife also got an android phone and was also able to get the 20 a month plan. Saves alot once you get more then one phone with that pricing @@

rwbarnes67 said:
Yes, but on the Even More Plus, you are not under contract and pay FULL price for your phone.
If you are still under contract you will pay the Early Termination Fee.
Why throw in something that's only relevant to 1 or 2 people? Most of us are under contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've been with T-Mobile long enough, i'd say like 2+ years... you can ask them to put you on the Even More plus plans..... they ARE getting rid of these plans as it turns out they are not as profitable as they thought they would be.
I personally think thats the best deal around $60 for all that is unbeatable.
Also, if you have a good credit you put the G2 on Interest-free installments.... I paid $250 down and the rest $250 will be added as $25/month on the my bill each month until I finish out the remaining balance.

potentdro said:
Ive been with tmobile for quite a while now, but never had a data plan.
Do you think Id be able to get this "Preferred Android Data Plan?"
Id figured you'd have to have at least a data plan at some point in time before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, it doesn't take much to get T-Mobile to lower down your prices. You just have to call retentions and make them budge.
I have two friends that JUST switched to T-Mobile from Verizon about two weeks ago. They got the Even More 750 minutes Family Talk and Text Plan for $79.99, and to one of the lines added a $30 Unlimited Android Data Plan and to the other line a $10 Unlimited Feature Phone Data Plan. So in total, their bill came out $120/month.
What I told them to do the very next day is call T-Mobile retentions and tell them that Verizon came calling back with an offer that they couldn't refuse, and since they were in the 14-day trial period, they could leave T-Mobile without having to pay any contract cancellation fee. T-Mobile is not about to let someone walk away. That is just not good business. So they made a counter offer that they couldn't refuse that looked like this:
Even More 750 minutes Family Talk Plan for $59.99/month
Unlimited Text Messaging for $15/month
Preferred Android Unlimited Data Plan for $20/month
Preferred Feature Phone Unlimited Data Plan for $5/month
10% Off Entire Phone Bill every Month through University Affiliation
2 Months Free of Data Charges
That comes out to $90/month, not even including those two free months of data charges. That's a ridiculously good price if you ask me. So next time you call T-Mobile, push them a little. They'll cave eventually.

Premium Data rate changes

Basically, all NEW smartphone activations and anyone upgrading to a smartphone will be netting the extra $10/mo charge for a true unlimited amount of data consumption. If you're currently on a regular smartphone and not a 4G one, you'll be getting this new $10 fee for true unlimited data on your next upgrade if you choose to go with any BB, WM, Android, Palm/WebOS, and Instinct phone.
All-in-all, this isn't surprising and completely justified. Even WITH the $10 extra, your plan will still be cheaper than other carriers AND you'll have uncapped data. Provided you don't get a very good discount on another carrier but you'd still wind up with some kind of data cap. Now naysayers can't complain about paying for 4G when they don't have it. It is what Sprint has always been saying it is - a fee for truly unlimited data not a 4G tax.
http://newsroom.sprint.com/press_kits.cfm?presskit_id=21

cosine83 said:
Basically, all NEW smartphone activations and anyone upgrading to a smartphone will be netting the extra $10/mo charge for a true unlimited amount of data consumption. If you're currently on a regular smartphone and not a 4G one, you'll be getting this new $10 fee for true unlimited data on your next upgrade if you choose to go with any BB, WM, Android, Palm/WebOS, and Instinct phone.
All-in-all, this isn't surprising and completely justified. Even WITH the $10 extra, your plan will still be cheaper than other carriers AND you'll have uncapped data. Provided you don't get a very good discount on another carrier but you'd still wind up with some kind of data cap. Now naysayers can't complain about paying for 4G when they don't have it. It is what Sprint has always been saying it is - a fee for truly unlimited data not a 4G tax.
http://newsroom.sprint.com/press_kits.cfm?presskit_id=21
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Click to collapse
I really think Clear's lawsuit against Sprint for the $10 fee is what forced Sprints hand here. I can't say I think its a terrible decision as was previously stated, their prices are still cheaper then other carriers.
Now I just have to work stuff out to get my wife to switch to my old Hero before 1/30 so we don't get charged $10/month more.

Pretty much telling me that they expect all their future smartphones to be 4G.
Oh, and you say it's not a 4G free, you're sorta right. Sadly it's the exact same "Clearwire" fee that Sprint pays them for every handset sold with 4G capability. Sprint is just passing that fee along to the customer.

cosine83 said:
Basically, all NEW smartphone activations and anyone upgrading to a smartphone will be netting the extra $10/mo charge for a true unlimited amount of data consumption. If you're currently on a regular smartphone and not a 4G one, you'll be getting this new $10 fee for true unlimited data on your next upgrade if you choose to go with any BB, WM, Android, Palm/WebOS, and Instinct phone.
All-in-all, this isn't surprising and completely justified. Even WITH the $10 extra, your plan will still be cheaper than other carriers AND you'll have uncapped data. Provided you don't get a very good discount on another carrier but you'd still wind up with some kind of data cap. Now naysayers can't complain about paying for 4G when they don't have it. It is what Sprint has always been saying it is - a fee for truly unlimited data not a 4G tax.
http://newsroom.sprint.com/press_kits.cfm?presskit_id=21
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Click to collapse
*sigh* I'm not going to get into this again, I'm just going to make one point: My plan is called Everything Data and it has
Unlimited data on our network: Web surfing, email, BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS), GPS Navigation, Sprint TV and Radio, NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So then what is the other $10 for? If I already pay for unlimited data why am I paying another fee for the same thing. Does anyone watch the office? Remember the episodes where Michael starts his own paper company and when things start to go south he starts calling customers asking them to pay more for services already delivered? Ya, they don't react so well. This is exactly the same. I signed up for a service and agreed to certain charges. I agreed to the 4G charge because I was bold-faced lied to by my sprint rep. Its my fault for believing him and I plan on owning up to that when come august my wife's contract is up and I cancel mine with Sprint.
Sure 159.99$ for two lines with 1500minutes and "Premium data" sounds reasonable but my wife and I combined never use more than 300 minutes combined across all types of calls (excluding nights and weekends). But hey, lets include those. That is when we call our relatives who are mostly on Tmobile. On Tmobile I can get a plan with 750 minutes for 139.99$ and real unlimited data as well as 4G in my area. So why am I paying Sprint so much for so little only to have more charges heaped on me? Because I was a sucker.
Finally, to return to my first analogy: Sprint is the Michael Scott paper company. They hitched their proverbial wagon to Clear who, now now facing a trademark lawsuit from Sony Ericcson, is facing even more fiscal crisis and are having to beg their customers for more money. Its pathetic and completely immoral. Just as I willingly accept that I made a bad decision signing a contract with Sprint they need to suck it up and admit they f***ed up when signing with Clear rather than taking it out on their customers.
I'm done. I will not post in this thread again.

kenvan19 said:
*sigh* I'm not going to get into this again, I'm just going to make one point: My plan is called Everything Data and it has
Sure 159.99$ for two lines with 1500minutes and "Premium data" sounds reasonable but my wife and I combined never use more than 300 minutes combined across all types of calls (excluding nights and weekends). But hey, lets include those. That is when we call our relatives who are mostly on Tmobile. On Tmobile I can get a plan with 750 minutes for 139.99$ and real unlimited data as well as 4G in my area. So why am I paying Sprint so much for so little only to have more charges heaped on me? Because I was a sucker.
I'm done. I will not post in this thread again.
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Click to collapse
You can get the $109.99 plan for Employee Preferred which has 1500 landline minutes, so that you're paying $129 for 2 -4g devices. If you really are that unhappy - just pay the $70-80 ETF and move on.
Enjoy T-Mobile.

BS plain and simple,wtf are they thinking...
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

anyone read the press release? they keep mentioning things like "unlimited text while on sprints network" and the other carriers it says "unlimited" ... they changing their roaming policy?
i know it's been something like more then 50% usage while roaming they can close your account or at least restrict it.

kenvan19 said:
So then what is the other $10 for?
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If you read the (not-so) fine print, normal "unlimited" data is capped at 5GB/mo. It has been like that for forever and a day. Every other carrier was like that. The extra $10 REMOVES that cap and allows you to go over that 5GB/mo without incurring extra charges. You aren't going to get real unlimited data from T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T as they all have caps and do not offer uncapped data for a meager $10 extra. Your analogy fails because they are adding to an existing service and giving you more for your money. They're removing the cap and allowing you to consume as much data as you can not charging you extra for what you're already getting.
If you were lied to by your Sprint rep, that's your fault. It is your duty as a responsible consumer to at least look at the terms and conditions of the contracts that you sign into as well as do research. If you don't then you cannot claim ignorance as a justifiable excuse for being shafted.
"Unlimited" in the mobile world has always meant capped, whether you saw that cap or not. The premium data charge removes the cap. That's not hard to understand and you can whine and complain all you like but you'll still be wrong.

edgemaster191 said:
anyone read the press release? they keep mentioning things like "unlimited text while on sprints network" and the other carriers it says "unlimited" ... they changing their roaming policy?
i know it's been something like more then 50% usage while roaming they can close your account or at least restrict it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because if you're roaming they can't guarantee delivery of your messages but on theirs they can. They can't speak for other carriers.

kenvan19 said:
*sigh* I'm not going to get into this again, I'm just going to make one point: My plan is called Everything Data and it has
So then what is the other $10 for? If I already pay for unlimited data why am I paying another fee for the same thing. Does anyone watch the office? Remember the episodes where Michael starts his own paper company and when things start to go south he starts calling customers asking them to pay more for services already delivered? Ya, they don't react so well. This is exactly the same. I signed up for a service and agreed to certain charges. I agreed to the 4G charge because I was bold-faced lied to by my sprint rep. Its my fault for believing him and I plan on owning up to that when come august my wife's contract is up and I cancel mine with Sprint.
Sure 159.99$ for two lines with 1500minutes and "Premium data" sounds reasonable but my wife and I combined never use more than 300 minutes combined across all types of calls (excluding nights and weekends). But hey, lets include those. That is when we call our relatives who are mostly on Tmobile. On Tmobile I can get a plan with 750 minutes for 139.99$ and real unlimited data as well as 4G in my area. So why am I paying Sprint so much for so little only to have more charges heaped on me? Because I was a sucker.
Finally, to return to my first analogy: Sprint is the Michael Scott paper company. They hitched their proverbial wagon to Clear who, now now facing a trademark lawsuit from Sony Ericcson, is facing even more fiscal crisis and are having to beg their customers for more money. Its pathetic and completely immoral. Just as I willingly accept that I made a bad decision signing a contract with Sprint they need to suck it up and admit they f***ed up when signing with Clear rather than taking it out on their customers.
I'm done. I will not post in this thread again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree 100%, why should i have to pay $10/line more for unlimited data when my plan already states unlimited data. The only consolation is that it won't affect only 4g phones anymore.

Your unlimited data isn't unlimited and never has been. There's always been a 5GB cap. Learn to read.

cosine83 said:
Your unlimited data isn't unlimited and never has been. There's always been a 5GB cap. Learn to read.
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Click to collapse
Everything you need for the whole family - unlimited text, surf, email, listen, watch, find and, of course, talk - on one simple plan.
This plan includes
Unlimited data on our network: Web surfing, email, BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS), GPS Navigation, Sprint TV and Radio, NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM
How is that not unlimited data? Nowhere on my contract did it ever say limited to 5gb. Thanks, but I'm already set with reading.

wardfan220 said:
Everything you need for the whole family - unlimited text, surf, email, listen, watch, find and, of course, talk - on one simple plan.
This plan includes
Unlimited data on our network: Web surfing, email, BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS), GPS Navigation, Sprint TV and Radio, NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM
How is that not unlimited data? Nowhere on my contract did it ever say limited to 5gb. Thanks, but I'm already set with reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its in the fine print of the sprint rate plan guide...go pick one up and read it. While you're at it go pick up rate plan guides from every other national carrier and you'll find the same thing. You are wrong. If you're not happy then go get Metro PCS, or T-Maybe....
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App

I can't believe I'm letting myself get sucked in by another one of these threads.
kenvan19 said:
I agreed to the 4G charge because I was bold-faced lied to by my sprint rep. Its my fault for believing him and I plan on owning up to that when come august my wife's contract is up and I cancel mine with Sprint.
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Click to collapse
cosine83 said:
If you were lied to by your Sprint rep, that's your fault. It is your duty as a responsible consumer to at least look at the terms and conditions of the contracts that you sign into as well as do research. If you don't then you cannot claim ignorance as a justifiable excuse for being shafted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, I took responsibility for taking my Sprint Reps word. I actually did my research though. There is 4g Coverage from Seattle to Tacoma north of me and Portland South of me. I live in the capitol of Washington. Why wouldn't 4G come here? I looked all over for a 'roadmap' of releases of 4G but I could never find one so when a Sprint Rep told me that he knew for a fact that 4G coverage would be in my area within a 2 months, I bought it.
I read every contract I sign and I regularly question the other parties on the terms, I know that there is a "cap" on the data. I also know that the 4G fee gets you unlimited 4G (or it did until this comes into effect). There is nothing justified here, its just corporate games to make up for money they lost.
If you read the (not-so) fine print, normal "unlimited" data is capped at 5GB/mo. It has been like that for forever and a day. Every other carrier was like that. The extra $10 REMOVES that cap and allows you to go over that 5GB/mo without incurring extra charges. You aren't going to get real unlimited data from T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T as they all have caps and do not offer uncapped data for a meager $10 extra. Your analogy fails because they are adding to an existing service and giving you more for your money. They're removing the cap and allowing you to consume as much data as you can not charging you extra for what you're already getting.
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Actually, you're wrong. It depends on how you get your contract. I know a lot of people with completely unlimited data on AT&T.
If your total usage exceeds 5GB (amount is subject to change without notice; please check T-Mobile’s T&Cs on www.T-Mobile.com for updates) during a billing cycle, we may reduce your data speed for the remainder of that billing cycle.
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The above is quoted directly from tmobile's terms and conditions. May reduce data speed. That means I can continue to use data over 5gb but they might decide to throttle it a bit. That's better in my opinion given that I rarely use even close to that much even with two android smartphones on my plan than having to pay twice for "unlimited data" on Sprint.

wardfan220 said:
Everything you need for the whole family - unlimited text, surf, email, listen, watch, find and, of course, talk - on one simple plan.
This plan includes
Unlimited data on our network: Web surfing, email, BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS), GPS Navigation, Sprint TV and Radio, NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM
How is that not unlimited data? Nowhere on my contract did it ever say limited to 5gb. Thanks, but I'm already set with reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's some new and old articles mentioning the data cap on "unlimited" plans:
http://mobile.engadget.com/2008/05/19/sprint-falls-in-line-caps-unlimited-data-at-5gb/
http://gizmodo.com/393647/the-fineish-print-on-sprints-5gb-data-cap
http://blog.connectedplanetonline.c...r-behavior-on-3g-so-sprint-shuns-them-for-4g/
Here's a Google search so you can prove yourself wrong:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=sprint+5gb+data+cap

kenvan19 said:
Actually, you're wrong. It depends on how you get your contract. I know a lot of people with completely unlimited data on AT&T.
The above is quoted directly from tmobile's terms and conditions. May reduce data speed. That means I can continue to use data over 5gb but they might decide to throttle it a bit. That's better in my opinion given that I rarely use even close to that much even with two android smartphones on my plan than having to pay twice for "unlimited data" on Sprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those on AT&T were grand-fathered in and will lose their unlimited plans eventually. You cannot currently get that plan anymore.
T-Mobile's data throttling is more than "a bit" from the experience of my friends. The throttling makes it as fast as 2G/EDGE.
The unlimited 4G is true and it also applies to 3G for those with 4G devices not capable or just not using 4G.

cosine83 said:
Those on AT&T were grand-fathered in and will lose their unlimited plans eventually. You cannot currently get that plan anymore.
T-Mobile's data throttling is more than "a bit" from the experience of my friends. The throttling makes it as fast as 2G/EDGE.
The unlimited 4G is true and it also applies to 3G for those with 4G devices not capable or just not using 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know very well they were grandfathered in and I know that no one can get that plan (its the reason those people are not leaving AT&T despite hating their service). As I stated, I have never gone over my data cap on sprint so I have no fear of my speeds being throttled after that limit.
Finally, the unlimited 4g is not currently applied to 3G and if they do plan to apply it to all data as this would imply:
Instead of limits and overage charges on data plans for wireless phones as competitors have done, Sprint is applying its $10 Premium Data add-on charge to all smartphone activations beginning Jan. 30, 2011.
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.
(I say would imply because they do not directly state that they are lifting the cap that currently exists just that it is doing differently than competitors which by your own links is not true) then will they refund any overages incurred by people like me who have been paying said fee for months? Personally, I've never gone over but if this is the case the 'just' thing to do would be to refund those charges.

You're not entitled to a refund.

cosine83 said:
That's because if you're roaming they can't guarantee delivery of your messages but on theirs they can. They can't speak for other carriers.
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Click to collapse
oooh ok. gotchya'
thanks

kenvan19 said:
Finally, the unlimited 4g is not currently applied to 3G and if they do plan to apply it to all data as this would imply then will they refund any overages incurred by people like me who have been paying said fee for months? Personally, I've never gone over but if this is the case the 'just' thing to do would be to refund those charges.
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cosine83 said:
You're not entitled to a refund.
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Do you even read before posting? I clearly said I've never gone over and therefore you are absolutely I am in no way entitled to a refund. However, given how they are changing the scope of the charges that they've already been applying to accounts for months it would be the just and moral thing to do to refund any overages customers who have been paying the fee for unlimited data but have been charged overages for 3G data may have incurred.

Unlimited Data: Verizon

I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, I'm a noob.
So I will be ready to upgrade in the coming month, and I currently have unlimited data. Everyone says that if I pay full price for the phone, and I do not sign a 2 year contract, then I will be able to keep my unlimited data and will not be moved to tiered/shared data plan.
My question is this: If I pay full price for a new phone, keep my unlimited data for the time being, is there anything that stops Verizon from pulling my unlimited data a couple months down the road, and either refusing me service or moving me to tiered.
I have heard both sides of this issue, one saying that if you pay full price for a phone and don't sign a contract then you keep unlimited data forever, and the other that you keep unlimited data until VZW stops providing it. Any ideas?

VZW (and any carrier, really) can change their ToS at any time and pull your unlimited data plan. However, if you buy a phone off contract (at full price) there won't be anything stopping you from leaving if they do.
Think of it that way.
Hickory, Dickory, Dox...Snowflake approves of my HOX....

I agree with babydoll25. Plus I really don't think there's a whole lot of people that will pay 600$ for a phone just to keep unlimited data so in a few years there will be only a small amount of people on unlimited data and they will leave us alone. Myself I have 3 lines. 2 with unlimited data and 1 basic line. I'm using alternate upgrades on the basic line than switching the phone over to my line so I still get upgrades
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