” AT&T is charging you a fee to use the data you already paid for.”

If you open an All You Can Eat Buffet, you know that there are going to be people who pay the $8 and eat $16 worth of food. But you also know that there are going to be people who pay the $8 and only eat $2. You count on that.  Otherwise, you don’t make money.

AT&T has said that 98% of users fall in the under-2GB per month plan. If you use more than that, then you’re in a very small minority, and it is most likely that minority that is making these plans necessary. 

It was in the news recently that US cellular networks carried more data traffic than voice traffic. I believe that’s why we’re now seeing cheaper unlimited talk plans while data plans are getting capped. 

Some people leave their computers on all the time, regardless of whether they’re using it or not, so by putting a cap/limit on it, it prevents people from wasting bandwidth that they’re not really using.

You don’t go into the AYCE buffet during breakfast and stay through dinner, do you? Why should you do the same with your computer?

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Your info doesn’t make sense. In this case Apple is selling you 2GB of data for $25. If you want to use that SAME 2GB of data while tethered, they charge you another $20. It’s like ordering food at a buffet for $25, and getting no silverware. When you ask for a fork, they charge you a $20 fee.

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This is retarted, I would use way more data with tethering. It’s really annoying that this option is available AFTER it was released a WHOLE software version later than when the OS supported tethering.

Thanks for helping me decide to switch to Sprint…

BTW, I removed my real thoughts from my comment to keep it clean

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Wow! AT&T dropped the ball on this one. They only treat their customers this way because they know they are the only carrier with the iPhone. Once Android 2.2 AKA - Froyo gets a stable build of phones to compete with the iPhone, then the Sprint everything plan looks more appealing to Verizon customers who have been mistreated with crappy plans. IMO Android + Sprint = Win.

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I’m playing Devil’s advocate, by the way. I’d much rather have tethering be the same price and not have to deal with caps, but I also understand from a business perspective why they’re doing it .

Regarding the comment, “When you ask for a fork, they charge you a $20 fee.” I liken it to a kid’s price versus adult price or the salad bar only versus the salad bar and hot bar together. You’re going to pay different amounts based upon your needs. You can eat all the food (data) you want, but you’re limited to where you get that food.

The biggest reason I support this is that it makes users more mindful of their data usage, and with so many people complaining about AT&T’s service, this can only help.

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Right, but the thing is that with AT&T’s new plan, if you use less than 200MB per month, you can drop your rate significantly by getting the $15 plan—and if you go over, you pay in increments of $15 per 200MB. No crazy hidden charges for overages, just clear stepping and scaling for usage. That’s a great, pro-consumer change, even if you don’t necessarily like the rates or the increments of data.

So why, then, does a data plan so focused on the consumption component charge an extra $20 for tethering (and without even adding any data to your pool)? For a plan so focused on usage, this makes absolutely no sense. There is zero technical or logical difference between a computer funneling data through a phone or the phone requesting that data itself, especially when you’re paying by the meg. Par for the course with AT&T, it’s a cynical and sour-tasting ploy to gouge customers for every last cent before consumers wise up and demand it be bundled. And the sad thing is, a lot of people are going to pay for it in the mean time.

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This absurd $20 tethering cost is like paying Apple $20 to unlock tethering settings on the iPhone. Does it really matters if the 2GB limit is consumed by my iPhone or my Mac while tethering?

I’ll pay for the extra usage while tethering, but not $20 just for a privilege for tethering with iPhone/ATT.

I had some hope with the ATT/iPhone tetherhing, but now I’m seriously considering the Overdrive 4G from Sprint.

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This data plan is absolutely retarded. I’ll buy the phone out right without a new contract keep my unlimited for 30$ a month and jailbreak the new phone to get tethering that way. When AT&T says that 98% of the users are under 2gbs they’re full of ####. If you use the data estimated peovided by AT&T I’m sure that you’ll realize that 98% of people use way more than that. Only old grandmas who barely know how to dial are under 2gbs forget about that 200mbs ####!

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I believe this affects the iPad as well.  While it is correct that iPhone users rarely go over 200MB per month, an iPad can blow through that in no time.

This is not going to work out for ATT, and I cannot believe Apple is too thrilled with ATT throwing up a barrier to people buying its products.

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Its not only the fact that the charges are for non service but the charges are hard to plan for or predict.  How much does it cost to watch a streaming movie? download a book?  run that new app that provides streaming video conferencing (hey, that’d be cool, huh)?

So you sign up for what you need today based on what you’ve used in the past but you install new apps that do things you aren’t really aware of.  So it would be unwise to purchase the 200mb plan unless you just talk and email and then, why have an iphone?

Then, you want to tether, right? 
$20 please. 
  for what?!
To plug your computer into your phone
  are you doing anything to help with that?
We’re letting you…

I understand why AT&T wants to limit.  However, use your head guys!  Don’t spank your kids because they might play with matches, explain to them responsible use of fire and then put the matches away where they can’t get to them.  In other words, allow tethering with reduced bandwidth or just price accordingly.  An unlimited plan is probably not possible for their present network.  If this were Japan, we’d say no way, upgrade your infrastructure or we’ll switch to a better service.  But this is America where corporations can call all the shots and free enterprise can be regulated by powerful monopolies and the government is paid to prevent any competition from challenging the institution.

Your buffet analogies are pathetic.  Its not a buffet where there is some product being made at cost, its a pipe that moves bits.  It costs nothing to move them but the pipes in our country are ten years behind the rest of the world and there’s nothing we can do about it.  The minority of people who use the most data are the ones who are responsible for the iphone in the first place.  There are a million ways to ensure a quality experience for both the general public and the bleeding edge innovators.  However, there are also a million ways to squeeze more money out of exclusivity on the most important technology device innovation since the personal computer.  Keep squeezing AT&T and you’ll find you’ve suffocated your entire customer base to death

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Here’s the secret to getting $10 unlimited data with at&t (use it before this is gone. Fairly sure it wont work with iPhone because of the “special” treatment at&t gives iPhone users).

If you have an old dumb phone go ahead and pop your SIM card in there and use it for a few hours. Go to the at&t website to see if the network registered the phone as your current phone. (If this doesn’t work simply call customer service and tell them you have a dumb phone and want a data plan. They will ask you for the IMEI number). If registered go ahead and make changes to an unlimited data and text plan for dumb phones and make sure you print out you new plan. Wait a few hours and then pop in your SIM card back into your smart phone and voila, unlimited data and text for your smart phone for $30 per month. Been using this trick since October of last year along with my WM Wifi Router on Windows Mobile. I have even streamed a few Netflix movies from my PC (never had at&t call me and question my data usage). Now the only problem is securing a strong signal. In my city (it’s a big one) at&t reception sucks. It’s not until I’m way out that the signal is strong enough to get good 3G data speeds. So in a way I’m still not getting what I pay for. Oh well, enjoy

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For those of you reading this after launch, I activated my phone on 23rd and selected this option, losing my unlimited plan. After playing with the phone for a bit I finally came across the tethering option to configure it and it ONLY allows bluetooth or usb connections, does NOT use wifi. What a joke. This obviously isn’t a hardware issue as jailbroken phones can do this easily. I called next day and got them to put the unlimited plan back.

To clarify the plans, however, here is how it works: you pay $25 for 2GB plan (this is your only option to be able to use tethering). Then you pay $20 for tethering and get 2GB of tethering data. Then, if you go over for phone or tethering you pay $10/gig. So you get 2gb+2gb, not 4gb combined. Not horrible but still lame compared to sprint or others. I’m going to stick with sprint wifi ap for this purpose and keep unlimited plan.

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Actually, Apple is selling you an iPhone. AT&T is selling you 2 gigs of data for 25 dollars.

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I’m a current ATT and customer with a family plan who has held out to get an iphone. Now that I’;m ready, ATT has the stupidest most unappealing plan set up. I want to dump my net service at another location and use the tethering, but I cant on 2GB a month. SO, therefore, I’m NOT buying iphones as fast as I could and I’m NOT upgrading my service. Instead I’m looking at another carrier. ATT is acting STUPIDLY and I’m going to tell them so.

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Actually…

iPhone + Other Providers [in the next few months] = Epic Win

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