AT&T CEO Warns That Metered Pricing On the Way
This is not the end of the world people (hopefully)
Yes, it could be bad news for consumers depending on how it is handled.. but let's look at this.
There was a study recently that said the Average iphone user consumed roughly 200-300mb of data in a month. Now, I'm willing to bet that most of you reading this use more than that (I easily do on my droid) but we're also in the minority of users here.
But even I.. using 1.2gb+ a month am most likely a "lite" user by some standards.. and that's where the metering idea comes in.
When Roadrunner, Comcast, etc started talking about data caps, they did so because less than 10% of their users were consuming 60% or more of their bandwidth.
That's the issue. For the vast majority of customers, the networks could easily cover the cost ...
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There was a study recently that said the Average iphone user consumed roughly 200-300mb of data in a month. Now, I'm willing to bet that most of you reading this use more than that (I easily do on my droid) but we're also in the minority of users here.
But even I.. using 1.2gb+ a month am most likely a "lite" user by some standards.. and that's where the metering idea comes in.
When Roadrunner, Comcast, etc started talking about data caps, they did so because less than 10% of their users were consuming 60% or more of their bandwidth.
That's the issue. For the vast majority of customers, the networks could easily cover the cost ...
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Or they should reward people that do not use so much by giving everyone 100mb free data. if you were to exceed that up to 500mb it costs you $15 or or something, if you exceed that up to 2GB it costs you the regular $30 for smart phone data, if you exceed that up to 5GB it costs $50, if you exceed that they should come to your home and shave your feet with a cheese grater and then charge you $10 for every 100mb you go over the $45 5GB cap.
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I think it should be 1mb free (to avoid "I just pressed a button" claims only)
but after that have tiers. I think there should be more options for consumers besides "nothing" and "unlimited."
I don't like the idea of harshly punishing overage (unless it is excessive) I'd much rather have different "tiers" and then a per use rate for people who want to use even more. If you go over your tier cap it will either cut you off, you you get bumped to the next tier.
but after that have tiers. I think there should be more options for consumers besides "nothing" and "unlimited."
I don't like the idea of harshly punishing overage (unless it is excessive) I'd much rather have different "tiers" and then a per use rate for people who want to use even more. If you go over your tier cap it will either cut you off, you you get bumped to the next tier.
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It is a reward by it being free. This would keep people that want sweet smart phone to use the internet sometimes for their FB or their email or weather, but don't want to pay loads of money for it. If they reward people that use a very small portion of data by saying 'You can have this much, but if you go over, it's going to cost you.'
It could be 50mb. 1MB is a VERY small amount of data. VERY SMALL.
It could be 50mb. 1MB is a VERY small amount of data. VERY SMALL.
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if customers knew data was free and we gave them 50mb of data, they would use 500mb.
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You shouldn't be able to use a service for free simply because you don't want to pay for it. If they made the first 100mb free it would be because they built the cost into the plan (so a base plan would go up $10 higher than it needed to be)
Consumers need to be smart and show why their demands would PROFIT the company. Cellphone companies LOSE money on selling the phone, they only make it on service, so offering one of their core services free to get people to buy more expensive phones doesn't make sense.
You shouldn't have a smartphone without data, PERIOD.
Offering a $10 100mb or a $20 500mb plan would go a long way to helping customers get better phone (though the phones would be more expensive as a result). If you can't affo...
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Consumers need to be smart and show why their demands would PROFIT the company. Cellphone companies LOSE money on selling the phone, they only make it on service, so offering one of their core services free to get people to buy more expensive phones doesn't make sense.
You shouldn't have a smartphone without data, PERIOD.
Offering a $10 100mb or a $20 500mb plan would go a long way to helping customers get better phone (though the phones would be more expensive as a result). If you can't affo...
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"You shouldn't have a smartphone without data, PERIOD."
That's why I switched my Curve to an LG-6100 and still carry the Curve around as an mp3/organizer. I am done. Dumbphones for life.
That's why I switched my Curve to an LG-6100 and still carry the Curve around as an mp3/organizer. I am done. Dumbphones for life.
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I personally don't know what to make of it. WiMax is offering unlimited use at this point with no talk of changing that. They "May" change it down the road, but my sources say: That is not what WiMax is about". I can see ATT going through with this for the simple reason that they are getting killed with data usage on a beat up network. VZW may jump aboard because ATT is doing it. But I don't see Sprint and WiMax doing this in the near future.
As far as the phones go, trying to tell someone they can't have a certain device because they don't want data, seems wrong. That is like telling someone they can't own a Lambourgini because they will never use the full potential. I agree that I would not purchase something I wouldn't use. but there a...
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As far as the phones go, trying to tell someone they can't have a certain device because they don't want data, seems wrong. That is like telling someone they can't own a Lambourgini because they will never use the full potential. I agree that I would not purchase something I wouldn't use. but there a...
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But I also don't see wimax extending past cities and very large towns. If you limit the coverage area, unlimited plans might be sustainable in that regard (they could just throttle the bandwidth of heavy users during peak times). Verizon already talked about that the future of data was PPU not "all you can eat." Sprint can't jump on board with this because they need every advantage possible to keep their head above water. But if they have a turn around and start adding customers (postpay) every quarter instead of losing them, don't expect their "all you can eat for less" plans to last.
The difference between a car and a cellphone though is the price. For a high end car, if you have the money, you can buy it and sit it on cinderbl...
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The difference between a car and a cellphone though is the price. For a high end car, if you have the money, you can buy it and sit it on cinderbl...
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Understandable. However, my Wife wanted a BB tour because of the camera and attractiveness as well as the keyboard for texting. She didn't care about data. I offered to pay full price. They wouldn't sell it to me. It required the data. While I wasn't upset, my Wife was. And I sort of see her point. If your willing to pay full price, you should get what you want. That is my bone of contention.
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I agree, but I can tell you that there is NO OPTION in the system currently for this. The ESN is hard coded with the smartphone data option and there is no way around it. I think this is mainly because the number of people willing to pay full price is so low that they can't have the option there (because there would be reps that would put it in place for people getting 2 year price.. there is no "price paid" option in eroes) and then you would have people using data and getting huge charges and calling every month.. It's a lose lose situation
(and the tour is awesome btw, so I understand why she would want it)
(and the tour is awesome btw, so I understand why she would want it)
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Menno said:I believe that if you want a smartphone but you'll never use data, you should have that option ONLY if you pay significantly more for the phone itself, and you either need data BLOCKED (giving up picture messaging) or you sign something stating you won't call up every month bitching about per usage charges. I don't see consumers doing either of those things, so I don't think carriers should waste the time or resources in offering those options.
I agree almost 100%
I do think picture messaging should be included if you have regular messaging. And I think there shouldn't be a PPU option. Total data blockage would eliminate the need for a disputed charges clause. So people either get the data p...
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It's the way they deal with data (smartphones) I agree picture messaging shouldn't count against it, but i think that might be some serious recoding
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Remember- These are American Consumers you're talking about. The same folks who lose their minds when they find out they might have to pay something to get a phone. The same folks who swap carriers when they go over their minutes and find out they actually have to pay for the overage. Your ideas are sound, but packaging them to the consumer and making them work in the real world may be harder than you think.
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More like lets squeeze every last dime out everyone. $39.95 for 5gb is nuts, its more then what people are paying for unlimited. If AT&T or whomever, can't handle their product after extensive marketing of them, then they shouldn't sell them.
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If you don't like the prices, don't get a smartphone, simple as that. Honestly, how many of us ACTUALLY need a smart phone? The truth is, most of us don't need it. We have the internet at home and at work, and most of us aren't frequent travelors for our work. Business people on the go, do need a blackberry, yes, but most of us don't need a smartphone period.
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Yes! You are absolutely correct. I do not have and do not need a "smartassphone"
I do have internet and plenty of apps at home or work. No need because I am spending most of my time at airports traveling for my line of work.
It's the moron who buys it to show off to their friends..."hey look, I got the latest, fastest, coolest, most expensive phone out there and it makes me feel important!" "I could do everything except wipe my ass with it!"
I have a 6 year old phone and it serves the purpose of what a cellphone was meant to do in the first place...."make and receive mobile calls" 🤨
I do have internet and plenty of apps at home or work. No need because I am spending most of my time at airports traveling for my line of work.
It's the moron who buys it to show off to their friends..."hey look, I got the latest, fastest, coolest, most expensive phone out there and it makes me feel important!" "I could do everything except wipe my ass with it!"
I have a 6 year old phone and it serves the purpose of what a cellphone was meant to do in the first place...."make and receive mobile calls" 🤨
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You guys have no right to tell someone what phone to have. Just because YOU dont need a smartphone, doesnt mean that many of us dont. Just because you don't go to work in a 3-piece suit doesnt mean your abusing the right to use a Blackberry.
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cwcanty said:
You guys have no right to tell someone what phone to have. Just because YOU dont need a smartphone, doesnt mean that many of us dont. Just because you don't go to work in a 3-piece suit doesnt mean your abusing the right to use a Blackberry.
You have the right to buy whatever phone you want. You should be a smart consumer and realize that there are stipulations and consequences to your purchase. If you need a smartphone, buy a smartphone, but realize that part of having a smartphone is paying for data. If someone doesn't want to spend the money each month for data, then getting a smartphone probably isn't the best choice.
However, if you value the concept of owning a smartphone More than ...
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We are not complaining about data fee's, AT&T and YOU are complaining about data fee's and use, so lets get that strait.
No I don't need a smartphone, be it an iphone or BB, I want it. I don't tell you what you can or cannot have. So please show the same respect. I don't complain about the $30 rate it cost me to use my iPhone, you complain about the $30 rate that these mobile companies aren't making enough. So lets get that strait.
No I don't need a smartphone, be it an iphone or BB, I want it. I don't tell you what you can or cannot have. So please show the same respect. I don't complain about the $30 rate it cost me to use my iPhone, you complain about the $30 rate that these mobile companies aren't making enough. So lets get that strait.
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Sounds like this is part of the Cap&Trade/green movement "you dont need a smartphone" "90% of us dont need unlimited data" Yada yada.
Cwcanty is right, who are you to tell me what kinda of phone i need. Hey, At&t can start charging all they want for metering data, watch and see thier consumers take their business to a carrier who still offers unlimited. Even StraightTalk at Wal-Mart offers unlimited data for far less than what At&t currently charges.
Cwcanty is right, who are you to tell me what kinda of phone i need. Hey, At&t can start charging all they want for metering data, watch and see thier consumers take their business to a carrier who still offers unlimited. Even StraightTalk at Wal-Mart offers unlimited data for far less than what At&t currently charges.
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I wasn't saying that there weren't people who needed unlimited data. I know some heavy users. But the typical smartphone user uses well under a 1gb in a month, yet they are paying for unlimited data. If there was just ONE option for lower data (say 19.99 for 1.5gb) it would be a net savings for most customers.
all or none when it comes to pricing is anti consumer. Because it sets the barrier for entry artificially high. It's also bad for business now that media content is so easy to get on phones so there are some users (I think att said 3%) that are chewing through bandwidth at a rate that forces them to use OTHER accounts to subsidize that usage.
If they kept with "unlimited" pricing options when 4g came out, the unlimited pac...
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all or none when it comes to pricing is anti consumer. Because it sets the barrier for entry artificially high. It's also bad for business now that media content is so easy to get on phones so there are some users (I think att said 3%) that are chewing through bandwidth at a rate that forces them to use OTHER accounts to subsidize that usage.
If they kept with "unlimited" pricing options when 4g came out, the unlimited pac...
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phatmanxxl said:
Sounds like this is part of the Cap&Trade/green movement "you dont need a smartphone" "90% of us dont need unlimited data" Yada yada.
Cwcanty is right, who are you to tell me what kinda of phone i need. Hey, At&t can start charging all they want for metering data, watch and see thier consumers take their business to a carrier who still offers unlimited. Even StraightTalk at Wal-Mart offers unlimited data for far less than what At&t currently charges.
And not only that, change my rate plan, and I term etf free, contracts work both ways. I will ebay the iPhones and go elsewhere.
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ok, really? it doesn't matter WHAT people wear that says what type of phone someone has. there are people on government assistance with Iphones and blackberrys. there are rich people that use flip nokias. don't stereotype that only people wearing suits to work has the right to own a smart phone.
i know an 18 year old girl that's a waitress that has a blackberry and i can't understand WHY.
i know an 18 year old girl that's a waitress that has a blackberry and i can't understand WHY.
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bunnsguy said:
ok, really? it doesn't matter WHAT people wear that says what type of phone someone has. there are people on government assistance with Iphones and blackberrys. there are rich people that use flip nokias. don't stereotype that only people wearing suits to work has the right to own a smart phone.
i know an 18 year old girl that's a waitress that has a blackberry and i can't understand WHY.
And who the heck cares, and what is it to you? Does she tell you what car to drive, or what shoes to wear? If thats what the 18 y/o waitress wants, fine.
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THE DUMPSTER BEHIND DENNY'S WORKS JUST FINE FOR ME THANK YOU I'LL PASS ON YOUR FROU-FROU "RUNNING WATER"
More like a WASTE OF MONEY.
More like a WASTE OF MONEY.
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Just make sure there aren't any so called cops around when pissing at the dumpster. Cops are very bored people. And are looking for any reason to harass people over the littlest things.
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of the entire smartphone population, what percentage used over 5gb in a month WITHOUT tethering.. It's insanely small.
As I mentioned in my post, the numbers I created were arbitrary, not what I think they should be.
"Unlimited" needs to die when it comes to services because people will ALWAYS abuse it, hurting the majority as a whole. It was a neat marketing ploy, "hey, it's unlimited!" to get people to sign up for highcost plans, but then data started increasing. Because even if they claimed to offer unlimited coverage, they were depending on a very limited average (I'm saying 500mb or less for smartphones)
And even by most surveys done today, a majority of people still use less than a GB a month with their phones. But there a...
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As I mentioned in my post, the numbers I created were arbitrary, not what I think they should be.
"Unlimited" needs to die when it comes to services because people will ALWAYS abuse it, hurting the majority as a whole. It was a neat marketing ploy, "hey, it's unlimited!" to get people to sign up for highcost plans, but then data started increasing. Because even if they claimed to offer unlimited coverage, they were depending on a very limited average (I'm saying 500mb or less for smartphones)
And even by most surveys done today, a majority of people still use less than a GB a month with their phones. But there a...
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Menno would be a better Blogger than the idiots they have on RCR, too. They have the audacity to criticize services hey admit to not using. Unbelievable!
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This is what they do. They make a service available to you at a low price then once they get you used to using it (dependent upon it even) they raise the price. They did the same thing with text messaging. We had to damn near BEG people to use text back in the day. $.10 to send $.02 to receive. Now $.20 either way. Ridiculous! The first hits free. Just TRY it. You'll like it.
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The problem I have is faster speeds enable a better multimedia experience and obviously if I'm wastching more multimedia I will be using more data. I had to minimize my budget recently, but when I had Clear I used approximetly 35gb's, because I watched a whole lot more video Hulu and so on. So what the heck is the point in building out a high speed network if the speed can't be used for things that use a lot of data. Watching tv episodes on Hulu uses more than a measly 10gb's! I just think high speeds are worthless if it can't be used for video which happens to be a data heavy application.
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The data numbers I pulled out were total speculation. Verizon stated that LTE would reduce the cost to get data to consumers by at least 50%. They're also not stupid. They know that these high end media services exist and the idea of "You only need this as a secondary connection." are quickly going away as wireless technology (wimax and LTE) are quickly approaching the speeds of real broadband.
But at the same time, Mobile broadband will always be more expensive (or have more limitations placed on it) simply because it's rather expensive to maintain those speeds as the users increase. The benefit of cable and Fiber is that once the cost is laid out (and it is significant) the bandwidth cap is a lot higher than you can get from even 4g...
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But at the same time, Mobile broadband will always be more expensive (or have more limitations placed on it) simply because it's rather expensive to maintain those speeds as the users increase. The benefit of cable and Fiber is that once the cost is laid out (and it is significant) the bandwidth cap is a lot higher than you can get from even 4g...
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This forum is closed.
