AT&T to face down net neutrality with per-megabyte pricing for mobile broadband

[mcablue]

Source: Telecoms.com

12-17-09

AT&T Mobility’s consideration of usage-based pricing for its mobile broadband network lays the groundwork for billing changes that could be induced if regulators force it to comply with any net-neutrality rules.

AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets CEO Ralph de la Vega, appearing at a financial analyst conference in New York, said last week that while the operator has no immediate plans to begin charging by the megabyte it does intend to upgrade its billing systems so it can start educating its customers regarding their data usage by providing real-time information about their data consumption. That, he indicated, might open the way toward usage-based pricing.

“We’ve got to get them to understand what represents a megabyte of data,” de la Vega said. He reportedly acknowledged at the event that just 3 per cent of users drive 40 per cent of the data traffic delivered over AT&T’s mobile network.

De la Vega’s comments immediately found skeptics, who contend AT&T is pondering a bait-and-switch campaign. From their perspective, AT&T used unlimited data plans to lure mobile customers to smartphones, promoted high-bandwidth applications over a 3G network that’s unable to accommodate them and now intends to jack up its prices by charging per megabyte used.

Read more: http://www.telecoms.com/17125/att-to-face-down-net-neutrality-with-per-megabyte-pricing

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http://www.telecoms.com/17125/att-to-face-down-net-neutrality-with-per-megabyte-pricing

[Kitsune]

1. Instead of bitching about iPhone users, how about you FIX YOUR GODDAMNED NETWORK

You asked for exclusivity, you assholes, it's not your users' fault if you weren't ready for it.

[NashVegas]

8. How About You PAY FOR WHAT YOU USE?

The internet has spawned an army of stooges who demand certain services, while maintaining some ridicule-worthy notion that the things they demand carry ZERO dollar value.

[Goldom]

26. I do.

Says right on the bill. $30 for unlimited use. Of course, Comcast also says that, but they'll still cut you off if you go over an undefined limit.

[fascisthunter]

20. well said....

[Jamastiene]

27. Wow, you sound calm about it.

AT&T infuriated me until I moved to Roadrunner. I do NOT miss AT&T at all.

[endless october]

2. time for another breakup of that company.

AT&T has become too big to not suck.

[MercutioATC]

3. "Educate" me all you want.

If you change the terms of our agreement, I will leave.

Simple :)

[glitch]

10. Looking forward to it. Their "service" blows. Dial up was better, I wish I was kidding. nt

[MercutioATC]

11. I've had great service with AT&T...and they're cheaper than other providers here.

I'll be disappointed if I have to switch.

[glitch]

13. You're lucky. nt

[Roland99]

18. Speed was fine early in the morning or late at night

Otherwise..... not so much.

[Moochy]

4. Buried Lede: that you can actually download a megabyte over AT&T's Crappy 3G network

(posted with my AT&T iPhone )

[MercutioATC]

12. I just downloaded 1.4MB in less than a minute.

I realize that speeds vary by geographic location and system demand, but AT&T's 3G is NOT universally slow.

[Moochy]

16. Understood

Just the popular areas, like say DOWNTOWN SAN FRANCISCO, you know where there are alot of iphones, it does not work for shit.
I often will set my iphone to "airplane mode" and back on again, and it rarely finds the 3G network. The question is, why was the icon showing 3G when if you toggle it off and on it won't reconnect?

[MercutioATC]

17. I don't know. Mine doesn't do that.

I work in a rural area and don't get 3G out there...only Edge. Until I get back into 3G territory, I show an "E".

[Moochy]

19. Whats unfortunate about that is with a 3g

you still have to pay the extra 9.99 dollars a month despite getting no service. That should not be allowed.

Yeah it irks me that the 3g stays lit when every service that uses the network is failing. You'll toggle airplane mode, and the best you will get is "E" for edge network.

[WriteDown]

5. This is quite a stat....

"3 per cent of users drive 40 per cent of the data traffic delivered over AT&T’s mobile network."

[Roland99]

6. I dropped my mobile internet service and decided against upgrading to an iPhone

Saves me money and don't really need internet on a phone...was more of a time-waster than anything.

[Occulus]

7. I didn't need a phone, so I got an ipod instead

Not being tethered to a specific carrier is a wonderful thing (hints, iPhone users: unlock and jailbreak). All I need is an open hotspot and I'm good to go. The tradeoff is, the thing is half-crippled when I have no wifi in range...

[MilesColtrane]

9. Hey Steve, time to switch the iPhone contract to Verizon.

[WriteDown]

14. Or just let me upload Opera on my iphone...

Browses much faster so I'll spend much less time on the network. :)

[Dr.Phool]

15. Or try Straight Talk. It's on the Verizon network.

$30 per month for 1000 min, 1000 texts, 30m data.

or

$45 per month unlimited everything.

No contracts, and decent phones fairly cheap.

http://straighttalk.com/

You're basically getting Verizon's best package at 1/3 the cost.

[fascisthunter]

22. it's in the works right now

[fascisthunter]

21. That's alright... AT&T is going to lose exclusivity of the iPhone

and should because of this....

[Posteritatis]

23. Kinda telling that at the end of 2009 they're talking about megabytes like they're a lot. (nt)

[Robb]

24. Heh. Good point. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

25. Not just AT&T....

Comcast and Frontier both talking the same meme " X % of users eating huge bandwidth",
to justify charging by the mb or whatever. Both are talking about "letting customers see their usage"
and promising "most customers will not fall into the heavy use category"
But once they are allowed to bill by the usage, the price will go up and up and up for less and less. That is their pattern!



This really has to be stopped, you know. They will cripple the internet.

but I see no way to prevent them from doing this, we have no voice in the decision, the
FCC is bought and paid for.

[Jamastiene]

29. I wish we could stop it.

It is a ridiculous idea that somehow megabytes are causing the company that much of a problem. Even dialup could handle mere megabytes.

[Jamastiene]

28. Ridiculous.

It's not like the megabytes are using nonrenewable resources for power as they travel or something. Geez, even dialup could handle megabytes. I hate AT&T with a passion.