AT&T gives in to unlimited messaging trend, too
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Apr 16th 2007 3:10PM
posted Apr 16th 2007 3:10PM
[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Great News!! On April 20th, Cingular will introduce new Unlimited Messaging packages as well as increase the messaging buckets on some of the Consumer Data Packages/Bundles.
In response to consumer demands, Cingular is significantly increasing the value of our Consumer Data Packages/Bundles creating both an Unlimited Messaging Package and an Unlimited MEdia Bundle and by adding 50% more messages to several feature plans. Now our customers have more flexibility in communicating via Text, Picture, Video & Instant Messaging!
The following consumer Messaging Packages & MEdia Bundles have been rebuilt and enhanced with additional messages:
- MEdia Works
- Messaging Extreme -- (NOW Messaging Unlimited)
- MEdia Max 1000 -- (NOW MEdia Max 1500)
- MEdia Max 3000 -- (NOW MEdia Max Unlimited)
More good news-the messaging increase also applies to the Unlimited Mobile to Mobile Messaging versions of MEdia Works and MEdia Max 1500.
"Giving in" ? That's rediculous. AT&T wants you to buy their over-inflated $20 pricing. Or $30 for families. Then, they increased pay-per-use to $.20 forcing those users to switch. Also, they only offer 200 or 1500 Message plans. If you wanted something in the middle you're again forced to buy the over-priced unlimited. These plans are not good, competitive or reasonable. They create windfall profits. Some might call that price gouging.
"AT&T’s Text Messages Cost $1,310 per Megabyte
John Biggs on July 1, 2008
Today is basic math day at CrunchGear where we discovered that if 160 bytes of SMS data costs twenty cents then 1MB (1,048,576 bytes) of data would cost 131,072 cents, or $1,310.72.
Check out the prices for a text message plan on AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone 3G in the United States. AT&T wants twenty cents ($0.20) per text message if you don’t sign up for a plan. A text message is nothing more than 160 bytes of data. The max is 160 characters, and one character equals one byte of data. Great.
In other words, if AT&T charged data downloads at the rate they charge text messages downloading 1MB of data would cost you $1,310.72."
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/01/atts-text-messages-cost-1310-per-megabyte/
so if u have fsmily plan and theres 4 phone unlimited text how much would it costs?
if u have 4 phones on family plan and u put all the phone on unlimited text how much would it costs?
Any clue how these new shifts are going to affect BES/BIS customers???
Is this really worth your job?
Sweet, I get 500 more text msgs for the same price, and no need to renew my contract (media max 1000 to media max 1500). Take THAT verizon =P
as well as truly unlimited data. i can download more that 184MB a day!
saywha? Am I reading that screenshot correctly? the row that lists megabytes of data is unlimited? You mean I can push and pull unlimited amounts of data with my phone's browser?
Why are calling plans so confusing?
Does anybody know what the bottom prices are? It might possible be PDA pricing? PDA/Laptops use IP based routing for data (allows VPN and port hosting) while regular cell phone internet is via a proxy.
That'd be too sweet so I doubt it. $40 for pda + unlimited text. too good to be true. I wonder what it is. It only says "Included" for the unlimited texting plans.
@Todd (and for everyone)
What each rows mean:
#1 Plan Name
#2 Number of text messages
#3 Megabytes of data (per month)
#4 I don't know (maybe Video Sharing/Calling Minutes?)
#5 Pricing for regular cell phones
#6 Plan Code for #5
#7 I don't know (maybe PDA pricing?)
#8 Plan Code for #7 (if applicable)
And todd, yes you can download/downstream unlimited data to your phone (Web Browsing, Java Applications, Cingular Video, Multimedia Messages, Video Sharing/Calling) though I sometimes use it for tethering (Cingular doesn't check)
I figured out what #7 is, It's for Unlimited M2M Texting (Unlimited Cingular to Cingular)
The unlimited text alone costs $24.99 today. $40 for unlimited data and messaging is really a big discount.
Great. Just made a lot of money on the mobile to mobile. Those are all going to be canceled and and charged back next month. F U Cingular !!!!!!
This gave me gas.
Congrate, tmobile has been doing this since 2002.
UPDATE: Heres the pdf of that blurry screen shot, which fills in the blanks we have been wondering about in the comments above:
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/Documents/attmessaging.pdf
Will "unlimited" really mean UNLIMITED, this time? If I start slinging live TV to my phone I will NOT get any overages for gigs and gigs of data transfered?
Since cingular has this great new unlimited package mabye they should come out with a great new qwerty phone to compete with the env, sidekick, and the u740!
As for the iPhone thing, you have to realize, they probably won't treat the iPhone as a PDA since it doesn't have any strong IP-to-IP communication features (Exchange for Push-Email or VPN).
And in terms of data usage, the average Cingular Video user will suck up more bandwidth in a month than the average PDA user. PDA plan costs more because they give you you're own public IP rather than routing your internet via proxys (and block ports with their firewalls). I'm pretty sure these plans are going to marketed the iPhone crowd.
I have never been more happy to be a Cingular customer. I just wish they were keeping the name. It is so much cooler than at&t.
You guys should check out the PDF. It has more information. Go-Phone will have the plan in affect starting this June.
Also, what I was noticing, in their "Competitive Info", they list $19.99 for Unlimited Text/IM/Pics/Video. And when they list Verizon's Unlimited for $20, they note: "Verizon states that they charge airtime for picture and video messages but it is not billed"
Is this to say that now Pics and Videos will be not tack on an additional data charge? That would be SWEET (though I already have a unlimited data plan).
I just remembered that unlimited IMs means I can sign on AIM on my phone and not worry about how AIM racks up text messages with the buddy list refresh.
But back to my point, does anybody know if now pics/vids will rack up data charges now?
Oh yes!!!
Now I can switch and throw my SIM card back in my XDA Exec!
i find it amusing that t-mobile has had unlimited messaging for only $14.99 for what, almost two years now? or more? and now, just now, cingular and verizon are getting the idea..... only for $20.00 instead... hmmm. oh, that and t-mobile offers $5.99 for unlimited data on a basic phone? is it any wonder i switched off cingular...
The other price that has been confusing people is the plan with mobile to mobile text messaging. For 5 bucks on top of your service cingualr add unlimited txts to all cingular custiomers
Anyone have an idea if that max bundle will apply to BB's or just regular phones?
And you know what else is amusing jrk? The fact that t-mobile has been getting OWNED by vzw and and cingy quarter after quarter with more customer adds and lower churn than t-mobile ;-)
mms does not incur data charges with att.
media bundles are not for bb. bb's need bb data plans. they can have the text plans. but they do not use medianet.
I read the PDF and am wondering if FamilyTalk Texting will be one charge of $20 per line or will there be a group rate? That may explain the Data tab on the Cingular Account Usage webpage.
I work at a customer service center, and have been following this topic closely. As of this moment, there have not been any emails or discussions with any of our employees on these plans. If they are to start on the 20th as stated above, we have no knowledge of it. I have asked others in our building and no one has head of any of these new plans discussed. If the plans above are accurate, then I am sure they aren't going to roll out for a few more weeks at least. Usually we get a week or two to read up on the new promotions so we can prepare for the influx of callers w/ questions.
BFD Turd mobile has unlimited txt. What good is it if you cant get service? Kinda like nexthell offering $100 deposits to any deadbeat customer (even existing ones who dont feel like paying their bill).
The change is only for personal accounts from what I hear, and not for business accounts... which really sucks for people like me who are stuck with a phone provided by the company I work for. There's no way in hell I'll ever convince them to let us have text messaging again unless we can get an unlimited plan. To the Web 2.0 sites out there that use SMS to verify accounts etc, not everyone has SMS, some companies are cheap asses... What really sucks is working for a company that can't even begin to comprehend why anyone would need txt messaging in the first place... it's like trying to explain your cell phone & the internet to your great grandmother...
Hey got an answer for the question about what "Unlimited Data" means for AT&T/Cingular. Its in the contract available for your reading online at their site.
V Prohibited and Permissible Uses: Data Service sessions may be conducted only for the following purposes: (i) Internet browsing; (ii) email; and (iii) corporate intranet access (including access to corporate email, customer relationship management, sales force automation, and field service automation applications). PROHIBITED USES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, USING SERVICES: (I) WITH SERVER DEVICES OR WITH HOST COMPUTER APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WEB CAMERA POSTS OR BROADCASTS, CONTINUOUS JPEG FILE TRANSFERS, AUTOMATIC DATA FEEDS, TELEMETRY APPLICATIONS, PEER-TO-PEER (P2P) FILE SHARING, AUTOMATED FUNCTIONS OR ANY OTHER MACHINE-TO-MACHINE APPLICATIONS; (II) AS SUBSTITUTE OR BACKUP FOR PRIVATE LINES OR DEDICATED DATA CONNECTIONS; (III) FOR VOICE OVER IP; (IV) IN CONJUNCTION WITH WWAN OR OTHER APPLICATIONS OR DEVICES WHICH AGGREGATE USAGE FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES PRIOR TO TRANSMISSION; (V) USING THE SERVICES FOR ANY ACTIVITY THAT ADVERSELY AFFECTS THE ABILITY OF OTHER PEOPLE OR SYSTEMS TO USE EITHER THE SERVICES OR OTHER PARTIES' INTERNET-BASED RESOURCES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION OF NETWORK OR SYSTEM RESOURCES (WHETHER INTENTIONAL OR UNINTENTIONAL) AND "DENIAL OF SERVICE" (DOS) ATTACKS AGAINST ANOTHER NETWORK HOST OR INDIVIDUAL USER; OR (VI) INTERFERENCE WITH OR DISRUPTION OF OTHER NETWORK USERS, NETWORK SERVICES OR NETWORK EQUIPMENT. EXCEPT FOR CONTENT FORMATTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH AT&T'S WIRELESS CONTENT STANDARDS, UNLIMITED PLANS CANNOT BE USED FOR UPLOADING, DOWNLOADING OR STREAMING OF VIDEO CONTENT (E.G. MOVIES, TV), MUSIC OR GAMES. FURTHERMORE, UNLIMITED PLANS (EXCEPT FOR DATACONNECT AND BLACKBERRY TETHERED) CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY APPLICATIONS THAT TETHER THE DEVICE (THROUGH USE OF, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, CONNECTION KITS, OTHER PHONE/PDA-TO-COMPUTER ACCESSORIES, BLUETOOTH OR ANY OTHER WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY) TO LAPTOPS, PCS, OR OTHER EQUIPMENT FOR ANY PURPOSE. Service is not intended to provide full-time connections, and the Service may be discontinued after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage. AT&T reserves the right to (i) limit throughput or amount of data transferred, deny Service and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited above or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network and not equivalent to landline Internet. AT&T is not responsible for nonproprietary services or their effects on devices. If applicable, use of Desktop Toolbar requires compatible home computer products. AT&T RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TERMINATE YOUR SERVICES WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, UPON EXPIRATION OR TERMINATION OF YOUR WIRELESS SERVICE AGREEMENT. Caller ID blocking is not available when using the Services, and your wireless number is transmitted to Internet sites you visit. You may receive unsolicited messages from third parties as a result of visiting Internet sites, and a per-message charge may apply whether the message is read or unread, solicited or unsolicited. Additional Terms: See below for additional terms relating to specific Services. In addition, all use of AT&T's wireless network and the Services is governed by AT&T's Acceptable Use Policy, which can be found at www.wireless.att.com/acceptable_use_policy, as determined solely by AT&T. AT&T can revise its Acceptable Use Policy at any time without notice by updating this posting.Use of the Services is subject to Terms and Conditions of your Wireless Service Agreement. See Wireless Service Agreement, att.com/wireless or AT&T Customer Service for additional conditions, restrictions, privacy policy and information.