AT&T hinted that it was shaking up its GoPhone plans later this month, and it's making good on its word. As of June 21st, customers using the prepaid service will have access to the same LTE service as their subscription peers; AT&T will mark the occasion by selling the Samsung Galaxy Express to GoPhone users at $250 off-contract. The simplified smartphone plans are here as well, although they're better than previously expected. The carrier is dropping all data add-ons except for the $5 / 50MB pack, which is only available for a $25 monthly tier with 250 voice minutes and unlimited messaging. However, it will only cost $40 a month for a plan with 200MB of data and 500 minutes, and a $60 plan will offer 2GB of data with unlimited voice. AT&T's new strategy won't appease some data lovers, but those trying to avoid long contracts and harsh upgrade policies should be happy.

Update: To be clear, this is the official launch of LTE -- some customers have had the faster service in advance. The plans should be new.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T

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Source: AT&T

June 5th came and went, without the introduction of PC Mobile's new postpaid plans and smartphone lineup. MobileSyrup heard the launch had been pushed back to today, but is now reporting the MVNO is delaying it further. A few more details of what the Canadian carrier is expected to offer when it eventually follows through have emerged, however, including the all-important price points. Three contract tiers will be available, costing $35, $50 or $65 per month, with the number of any-use minutes and data allowance increasing with the spend. You'll also be able to purchase "stacks" that give you extra chatter time or megabytes for the month. Full details of the plans are available at the source link, but exactly when PC Mobile will begin promoting them alongside a refreshed handset selection is still anyone's guess.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Source: MobileSyrup

The big US carriers tend to echo each other's customer-hostile policy decisions all too often, and that's unfortunately happening once again. Effective today, AT&T is shadowing Verizon by extending its standard device upgrade interval from 20 months to the full two years of a typical agreement. All of its new contract subscribers, as well as those whose terms finish in March or later, will have to cope with the longer waiting periods. There's little context for the decision in a corporate memo that we've obtained; we've reached out to AT&T for some background, and we'll let you know if we hear more. Whatever the motivations, it's clearer than ever that habitual upgraders need to either pay the full hardware price or move to more flexible providers.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, AT&T

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Source: AT&T

AT&T's GoPhone plans are undergoing a major shakedown, and you'll get a preliminary taste on June 20th once existing data packages are given the axe. Smartphone users who want internet access on GoPhone's $25 or $50 plans currently have the option to purchase a 50MB data add-on per month for $5, a 200MB add-on for $15 or a 1GB add-on for $25. Only the $5 option will remain once the changes hit -- and we all know having to budget 50MB of data in a month is a sad, sad proposition. Subscribers to the $50 plan have it even worse as they won't be able to purchase any data add-on at all. Fortunately, the $65 plan that comes with 1GB of data remains untouched.

Things might not be as bad as they seem. When we reached out to AT&T, a spokesperson said:

Beginning June 20, we're making some changes to our AT&T GoPhone prepaid plans to simplify our offers and better align with what customers are choosing and telling us they want. We've begun letting customers know about the changes in advance, and we'll have more information on new, additional plan options soon.

Filed under: Cellphones, Networking, Mobile

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Via: CNET

After adding monthly SIM-only plans to its product line-up last week, EE's announced a few new subscriptions that people will have access to at some point this summer. One is a shared option, which'll allow patrons to use their plan "across phones and tablets, or with other people." The other is a PAYG data-only option, so you'll be able to buy gigabytes without signing up for anything long-term, and gobble them up on your tablet, laptop, MiFi device or anything else with a SIM slot. We don't have any firm launch dates or pricing for either of these plans, but more is expected "in the coming weeks." In other news, the number of customers on EE's LTE network has exceeded the half a million mark, meaning around 200,000 new subscribers have come on board since April.

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Tablets, Wireless, Mobile

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Before other carriers in the UK get their 4G networks up and running, EE's looking to bolster its customer base by tempting you with an LTE fling, rather than a long-term relationship. The network already has 12-month SIM-only plans available if you don't need a device, but today has launched 30-day SIM-only options for the commitment-phobic. That freedom comes with a £2 mark-up per month over the year-long plans, however: the cheapest option rings up at £23 every 30 days for 500MB of data, with a maximum cost of £63 for 20GB. Every price tier comes with unlimited texts and calls as standard, and if you're intrigued by a no-strings-attached trial month, you can snag a SIM at stores, online, or over the phone right now.

Filed under: Wireless, Mobile

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Source: EE