WSJ: AT&T to offer incentives for lower data use

By on Dec 17, 2009 at 3:03 PM
General December 17, 2009

RdelaV Convo

The internet has been raging against AT&T since early last week when CEO Ralph de la Vega suggested that AT&T may implement some type of tiered data plan structure to combat the 3% of its smartphone users chewing up 40% of its data. Today, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that AT&T is considering offering bribes, nay, incentives for smartphone owners who use less data than the company thinks is acceptable. How much is acceptable? Details have yet to emerge, but let us not kid ourselves, the “smartphone users” de la Vega and company are trying to rein in are YouTube uploading, Qik streaming, podcast downloading, data sleighing iPhone users who are using their device to its fullest potential. We’re pretty confident that old Ralph is talking about us, so BGR readers take a bow. We’ll be sure to stay on top of this one as it develops. In the mean time, we would be interested to know what AT&T would have to offer you to curb your data usage.

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  • superAndroid13

    Uhhhh… maybe your should try upgrading your network!

  • bobbyMctide

    Att is horrible… I’m just happy I left them and i’m now with sprint. In my area with sprint i get fast 3gs speeds and no dropped calls… thank god!

    • Will.I.Am82

      I did the same thing you did, bobbyMctide. I had the iPhone 3G, and due to its constant dropped calls, I figured maybe it was the phone… well, sort of, but mostly it was AT&T. I’d NEVER do business with them again, and the iPhone’s “smartphone” features are way overhyped. With the exception of exceptional multi-media capabilities (iPod integration and video player which is crisp and clear), as well as the 100K+ apps its got (when I was with them they were counting about ~50K+ and seriously, like less than 1/2 a grand were really even worth a 2 farts and a cough), there are a lot of feature phones, yes I said it, feature phones, that have many if not almost all of the iPhone’s features. Hell, I had a friend who had a LG Xenon, and it had far more advanced “multi-tasking” capabilities than the iPhone. iPhone doesn’t suck, though. I just got caught in the hype and I eventually left because I just couldn’t continue to compromise on it’s inherently lacking call quality, and the shame that is AT&T’s 3G network. I’ll say it time and time again, when I was with them with a brand new iPhone 3GS in the middle of Austin, Texas with full bars in 3G signal mode, data might stall, and phone calls would just drop. I went back to Sprint and got a Hero, and in almost 3 months, operating my Hero in the same areas of the same city as I operated my iPhone 3GS, I’ve yet to have bad call quality or dropped calls or slow data. It’s not the fanciest phone, and it’s got a lot of faults, and a yestertech processor, but say what you will about Sprint (even if you argue that a lack of subscribers make data faster) shit, who cares. I don’t care how few people Sprint doesn’t have so long as I get an average of 1100kb/s DL and 650kb/s UL speeds and no dropped calls and clear call quality. Overall, iPhone’s not for everyone, and it’ll certainly appeal and satisfy a great number of people, but unfortunately AT&T is just not and was not prepared to take it on when 3G dropped last summer.

  • ProtegĂ©

    Get an ipod touch and get rid of your iphone.

    What would it take from AT&T? A blow job.

    Which I’m sure is quite possible.

  • josh

    people. one word for ya. Tmobile! their plans are truely unlimited and their 3g ALSO allows for simoultanious voice and data, why does no one talk about this? and their rates are seriously like half the price of AT

    • Tdot34

      No one talks about it because the iPhone zombies can’t use their beloved Apple products on T-Mobile’s network.

      • BlackberryMAX

        you can use it on t-mobiles network. I used to work for customer care and it was never an issue>> All Iphone users have to do is call customer care and got the phone provisioned to the t-mobile network.

  • Connor

    I used more then 5Gb on my Blackjack 2 in a month now i have a Blackberry 9700 (hella nice) who knows what i can use now. But i’ve just always been pissed about the fact that non smart phone users pay less that and the fact i can’t get me a family smartphone data plan

  • Cnote221

    I was gonna write something long… but all in all fuck cellular companies for these tactics. I do agree with the concept of supply and demand so raising data price is okay (wrong as it is would be fair) but not for current conditions and quality of service. Stop toting and advertising product and service you don’t want consumers to use. Hi speed data is used for streaming and data transfers what do you expect???

    Chevy doesn’t make Corvette’s with 180+MPH top speed and not expect you to test and use it to its potential.

    Simply put spend less $$$ on advertising your mediocre service and upgrade your infrastructure and quit trying to milk consumers!! You shift your investments around you’ll still make the same amount of money (or is that too much data manipulation?)

    …This is just as sad as the gas industry

  • Carlos

    This is why I would never switch to At&t. This and the fact that they dont even carry the LG enV Touch!!!

    • Chase

      who wants an LG enV Touch anyway? haha

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