AT&T to start requiring messaging plans with some phones?

By on Jan 28, 2010 at 4:42 PM
Exclusive January 28, 2010

Oh no… one of our close AT&T connects informed us that AT&T might be following in Verizon’s footsteps and requiring a mandatory feature plan with some feature phones. Instead of a mandatory data plan, though, we’ve been told AT&T will require a text/messaging plan with activation. We’ll try and get more information on this one!

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  • T Mac

    Let’s bring on the $99 Everything plans!

  • winston smith

    @~Phel,

    like I said I do work for at

  • Adrian

    $99 “everything” plan? AT&T’s “unlimited” data plans turn out to have a 5GB cap. so “everything” in AT&T land is about 500 minutes plus 600 SMSs?

  • random

    All these people saying I want a nice phone without data or text, complaining that they shouldn’t be told how to use there phone, what are you people little kids in school trying to show off? If you are going to use a pda phone or a messaging phone and not going to use the features then honestly why are you buying the phone? Sounds like you people just wanna fit in and say hi I’m an asshole,I only have an iphone or BB cuz I wanna be cool like the rest of the world.The stupidity on here is just amazing

    • Less Random

      Do you even realize how much software there is for these devices that does not require data access? I have a Tilt without a data plan because it has WiFi and I am almost always around WiFi. What would be wrong with using an iPhone basically as an iPod Touch and a standard cellular phone combined if AT&T would let you?? People use electronic devices differently. If I traveled more for work I would want a data plan, but I’m not traveling much now, so I don’t have a use for one.

      Should SUV owners all be required to get Off-Road Vehicle stickers because owning an SUV without taking it off-road would just be stupid? Should people with HD capable TVs be required to pay more for the HD cable whether its important to them or not?

      I have a Sirius capable radio in my car. Should I be required to pay for Sirius service despite the fact that I have a 10 minute commute and only listen to talk radio? An idiot like you with a 45 minute commute and that loves music might think its stupid to have the Sirius capable radio but not have the service.

      What about a Smartphone with a data plan but no text plan? The smartphones have keyboards which makes it easy to send texts. Is it being a stupid look-at-me asshole to have a smartphone with a keyboard and no text plan? What if you have a built-in GPS but aren’t paying for the turn-by-turn navigation? Is that stupid too?

      Hell, let’s just require everyone to pay for every function that any device they have will do regardless of how they use them.

      • Steve

        Should SUV owners all be required to get Off-Road Vehicle stickers because owning an SUV without taking it off-road would just be stupid?

        - Yes, because if you don’t take it off-road why did you buy an SUV? You could get a van that holds more people if that’s the purpose. It’s like people who ask me why I drive a turbo Porsche, it’s because I like to go flipping fast… I use what I buy.

        Should people with HD capable TVs be required to pay more for the HD cable whether its important to them or not?

        - Yes, because if HD wasn’t important to you then you should have saved some money and not gotten an HD set.

        I have a Sirius capable radio in my car. Should I be required to pay for Sirius service despite the fact that I have a 10 minute commute and only listen to talk radio?

        - Yes. You bought the car knowing it was in there, if you don’t care for it you can take it out.

        What about a Smartphone with a data plan but no text plan?

        - Why buy the smartphone if you’re never going to use it.

        People that don’t use the stuff they buy annoy me. I see people in AMG Mercedes doing like 40mph on the freeway… WTF. Why the heck did you buy the AMG

      • Chris

        Your comparison to someone buying an SUV is retarted. It does not cost the car manufacturer either money or reputation when you choose not to go off road or use Sirius.

        The reason that carriers require certain plans with different types of phones is because idiots use it without the plan and then call saying they didn’t do it and demand a credit. If the carrier gives them a credit then the idiot will probably do it again and demand another credit. Whenever the carrier decides not to give a credit the idiot begins to bad mouth them to everyone they know blaming them for the overages.

        It started with smartphones because they use a large about of data and occur extra costs quickly which leads to larger possible credits or pissed of idiots that go on for ever. Also, manufacturers are building features into these phones that automatically use data to go out and get updates for weather, news, etc. Customer would have to turn all of they off and if they miss one then it is the carriers fault according to them.

        As far as the messaging phones go, again their are a few idiots that ruin it for the rest of us. They buy a phone for themselves or, even worse, their kid and when they start using messaging more they get mad and blame the carrier. If you are not texting a lot then why do you have to have a phone with a full keyboard. It’s not like they have so many additional features then the ones without the keyboard; infact you can probably find a phone that has all of the same features. I agree that for those that are doing only enough to need a 200 or 1500 messaging plan should be able to get those and call it good, but you can blame the idiots for that. At least you can combine a data plan with a messaging plan to reach the $20 amount.

        I will give another thing to AT&T, I believe their requirement of messaging on these types of phones makes more sense than Verizon’s data plan.

    • alec

      Yeah the stupidity on here is just amazing. Know what I mean?

    • ~Phel

      your by a computer and laptop %90 of your time? I think you need to get out more….

  • runjonrun

    There are still people that don’t text? Man I’d write more but Parks and Recs is on, F.

    • dan

      i send my text’s through google voice, which uses data so i really dont need a messaging plan. the only reason i have the messaging plan still is b/c gvoice doesnt receive picture messages yet

  • Mrwirez

    A Fee&Fee …Welcome to Verizon’s world..

    Here are some FACTS on the SCAM providers use to milk the shit out of us for texting SMS..

    A standard SMS message contains up to 140 bytes (1120 bits) of data – this takes care of the 160 characters allowed in your text message. This might not make sense at first, until you realize that SMS uses 7 – not 8 – bit characters – leaving you with 128 possible character values instead of the normal 256. So 1120bits/7bits = 160 characters.

    So our total message length is about a tenth of a kilobyte (.13671875 Kbytes). In terms that the iPod generation would understand – if you had an iPod with a tenth of a kilobyte you could fit 1/4000th of a song on it. Btw… 1 song = 4 Megabytes.

    Do the Math.. They are ripping us OFF!! Text messages are data and we pay $30.00/month for unlimited data.. FUCKERS

    • Mrwirez

      If you divide 140 (the total number of bytes available to you) by 20 (the cost per message), you find that you are paying 1 cent for every 7 bytes of data. This leaves you with a cost of $1,497.97 for the 1024Kbytes contained in a single megabyte. iPod users: It would cost you $5,991.88 to transfer – not even to buy – a single song via SMS.

    • JohnH

      In general, SMS is not sent over the same channel as high speed data. It is sent over a limited-bandwidth signaling link, and is process similarly to how a phone call is made. Unlike data, where standard routers figure out where the two ends of a conversation lie, SMS needs to look up the destination phone number, send a message to that phone’s Home Location Registry to find where the destination phone is located. The destination phone may need to be paged to turn on it’s radio to listen for the SMS message. This is similar to Instant Messaging, which is typically free, but SMS uses more traditional telephony equipment and services which are more expensive.

      I’m not going to defend SMS pricing, but just wanted to set the record straight that SMS is more complicated than just sending a data packet.

      • ivwshane

        Uh… the market determines the price of goods and services not the actual cost of the product.

        Please stay in school or go back to school and learn some basic economics.

        Text and data cost so much because people are willing to pay that much to use it.

      • Mrwirez

        No shit Sherlock.. I am just informing people of what a scam it is.. Prices never go down when in demand. But, Voice uses uses a thousand times more bandwidth than a text message and still has to look up the number and turn on the radio.. No matter what channel SMS uses, it is still a rip off… defend it all you want.. Verizon Wireless Shane

        Can you honestly defend 1cent/7 bytes of data? You are a company man then

      • ~phel

        Mrwirez, Gold, Diamonds most precious metals are in the same scam. There really is an abundance of both in the world. How about energy suppliers? The list goes on and on…This may not be the forum for those but it’s the world that we live in…

  • Suspectt

    This is true.

  • kinjutsu11

    This has been around since the new rate plans launched 1/18. All touch screen or quick messaging devices (qwerty, non-smartphone) will require a text/data feature totaling $20/mo. Any combination of text/data features will work, as long as it adds up to $20

    Example
    Messaging 200 ($5) + Unlimited Data ($15)

    On a family plan, the Family Messaging plan will satisfy the Messaging requirements to get those Touch Screen or Quick Messaging devices.

    Figured this would have been on here already…

  • StevenGlansburg

    you and your spam

  • wow this is dumb

    first off, at&t does not cap anything at anything except the 5gb cap on laptop cards (verizon does the same thing). second, this is for touch screen and messaging devices, NOT SMART PHONES, they already have another req. third, at least at&t gives the option of having text as part of that, verizons req on all non smart 3g phones is a minimum 10 for internet and text is on top of that. to purchace an env on vzw with unlimited everything is now $130 whereas on at&t for a comperable phone is only $100….How do all the idiots that claim to be “tech savy” fail to read what is right in front of them?!?!?! idiots…..

    • Aaron

      Actually, Verizon doesn’t require ALL 3g phones to have a minimum $10 data plan. Just the 3g MultiMedia phones.. Like the env touch, chocolate touch, samsung rogue, etc..

  • JJ

    This whole AT&T vs. Verizon thing is like listening to two guys with small dicks trying to argue who has the bigger dick.

    It’s just a damn cell phone. Pick one and get over it.

    • ~Phel

      JJ, that’s some funny sh*t!

  • Y3k-Bug

    Sigh.

    Goddamn collusion at work.

  • BM

    It’s no coincidence that this mandatory text plan came into effect the same day the unlimited voice plans went down from $99 to $69. They had to make up that money loss somewhere.

    All of you who think AT&T is making billions and ripping off all of its customers should probably look more closely at the company’s quarterly earnings:

    $3 billion profit divided by roughly 83 million customers (give or take a mil) = $36 per customer per quarter.

    This means AT&T makes $12 PER MONTH per customer. The average customer spends around $60 on their bill each month. Wow, talk about ripping us off.

    Perhaps you should do some actual research instead of whining about how businesses are just out to take your money. It’s called providing a service, and fortunately we live in a wonderful democracy that allows us the freedom to choose which cell phone provider we want. There are plenty out there, and they all do something to annoy us. Pick the least annoying, and problem solved.

  • Brad

    I could sit here and whine about how unfair this is. The fact of the matter is that most people who buy a fancy feature phone are going to be texting, so why not automatically tack on a messaging plan? I’m not saying it’s right, or fair, but it does kinda make sense. I imagine this requirement would be limited to more multimedia-oriented feature phones, like the ones Verizon is now requiring a $10/month data plan on, but I don’t know for sure. As long as they still offer basic feature phones that don’t require the plan, I’m not going to complain too much.

    I will say this though. They (all carriers; I’m with Verizon) had better never require a stupid messaging plan on smartphones. We’re already paying for unlimited data, and as it’s been said, why the heck should SMS/MMS messages not be considered data? It is a ripoff, that’s for sure. I personally do not use SMS or MMS, except on rare occasion. I would say I send around a half dozen, give or take, SMS messages PER YEAR. Once in a rare while I also receive one from somebody, but that’s about equally as rare of an occurrence. Unlike some, I prefer to actually talk to people with my voice, and if I want to send a “text message” I send it via email, which btw is free, unlike SMS. With the amount of messages I send, I have no problem putting up with the $0.20/message Verizon charges.

  • http://(null) caediackid3302

    They’ve been doing this! You have to maintain a data or messaging plan for at least 30 days on any smartphone or you get charged full price for the device after which you can cancel anytime. With the iPhone being the exception of course.

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

  • ranter

    They already do require this. All new lines or upgrades require a certain amount of “feature revenue”. $20 for single lines or $30 for family plans. (I just upgraded) Funny how that is the same price as the unlimited texting plans…

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

  • winston smith

    @BM,
    this is a republic not a democracy! and it hasn’t been either of those for almost a hundred years. wake up!

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

  • Thomas

    WHATS UP….. I totally agree with you. Keyboards are ment for other uses other then texting but heres something you may not know. When you surf the web from your phone with out paying for a data package it cost money….. when you send an email with out an email package it cost money…. And when you play games on your phone or download them to your phone it cost money… So, Why would you get a phone that can do all that stuff and not use it. Going back to my Car analogy try walking into any dealership today and asking for a car with out power windows, air conditioning, cd player, heat, and no cruise control. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!

  • ep

    this site is retarded this news broke bout a week and a half ago

  • Scott

    This is such a stupid move on ATT’s part. I have been a customer for 8 years and this will force me to move to Sprint. Granted it was Verizon who first implemented the REQUIRED text/data plans but it doesnt make it any less ridiculous. To FORCE someone into paying $20 for unlimited text just plain stupid. And to those who are playing the part of att fanboy idiots listen; I have text…I want a qwerty phone…but I do not need UNLIMITED texting. I have the $5 text plan that is 200 texts and it’s plenty. There is even a $15 text plan above that one. So telling me that no..since you bought THIS phone you have to pay for the $20 text plan….is downright moronic.

    Goodbye ATT.

  • T Mc

    Here’s my take on it after just finding this out tonight at the AT&T store….

    If I want text messages, I should be given the choice of the plan I want, not forced to buy unlimited if I want to buy ANY QWERTY phone. Charge me more for the phone if you need to, but why force me to get unlimited text messages when we might send 250 as a family in a busy month anyway.

    And for those of you asking why someone would buy a QWERTY phone without planning to do some serious texting…have you been to the AT&T store lately? They have maybe 5 phones that aren’t full keyboard and they’re lame. I want to buy a text-ready phone without having to bend over and grab my ankles.

    Shame on AT&T and Verizon, in my opinion.

  • ~Phel

    miguel if you were running the business you wouldn’t mind giving out tens of thousands of dollars in credit every month for people who say ” but I didn’t even use it’?

  • edjr

    Agreed. That why i try and buy as many phones unlocked and not carrier branded. Then I do have a choice.

    I just dont like hearing people that want the choice without paying for it.

    There are plenty of real choices out there too. Too many barriers to trade for more options to come into the USA. Free markets rule.

  • Vinny

    Here’s a novel idea. Block features that consumers don’t sign up for. They can’t use them. If they want them they will be well aware that they need to sign up for the additional feature. WOW.

  • ~Phel

    wow your people are real idiots…

  • iRony

    Oh, the irony of your statement.

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