AT&T to throttle smartphone data starting October 1st

By on Jul 29, 2011 at 4:06 PM
Breaking July 29, 2011

AT&T said on Friday that it will begin throttling unlimited smartphone data plans as of October 1st. “Like other wireless companies, we’re taking steps to manage exploding demand for mobile data,” AT&T said Friday in a statement. The carrier continued, “One new measure is a step that may reduce the data throughput speed experienced by a very small minority of smartphone customers who are on unlimited plans – those whose extraordinary level of data usage puts them in the top 5 percent of our heaviest data users in a billing period. In fact, these customers on average use 12 times more data than the average of all other smartphone data customers.” AT&T was very careful to mention, repeatedly, that the new move will not impact the “vast majority” of its customers. According to the carrier’s statement, only the top 5% of its smartphone data users will be affected. AT&T’s full statement follows below.

An Update for Our Smartphone Customers With Unlimited Data Plans

Like other wireless companies, we’re taking steps to manage exploding demand for mobile data.  Many experts agree the country is facing a serious wireless spectrum crunch.  We’re responding on many levels, including investing billions in our wireless network this year and working to acquire additional network capacity.  We’re also taking additional, more immediate measures to help address network congestion.

One new measure is a step that may reduce the data throughput speed experienced by a very small minority of smartphone customers who are on unlimited plans – those whose extraordinary level of data usage puts them in the top 5 percent of our heaviest data users in a billing period.  In fact, these customers on average use 12 times more data than the average of all other smartphone data customers.  This step will not apply to our 15 million smartphone customers on a tiered data plan or the vast majority of smartphone customers who still have unlimited data plans.

Starting October 1, smartphone customers with unlimited data plans may experience reduced speeds once their usage in a billing cycle reaches the level that puts them among the top 5 percent of heaviest data users.  These customers can still use unlimited data and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle.  Before you are affected, we will provide multiple notices, including a grace period.

This change will never impact the vast majority of our customers, and is designed to create a better service experience for all.

The amount of data usage of our top 5 percent of heaviest users varies from month to month, based on the usage of others and the ever-increasing demand for mobile broadband services.  To rank among the top 5 percent, you have to use an extraordinary amount of data in a single billing period.

There will be no changes for the vast majority of customers.  It’s not how much time you spend using your device, it’s what you do with it.  You can send or receive thousands of emails, surf thousands of Web pages and watch hours of streaming video every month and not be in the top 5 percent of data users.

Typically what puts someone in the top 5 percent is streaming very large amounts of video and music daily over the wireless network, not Wi-Fi.  Streaming video apps, remote web camera apps, sending large data files (like video) and some online gaming are examples of applications that can use data quickly.  Using Wi-Fi doesn’t create wireless network congestion or count toward your wireless data usage.  AT&T smartphone customers have unlimited access to our entire Wi-Fi network, with more than 26,000 hotspots, at no additional cost.  They can also use Wi-Fi at home and in the office.

The bottom line is our customers have options. They can choose to stay on their unlimited plans and use unlimited amounts of data, but may experience reduced speeds at some point if they are an extraordinarily heavy data user. If speed is more important, they may wish to switch to a tiered usage plan, where customers can pay for more data if they need it and will not see reduced speeds.

But even as we pursue this additional measure, it will not solve our spectrum shortage and network capacity issues.  Nothing short of completing the T-Mobile merger will provide additional spectrum capacity to address these near term challenges.

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  • Anonymous

    Don’t they mean Oct. 1, 2006?

  • http://twitter.com/switchstyle Shuichi Aizawa

    They better state what the threshold is before October 1st.  And “only” 5% is still millions of people. I wouldn’t be surprised if using 2GB puts you into that 5%.

    • Jjgc

      is exactly 750,000 peoples

  • Hanz Gruber

    The problem here isn’t that carriers are now starting to cap and throttle, it’s that they offerred unlimited data in the first place.  That was an unsustainable business model from the start. It would be one thing if producing incremental kbs of data didn’t require any additional expense but that’s not the case.  There are significant expenses to provide all of that data (much moreso than voice).  All you have to do is look at the billions in capital expenditures that all of the carriers are spending to try to keep up with demand.  Nobody expects their electric company to give them unlimited electricity for a flat fee because they never offered unlimited to begin with. It’s the same principle that we live by in practically every other aspect of life – you pay for what you use, yet because the carriers started with unlimited it has become this sacred cow.  Nobody would likely care if they had metered data all along.  Sprint will learn very quickly that they can’t continue to offer unlimited data especially if they actually start adding customers vs. losing them (and based on the recent moves at ATT and VZ they may get some real data hogs very soon). Personally, I’m not a data hog and I think that it’s the right move to throttle the few in order to improve the experience for the many… and I don’t have a problem with paying for what I use, I do it every month when I pay my water bill, fill up my gas tank, or make any other purchasing decision.    

    • Diehard

      Your electric and gas bills are consumption based. Tell all the wireless carriers to support a consumption based model. It will beat the hell out of buying 1400 minutes per month and only using 800 minutes per month. Lets sell the minutes and data in blocks. 100 minutes blocks for voice and 1gb blocks for data. One network for all carriers to use and service. Let the handset makers handle selling phones and the wireless carriers sell connectivity and services related to that. Waiting for the dream to come true.  

  • Dreamingcreek

    They throttle me back our company dumps them….it’s that simple.

  • The Guy

    What the hell is wrong with yall?  Everyone on here who is whining and bitching about having their unlimited data plans throttled should reread the article.  Most of you probably don’t even come close to using 2GB of data let alone 5GB.  I work for a carrier and see a lot of phone bills and rarely do I see people who even come close to 2GB.  I’ve never even seen a bill where someone on a 2GB plan was charged for overage.  Speeds will be throttled at 5GB or more.  I hate ignorant people who bitch and complain without having a real understanding of the industry.  Bitch on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Diehard

      Speak your mind people. Forget this Clown. Just because he was raped by AT&T and loves it, doesn’t mean you have to like it. What’s next. A price increase.

    • Wirelessmodz

      Fucking dipshit I get my little text from tmobile every month and still have 7 days to go lol welcome to my world fuckers 5gb then I hit the wall

  • Jesster King

    but i love streaming pandora and netflix on my phone all the time, i would use my home internet but that shit is so slow and its from AT&T too.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eric-Kroh/509408139 Eric Kroh

    wow..so ATT is singling out 5% of the heavy users..wow!

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  • TooMuchNoise

    Apple needs to get innovative and compress data to reduce bandwidth requirements for users of the iPhone.

  • Nowthatsamindphuck

    Gotta love Truly UNLIMITED 4G data on my HTC EVO. Wimax / LTE unlimited data in the very near future.

    • Anonymous

      Thats IF you have Wimax in your area, if not, you’re stuck on crappy evdo-a.  Which is like less then half of what you would get with AT&T.  

      I’m not a fan of throttling.  I don’t know the answer.  I can see their point going after people using 25gb or more of data.  I can’t see them bothering those who use like 5 or 10gb.

      • Nowthatsamindphuck

        I have a great Wimax signal at my house, I’m able to play my ps3 online watch netflix in another room and be on the laptop connected through my hotspot on my phone (rooted of course) no problems what so ever! And when I’m not at home and i only have 3g there’s still no problem I can watch netflix on my phone so once again SPRINT FTW!

  • http://twitter.com/_MicheleLaBella ❤

    #teamSPRINT #ftw

    • Anonymous

      Over 100,000 people left Sprint this past quarter, guess they know something.

      • Nowthatsamindphuck

        Good more spectrum for me !

  • Anonymous

    Weasel words? “Top 5 percent of our heaviest data users in a billing period,” when they really mean Top 5 percent of all users? 

  • Anonymous

    This isn’t surprising at all people don’t realize the days ahead that will be for At&t as well as tmobile. Prepare for Throttling and slowing down customers from data usage and expect more charges they are real good at OVERCHARGES JUST ANOTHER VERIZON. Sprint rules this space data wise and device wise

    • Anonymous

      I guess you missed “only the top 5% of its smartphone data users will be affected.” This generally isn’t you, me, or the average smartphone user. Try READING once in awhile. Moron.

    • Anonymous

      Hey moron, maybe you should try reading. The article clearly states “only the top 5% of its smartphone data users will be affected.” Meaning the average customer will never see throttling. Ever. Try to be a little smarter than a 1st grader. You really are embarrassing yourself.

  • http://twitter.com/TuckerPeterson Tucker A. Peterson

    I hope everyone realizes that this is a ploy to get their users pissed enough to push for the TMobile acquisition and once that goes through the throttling will cease to exist?

    “Nothing short of completing the T-Mobile merger will provide additional spectrum capacity to address these near term challenges.”

    Bullshit!  Take the dough you are using to acquire TMobile and invest in your data infrastructure.  That will do something (yes long term).

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  • http://twitter.com/homescrub homescrub

    Throttle my speeds?  I can barely get 3mbps on my Android phone, and its supposed to be 4G, and you want to limit my use!?  LIMIT MY USE!?  Screw.

  • CMC

    I hate this company

  • Anonymous

    What exactly does “extraordinarily heavy” mean? 3, 4, 5gb? Not providing a number that tells when someone has hit the speed limit is like a shady speed trap town with no posted speed and Boss Hog in the patrol car behind the billboard. Pure SHAAAAAADY!

  • DaveyD

    Are people that freakin’ addicted to Facebook, twitter, whatever the fvck else, that they use that much data?  Seriously people, get lives doing something off the internet.  

  • Anonymous

    what strikes me as odd is for the past handful of years carriers have been pushing smartphone sales, heavily. trying as much as possible to get crazy intense market saturation. HOWEVER now they intend to cripple speeds and disperse unlimited plans because the volume is getting too heavy on them. did they not forsee this happening in any way at all?

    • MonkeyFvckingAfootball

      When people switch over they are forced off their unlimited plans and will pay per gb. Pretty soon it will be back to mb. I will leave my phone streaming pandora 24/7 if they start this shit. The programs running in the background hog up that much data with just a few days use if you don’t force stop them. Fuck all these greedy fucks who bend their customers over backwards and still smile.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZY2S6EHWEZAOEKZ62H4PLCCM5Y Cherie Rojas

    I just paid $22.87 for an iPad2-64GB and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $675 which only cost me $62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, CentHub.com

  • Anonymous

    gawd, the future of mobile is making me so mad.

  • ozziedog

    So AT&T wii decide who the top 5% are, will they come up with some magical number? and its suppose to get better with the take over of T-Mobile? For who not the customer, it will be like when those of us were with Cingular and AT&T took over,  AT&T need to change their logo to a Big Screw.  When AT&T says it will be for the better of all customers it means more money in their pockets. Thanks AT&T for nothing.

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