AT&T Issues Warning to Data Speed Demons

[sziklassy]

You're missing the point: Unlimited means without restriction, whether it pertain to data, voice or text. Advertising something as unlimited and then adding ANY limit is misleading at best. Doesn't matter if it refers to speed of data or amount of data, number of calls or length of calls, number of texts or length of texts; adding any sort of limit to something labeled as unlimited is fundamentally misleading. I'm not disputing what AT&T does or doesn't have somewhere in the contract, I'm simply saying that it's a deceptive business practice to advertise something with limits as unlimited.

Under this definition one should have the right to complain that at peak times a congested network is also "limited" because you are not getting the maximum download speeds you are used to.

The funny thing about everyone complaining is AT&T freely allows you to drop all the bells and whistles of your contract and go down to a simple $30/mo plan with a dumb phone. You are not signing a contract for data, you are signing a contract for service. You can drop data any day of the week.

If the definition of limited is so cut and dry in every situation imaginable (especially this one), SUE THEM! You are certain to win. What are you waiting for? You can respond to every comment on here stating we don't understand how "unlimited" is being misused here, but until YOU actually do something about it, well, nothing is being done.

[sziklassy]

Doing some searching, Verizon seems to have the same plans. They define the top 5% as follows: "As of August 2011, the top 5% of data users were using 2 GB or more of data each month." They also go on to say that you will only be effected if you fall into this top 5% and if you are connected to a congested cell site. I have not found a definition for "congested", however. If AT&T is doing something similar, I am not sure it will be worth spending the extra $5 for the unlimited plan, depending on exactly how severely they plan to throttle said data.

[Kory569]

They need to announce what your maximum speed is while your being throttled. I pay for unlimited 3G NOT unlimited 2G!!! I will port my number out the second I get the text. Are business unlimited data plans affected? I would mind paying $15 more for full speed if they drop me to edge speeds.

[PReCioSa]

lol I have unlimited everything with my iPhone 4 my **** is god fathered.

[Trooper Sam]

Has anyone yet experienced being throttled? I'm at nearly 7GB at 21 days into my billing period, and I'm not yet throttled, nor warned.

[Kory569]

Has anyone yet experienced being throttled? I'm at nearly 7GB at 21 days into my billing period, and I'm not yet throttled, nor warned.

I used 60GB and AT&T didn't throttle me or warn me.

[Trooper Sam]

Throttled! Speed at around 90kb down/1mb up.

[sziklassy]

I have been doing ~3GB on my unlimited plan and have yet to receive an e-mail. Some of the people I activate unlimited data for have told me they got the throttling message around 10-14GB. The way I see it, if you use at least 3GB a month you are getting your money's worth compared to new plan pricing.

Throttled! Speed at around 90kb down/1mb up.

Did you get the text prior? FWIW that's not worse than standard speeds I was getting on Sprint when I had their service for a year.

[Trooper Sam]

Man, I feel like the boy who cried wolf. That day that I posted, I'm fairly certain I was not throttled. I rebooted my iPhone and speeds returned to normal. Today, however...I received the "is among the top 5% of users" text, saying that speeds "may be reduced" til the new billing period. They are. Right in the same neighborhood that I said on the 26th, averaging 90kbs down.

I've tested, and I can still Netflix. I can live with that.

[Trooper Sam]

And right on time, AT&T flipped the switch back yesterday...I'm up to full speed again.

[hadzo]

The funny thing about everyone complaining is AT&T freely allows you to drop all the bells and whistles of your contract and go down to a simple $30/mo plan with a dumb phone. You are not signing a contract for data, you are signing a contract for service. You can drop data any day of the week.

I was told by ATT ppl that you can not do that. Well you can but you will have to prove that you are going to the dumb phone which would mean paying a visit to your local att dealer and deactivating you micro sim for iphone 4 or regular sim for earlier iphones than activating a new sim with the dumb phone. However, if they detect that you're using the new sim with iPhone or any other smart phone for that matter they can and will retro charge data package they see fit and add it to your account.


I was against ATT move on this way back when they started yanking unlimited plans for tethering. Matter of fact I posted here somewhere first when I got one of those warnings and let me tell you I was pissed off big time. Now I get it tho, they are running a business and honestly those guys that pull anything over 10-15 GB per month are flat out arss-holes that are ruining it for the rest of us because they believe the world owes them. Stop being cheap and pay for the service you use. But its pointless to ask them since they probably have all other free loader stuff installed on their devices ... you know like installious, or some repos that host hacked apps.

The only thing I will say against ATT is that their pricing is retarded. 200mb 15$, that's crazy! I believe everyone will pay up $30 for 10 GB than 20 $ for every GB after and remove all unlimited data plans. Tethering is and should be separate fee, think about it... while idivice is tethering it can provide interned data to any other idevice, any!

[stefan.buddle]

I love my Unlimited* data




Not actually unlimited

cracks me up