AT&T will boost the data caps for U-verse internet customers to 1 TB a month, as well as ramp the unlimited data to customers who sign in to the company's 1 Gbps service, for no extra cost.
However, AT&T subscribers who are still on DSL need to limit their traffic at 150 GB per month.
DSL data caps have been the norm in AT&T's backyard for ages, but the carrier only started to enforce them on its faster U-verse subscriptions in May 2016. The limits were drawn at 300 GB, 600 GB, and 1 TB, depending on the speed tier.
AT&T recently announced that starting Aug. 21, every U-verse client gets to choose between having a 1 TB data cap or none whatsoever. Before the recent decision, 1 TB caps were in store only for accounts that ran speeds between 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps.
According to the new policy from the data carrier, existing 1 Gbps customers get unlimited data, while clients of U-verse that have opted for slower speeds are able to tap into zero-limits data for $30 a month. Another way to make sure you remove all data caps is to sign up for AT&T's DIRECTV video service or U-verse services.
It may be that AT&T's policy of forcing data caps on users without TV service is destined to make it difficult for them to pull the plug on traditional TV and rely on streaming services altogether.
However, the company affirms that its 1 TB plan is enough to satisfy the most demanding clients who are into online video streaming.
"1TB of data per month is enough for up to 400 hours of HD video streaming per month," AT&T stated in its blog post.
The overage fees remain the same as before, as clients who jump the cap must pay an additional $10 for each extra 50 GB. U-verse customers have their overage bills limited to a monthly $100.
AT&T is not the only carrier that increased its data caps, as Comcast recently unveiled that it is upgrading the limit from 300 GB to 1 TB, in the wake of roaring criticism from its subscribers.
Despite AT&T's statement about its latest data cap policy making no reference to DSL users, a company spokesperson told ArsTechnica that the 150 GB cap on DSL remains in place.
It should be added that DSL users cannot purchase endless data and are liable to up to $200 monthly overage charges, double than their U-verse counterparts.
