The unlimited data plan price wars between various carriers seem to be never ending. Each day, one carrier brings a more lucrative new plan, and to counter that, other network carriers join in. The latest to bring in a new change is AT&T, which is throwing the gauntlet to rivals.
AT&T, on March 10, announced that it will be launching a cheaper unlimited data plan for GoPhone users. However, the plan comes with some caveats that the users must accept in order to avail the service.
Unlimited GoPhone Data Plan
The GoPhone prepaid unlimited data plan offers customers unlimited data for $60 a month only after the users sign up with AutoPay. AT&T also offers the users a $40 per month plan, which includes 6 GB of high-speed data for a monthly cycle.
Upon enrolling with AutoPay, users will be getting a discount of $5 from both plans, which will be priced initially at $65 per month and $45 per month.
Under the GoPhone plan, customers will get unlimited talk, text, and data speed at 3 Mbps and one can stream standard definition video at 480 pixels resolution at a speed of 1.5 Mbps.
The plan will also provide its customers with unlimited calling and texting within and between United States and Mexico and Canada. Similar to other unlimited plans, the GoPhone prepaid plan also comes with multi-line discounts which are ideal for family, friends and small businesses.
"Req's enrollment in GoPhone Multi-Line Account and minimum $30/month plan for each line; discounts apply to lines 2-10. Line 2-$5; Line 3-10; Line 4-$15; Lines 5 through 10 are $20 each or $120. Total $150 per month assuming all multi-line discounts are activated. $150 x 12 = $1,800 per year," stated AT&T.
Constraints In The GoPhone Plan
Even though the plan wants to give a cheaper unlimited data option to its users, it comes with some serious constraints, which may be a deal breaker.
The GoPhone Plan in technical terms does allow users the fun of accessing unlimited data but limits the data speed at 3 Mbps. According to metrics firm OpenSignal, AT&T's average data speed ranges around 7.93 Mbps. Going by this figure, it can be well seen that in the GoPhone plan, the carrier cuts down the speed by more than half.
Similar to all other unlimited data plans, the GoPhone prepaid plan, other than providing less data speed, will reduce the data speed further once the user exceeds the 22 GB data usage mark for a single monthly cycle.
The Plan also does not allow users to stream in video at HD quality and limits the streams to 480 pixels only. Moreover, the GoPhone plan does not include hotspot capabilities. It is true that the plan is a cheap one, but it comes with loads of caveats that may prove a misery in the long run. However, that may differ from consumer to consumer.
Photo: Mike Mozart | Flickr
