AT&T Inc (NASDAQ: T) wants to remain as the second largest mobile phone provider. The conglomerate announced significant changes in its business policies regarding data plans in a press released on Wednesday.
The strategies rival companies are using might have forced AT&T to rethink its data policies and revamp its Mobile Shared Advantage plans. All of the company’s packages come with mobile hotspot capability, rollover data, and unlimited talk/text.
All of the company’s packages come with mobile hotspot capability, rollover data, and unlimited talk/text. A new list of the different programs is available at AT&T’s newsroom and official site.
AT&T new plans, costs, and release date
According to the statement, the entry-level plan that offers 300MB for $20 will no longer be available. Also, the cost per megabyte has been lowered for large data packages like the 30GB, previously offered at $225 and now provided for $135.
On the other hand, smaller data plans such as the 2GB will be downgraded to 1GB for the same price – $30 -, and a new $40 deal provides 3GB. These changes are part of AT&T’s reformed Mobile Shared Advantage plans and will roll out on August 21.
The new packages also offer 16GB for $90 and a $110/25GB plan. In addition, the company will eliminate overage charges and instead, it’s reducing data usage to a 128 kbps speed when the customer exceeds its limit; this would apply to the rest of the billing cycle.
Clients will be able to switch between packages via AT&T’s mobile app, website, or stores, at the beginning of each month.
Surging companies are threatening Verizon and At&T’s domination in the market
Although AT&T and Verizon are currently leading the wireless communication market, both companies have been struggling with customer retention and addition recently.
Smaller competitors like T-Mobile and Sprint Corp are slowly reaching to a wider segment of the population thanks to their affordable and practical data plans, according to an article on NASDAQ’s official site.
T-Mobile’s “One” and Sprint Corp’s Unlimited freedom offer unlimited plans at affordable prices
T-mobile announced the “One” Un-carrier initiative in a video posted on the company’s YouTube channel yesterday. The clip features T-mobile’s CEO, John Legere, explaining what the new plan’s about.
“One” emphasizes on unlimited 4G LTE data, which eliminates the need to choose from different packages, with customers paying a starting $70 a month for a unique and unlimited wireless service, and an additional $50 for a second line.
Sprint Corp responded the same day with its “Unlimited Freedom” plan which also gets rid of data restrictions for $60 per month and $40 for an additional line.
Sprint is releasing its plan tomorrow, while T-mobile will start offering “One” on September 6th. Both companies are rushing to compete since Apple is reportedly launching its new iPhone 7 on September 7, according to the latest rumors on specialized websites.
Source: AT&T