Comments on: AT&T iPhone Tethering Plan Specifics, No Unlimited Plan?

By: Kanacho

Kanacho — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:53:34 +0000

AT&T really needs a boot in their *ss cause the big attraction to the iPhone would be 5GB data plan, atleast 3.5GB tether, mms, unlimited iPhone data (safari, AppStore, cydia), and yet the haven’t the time to get the fat *ss’s up and get atleast the first gen iPhones ago for all this. If you ask me AT&T should be called AT&BS because apple has everything set and AT&T refuses to setup everything in time for school to start atleast. AT&T, do you want to come down to no biz cause your head is in your *ss, I mean com’on and get in the game already!

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:49:02 +0000

I’m always shocked when I read about how horribly unfair and anticompetitive the American wireless industry is! I’m a Finn and here in Finland it is ILLEGAL to sell the same exact service – data transfer – at different prices depending simply on how the service is used. I pay 9 Euros per month for unlimited data transfer (and its ACTUALLY UNLIMITED, none of this “fair-use shit you Americans have to put up with) from my mobile operator and I can use it HOWEVER I want, wether that be with a phone or computer. Talk about being stuck in the past, the American wireless industry really sucks, I mean, you people haven’t even agreed on a common standard, we’ve been using GSM exclusively here in Europe since 1987!

By: usagi

usagi — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:04:43 +0000

Is any of the American company going to do something for customers instead of for themselves?

By: big J

big J — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:45 +0000

what realy sucks is the laptop connect cards only let you use 5GB of data untell they charge you and I have iphnoe and cant teather with out paying WTF!!!! AT&T IS REALLY STARTING TO P*** ME OFF

By: DDA

DDA — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:32:19 +0000

Unfortunately, I too was waiting for the tethering option when I bought my iPhone 3G last year. AT&T tried to sell me an additional data plan (which i didn’t buy) and said I could tether. After some research, I found out I couldn’t tether even with the additional data plan. Fast forward 1 year…

I came from Verizon where I could bluetooth tether to my iMac or my Mac Book Pro or USB to my Toshiba 17″ through my Palm Treo 700p, never without a problem with my unlimited data plan or the need for multiple air cards. I am a light tether user where the time I would use it is where I cannot get on a free Wifi connection, office WiFi or being way out in the woods on a job. BTW AT&T’s free WiFi in certain locations is a joke, damn near have to be a network admin to connect sometimes.

I replaced my Treo on for an Air Card from Verizon to retain my ability to have wireless connectivity without Wifi. I stuck with Verizon for the reception reliability and its reach off the beaten path. It was also less expensive than what AT&T was offering at that time.

I want to upgrade to the new Mac Book Pro released this week, but the new 13 and 15″ do not have an express card 34 slot anymore, only the 17″ does. This forces me to look at buying another USB based air card to run on all of the laptops. What would be nice (and I believe was the intent from Apple) to tether with the iPhone and drop the need for air cards all together. I agree. Why have a smartphone especially at this price if you can tether?

Now that AT&T is dragging their feet on tethering and the new 13″ and 15″ Mac Book Pros and they have lost their express card slots is really putting a wet blanket on Apple’s latest product launch of the iPhone 3.0 software, iPhone 3GS and the MBP’s. This is a feature I have been patiently waiting for and would make my life a little easer and I can reduce my technology budget.

I also wish AT&T would get their crap together on their networks and improve their reception issues with the iPhone. I always get a rediculous amount of dropped calls just before an update is announced and launched. After the launch and the phone is upgraded, everything settles down for a while.

There should be no reason AT&T cannot get it together with high popularity of the iPhone going on its 3rd year. There should be no reason AT&T couldn’t pull tethering and MMS together in time for the 3GS and the 3.0 software launch on the 17th. I can’t wait to hear if the 3GS gets any better reception than the current 3G iPhone.

My goal is to carry less. All I want is my new 17″ Mac Book Pro, my iPhone 3G, 1 cell phone bill with free tethering upto 5GB. If Apple can lower their laptop prices by $300 across the board in this economy, why can’t AT&T offer free tethering up to 5GB and offer a low price plan for power users using more than 5GB?

AT&T already has my home and DSL business along with the iPhone, why do I have to go way out of my way just to get a wireless air card because I can’t tether my iPhone occasionally to my laptop? This shouldn’t be an issue and it should be available by the 3.0 software update on the 17th. MMS’ing photos to other iPhones and smartphones would be a big help in my line of work, this should be delayed either.

I hope we can generate a lot of heat on AT&T for them to get it together. I really liked how Apple has already turned up the heat on AT&T at the WWDC 09. Its time for AT&T to commit some serious resources to the iPhone platform if they are going to continue to have the lock on the iPhone.

“My iPhone is great for everything except making phone calls.”

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:53:21 +0000

What happened today? AT&T been talking for nearly two years about rolling out tethering. Now we learn they are not one of 22 carriers in the world to support iphone tethering? This is ludicrous and shameful on AT&T’s part. How low can this company go?

I mean, c’mon they publicly promised this and now they aren’t delivering, not even for a premium price. The worst carrier just became worse.

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:44:40 +0000

Why not just get a sprint card for the same price and get unlimited data thats way faster? I hate at&t. Bunch or crooks. Not that sprints any better. But I do think they are the lesser of the two evils.

By: Fineleng

Fineleng — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:46:56 +0000

I think having to pay $30 to effectively use a device I own how I want to use it is excessive. I am already paying for 5GB/months on my iPhone plan. The $30 tethering option is capped at 5GB/month…so what am I getting? Nothing. From a network perspective, I get no additional service. I only get to use a different user interface for the same connection. What is the difference? A computer will get more bandwidth typically than a phone. So what is really going on here?

Simple. AT&T markets you 5GB for your iPhone but they really do not want you to use it. This is apparent when you consider that when you switch to a device likely to consume a greater portion of that 5GB, they want more money. If you were really buying and paying for 5GB, you would not have to pay more to consume that amount, nor would you have to get clearance from AT&T to use the device you bought in a technically feasible manner. It is all a marketing gimmick.

There is another angle. This is simply a case of market power. They are the only provider of the iPhone. You have no choice if you want that device. Thus, this gives them greater pricing power. In that sense it is just smart business. Of course they have similar plans for other data phones so it takes us back to the point above.

By: 333

333 — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:11:48 +0000

@dt: I don’t think that’s been made clear. I just hope Apple shocks us all and reveals it for cheaper. especially after hearing the HORRID complaints by users on the web.

they could simply take all the information over all the blogs (it’s like free surveys at this point.. PRICELESS) and introduce an extremely welcome surprise. come on apple. don’t do us wrong.

By: Sal

Sal — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:56:03 +0000

tethering costs $50 a month? Where would that be. I have tethering for my Verizon Blackberry for only an additional $15 per month. $30 a month is way too much for a tethering option, they need to make it comparable to the Verizon rate.