US cellular market is changing, that is for certain. After T-Mobile’s “un-carrier” move, AT&T is now beginning to budge in the same direction. AT&T has now on offer ‘Mobile Share Value Plans’, which are designed to save their customers money. Within these plans AT&T is choosing to separate the hardware costs of the phone from cellular service charges.
Under ‘Mobile Share Value Plans’, you can choose to bring in your own device, buy one at full price, with no hardware subsidy from AT&T, or complete your contract - enabling you save $15 every month over $40 monthly charges for a regular Mobile Share Plan.
In simple English, if you are using a device with no hardware subsidy provided for by AT&T, you will be able to pay $25 a month in addition to your monthly data costs, in stead of the usual $40. AT&T has also introduced a new data bucket of 8GB data, for $90 a month. A smartphone addition will cost the customer an additional $20, while a tablet will set you back by $10.
Alongside money-saving options for customers, AT&T has also introduced a new option to AT&T Next, which will initiate from Sunday onwards. Under the new option, a new payment plan spanning over 18 months is being introduced in addition to the present 12 month payment plan. Any new device bought will be paid off in installments over a period of 26 months. And after 18 months of payments, the customer can trade his device for a new one. This plan is meant for those not wanting to upgrade every year, or want lower monthly hardware prices for their subsidized phone.
With the ‘No Annual Service Contract’ options, smartphone customers can save $15 a month on Mobile Share Value plans.2 Customers can receive these monthly savings when they: Get a new smartphone for no down payment with AT&T Next; bring their own smartphone; purchase a smartphone at full retail price; or when their smartphone is no longer under contract and they switch to the new plans. All Mobile Share Value plan customers will benefit from shared data plus unlimited talk and text on their phones. Consumers will have the ability to connect up to 10 devices, including tablets and other wireless devices, while business customers will be able to connect up to 10, 15, 20 or 25 devices, depending on the plan.
