AT&T’s grandfathered unlimited data plans haven’t really been unlimited for quite some time now. Those who still pay for one know that AT&T throttles the hell out of data speeds on 4G LTE unlimited plans after they reach 5GB of usage per month and doesn’t bother to bring those speeds back up until the next billing cycle. We are talking throttling any and everywhere once that 5GB limit is reached, not just if the phone is attached to a congested network. Pretty weak, right?
Today, or at least some time since mid-March, AT&T seems to have softened its stance on 4G LTE throttling.
Previously, their policy or statement on smartphone customers with “legacy” unlimited data plans noted that 3G/4G smartphones on unlimited plans were throttled at the 3GB mark, but only in congested network situations. It was the 4G LTE unlimited plans that were seeing the hard limit at 5GB, where even on a super fast, un-congested network, they would be throttled until the next billing cycle.
This is the exact policy last seen around March 23:
As a result of the AT&T network management process, customers on a 3G or 4G smartphone with an unlimited data plan who have exceeded 3 gigabytes of data in a billing period may experience reduced speeds when using data services at times and in areas that are experiencing network congestion. Customers on a 4G LTE smartphone will experience reduced speeds once their usage in a billing cycle exceeds 5 gigabytes of data. All such customers can still use unlimited data without incurring overage charges, and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle.
See how the statement separates the 3G/4G and 4G LTE plans?
This is what the statement looks like today:
As a result of AT&T’s network management process, customers on a 3G or 4G smartphone or on a 4G LTE smartphone with an unlimited data plan who have exceeded 3 gigabytes (3G/4G) or 5 gigabytes (4G LTE) of data in a billing period may experience reduced speeds when using data services at times and in areas that are experiencing network congestion. All such customers can still use unlimited data without incurring overage charges, and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle.
See that? The 3G/4G and 4G LTE plans are now grouped together, with the hard limit on the 4G LTE plans seemingly removed. According to this newly tweaked statement, 4G LTE unlimited data plans are only throttled when in congested areas, but are then eligible to return back to full speeds. Yay.
AT&T hasn’t actually announced anything, and they probably won’t, but if you own a grandfathered or “legacy” unlimited data plan, it sounds like your plan just got better without you lifting a finger.
Via: AT&T
Cheers Jerry!
AT&T Quietly Removes Hard Throttling Limit on Unlimited Data Plan, Will Only Throttle in Congested Areas is a post from: Droid Life
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