AT&T to have two-tier pricing system for smart-phone users
It would break from tradition with a two-tiered pricing system for smart-phone data use, U. S. communications giant AT&T said on Wednesday.
AT&T said, rather than charge a single fee for unlimited Internet access with mobile devices, it would begin June 7 with a $15-per-month fee for customers using less than 200 megabytes of data each month and a fee of $25 for up to 2 gigabytes of data use.
AT&T said in a statement that the entry level program, called DataPlus, allows for 1,000 emails without attachments, 150 with attachments, a look at 400 Web sites, 20 minutes of streaming and the ability to post 50 pictures onto social media sites.
65 percent of its smart-phone users currently use less than 200 MB of data, which would align them with the DataPlus option, the company further noted.
Only 2 percent of AT&T customers use 2 gigabytes or more per month, but there are payment options for users who go over their quota for data each month.
Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, said, "To give more people the opportunity to experience these benefits, we're breaking free from the traditional 'one-size-fits-all' pricing model and making the mobile Internet more affordable to a greater number of people." (With Inputs from Agencies)