The Dallas, Texas-based carrier's new offer is open to any customer with an unlimited messaging plan and qualifying voice plan. Qualifying plans include its "Unlimited Message" plan, which starts at $20 a month, and "Family Talk" plans costing $30 a month.
"We're giving customers more options and even better value," said David Christopher, AT&T's chief marketing officer. "We offer the most flexibility in the industry."
The move is unexpected but also unsurprising. The new Mobile-to-Any Mobile Plan will be available on February 10, the same day Verizon's new iPhone service goes live. The timing reveals the main motivation for the new deal and signals the strength of AT&T's commitment to keep its customers, and even poach some from Verizon.
The carrier has also offered other promotions in the wake of the iPhone's arrival on Verizon, including doubling the data usage -- from 2-gigabytes to 4-gigabytes -- on its $25 a month data plan, which also includes hotspot tethering to other devices, all at no cost extra.
The Verizon iPhone launch is the most anticipated smartphone event the year so far, and enthusiasm among new and existing customers is intense. Verizon sold out of its entire inventory of iPhones when it started taking pre-orders a week ago.
But the very size of the opportunity has caused fears at Verizon that its network will not be able to sustain the traffic, as it quietly added a clause to throttle the highest-data hogs. Now the very generous new plan from AT&T may siphon a bit of excitement around Verizon's big day even further, and indicating that AT&T is determined to compete in any way possible.
{ 0 comments... Views All / Send Comment! }
Post a Comment