I think AT&T
Talking to GigaOM last week, Mark Collins of AT&T's voice and data division explained that the tiered pricing plan is necessary because different users have different needs. "Now you need to price it according to the value equation so the market can allocate the resources accordingly," he said. All right, fine; after all, most users will actually save money with the new plans if you assume that they don't change the way they use wireless data services.
But that does not make AT&T a hero. A tethering add-on to the plan lets you share the data with devices other than your phone for $20 a month -- which is somewhere between stupid and just plain evil when you have a limited data plan. Two gigabytes may be fine for today's smartphones and the ways we use them, but it's a different story when you switch to a laptop and all the bandwidth-draining things we do there. And Collins explains that "you're going to use more data, so the price is based on the value that will be delivered."
Hello? We'll use more data, so let's put a cap on how much we can use? If that makes sense to you, I want some of what you're smoking.
And in the long run, these caps will be untenable. One of the most popular iPad applications is the Netflix
The timing of these new plans is even more curious because there's a faster 4G network around the corner. Sprint Nextel
Summa summarum, many consumers will actually love AT&T's cheaper data plans today but will feel stymied by them in the not-too-distant future. Will AT&T decide how we use our gadgets, or will the demand for at least an unlimited option be too great in the end? Discuss in the comments box below.