AT&T Family Data Plans Coming Soon?

NEW ORLEANS -- The head of AT&T's wireless business says he's looking to introduce plans that share a data allowance among family members, similar to the way it sells family calling plans.

AT&T's Ralph de la Vega says the company is working out the details of such plans, but has no firm launch date. Competitor Verizon Wireless has said it plans to introduce family plans this summer.

De la Vega said, "We'll introduce them when we can." He was speaking on the sidelines of the CTIA Wireless show in New Orleans, which opened Tuesday.

The plans could make data service more affordable in families where data-capable devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops proliferate. Right now, each device needs a separate data plan.

CNET reported earlier on AT&T's plans.

Also on HuffPost:

From our partners

Comments

[Flight]

10:59 AM on 05/09/2012

Once again, the explosion of Smartphones dictated several years ago the idea of a family data plan would be the best business decision for customers and the company. AT&T execs continued to drag their heels instead of leading the pack.

[King7David]

09:47 AM on 05/09/2012

Everyone get an iPhone, utilize iMessage and get rid of your text messaging plan. Then AT&T will lower the price...Better yet, just leave AT&T altogether, I did.

[ssoodak]

06:10 AM on 05/09/2012

ABOUT TIME!

[jazzymorgan1313]

05:50 AM on 05/09/2012

I have AT & T.....I can not text. They charge me 20 cents ....for each text.....(coming in or going out) greedy bast&rds....come on.....

[ssoodak]

06:11 AM on 05/09/2012

change your plan.... i have unlimited texting on 2 of my 3 lines and nominal charges on the 3rd are way lower than a data plan.

They are available all you have to do us use them!

[jazzymorgan1313]

06:23 AM on 05/09/2012

I went to the website.....I didn't see any kind of "deal"....I will look again...Thanks for the tip!

[Hardy Blacklord]

03:51 AM on 05/09/2012

It's 2012, data is extremely cheap.
500MB is only 3.99€ (about $5.20), 2GB of data is only 10€ a month (about $13), 10GB is only 20€ (about $26), no overage charge, only reduced speed.

Family plans are so 1990's.

[Garland Geeslin]

12:25 AM on 05/09/2012

Unlimited Data plans are a mistake he says with that underbreath IN THE TONE OF GREED!! Its to bad the country of phone users could not all agreed on canceling their Data plans for a while.

[Johnangry]

12:09 AM on 05/09/2012

ATT is garbage. A family plan with them is just some gimmick. You get 1 MB of data for $999/month and $10 for every MB over. ATT go straight to ......

[King7David]

09:43 AM on 05/09/2012

Hey John I agree, which makes me wonder why people don't flee AT&T.....I guess they like being ripped off.

[FeelsLikeFrance]

10:46 PM on 05/08/2012

AT & T sucks. No matter what they do it will either be a rip off, it won't work, or both.

[No7]

10:19 PM on 05/08/2012

...why?? are they not hosing us badly enough yet?

[umwaitwhat]

08:00 PM on 05/08/2012

If AT&T could find a way to charge you for using your wifi with your smartphone, they would do it.

[Apple Baek]

07:15 PM on 05/08/2012

At & T dopes not do anything to lower rates. They advertise all sorts of promotions but when you go to access them to acquire the promoted savings all sorts of problems. I have the home phone service, internet and two wireless phones with AT&T. They offer bundles of three services for huge savings, but my combination of services does not qualify for the huge savings. So they offer Uverse, which when I ordered it so I could save over $150 per month on what I am paying. The tech comes out and tells me sorry, the cables for AT &T stop literally across the street. So even though I have three AT&T services and it was impossible for me to even get the Uverse due to their existing cables, they refused to give me the 3 service bundle that would save me money big time. What a rip off tom have to pay so much, when people across the street pay much less!

[Johnangry]

12:10 AM on 05/09/2012

They're the worst company in existence or tie with Bain Capital.

[askonemom]

06:09 PM on 05/08/2012

Be cautious good ATT subscribers because my guess is that the overage charges (in excess of plan provisions) will be about three or four times the charges now and that is how ATT will make it on the backend.

[garumphul]

05:53 PM on 05/08/2012

There is absolutely no chance whatsoever of AT&T or Verizon or *any* cell company doing anything to give truly lower rates to consumers.

The market is essentially saturated, so all that is left is to find ways to squeeze additional dollars out of each customer.

Don't forget, these companies don't care about giving value for money to their customers... just their shareholders.

[mail4warding]

10:04 PM on 05/08/2012

ok, agree with you--so what do you do? not have a cell or go with the least evil carrier?

[Troyhe98]

05:39 PM on 05/09/2012

Sprint. I apy $79.99 (this is for the 4G phone, which includes the $10.00 surcharge) + tax every month for unlimted data, unlimited text, unlimited calls to cells phones (on any carrier) + 450 land line minutes (which I rarely every use).

[acarrillo0989]

04:37 PM on 05/08/2012

This idea sounds good, but knowing AT&T, it will be ruined by less than fair pricing. Who knows, they might prove me wrong.

[SylvesterThomps]

08:03 PM on 05/08/2012

The likely hood of them proving your wrong is non existent. Trust me they never pass on an opportunity to take advantage of their subscribers.