Explanation of ATT prepaid data speed

Forums › Off topic › Explanation of ATT prepaid data speed

Aaroona

3190 posts

Uber Geek

#217995 21-Jul-2017 15:26

I'm off to the US of A next month and was looking at picking up a local SIM.

Looking at AT&T, they seem to have a pretty reasonable deal of US$65 for Unlimited data (slowed down after 22GB).

What isn't made immediately clear is whether the speed limit of 3mbps applies to ALL data on the Unlimited plan, or it's what they limit to only after the 22GB has been used, otherwise full speed.

ref: https://www.att.com/prepaid/plans.html

How would you interpret this? If its to ALL data, including the first 22GB, then I will look at TMobile or something else.

Something tells me it's only limited to 3mbps http/1.5mbps video after 22GB, but just wanted to be sure.

yitz

2041 posts

Uber Geek

#1826644 21-Jul-2017 15:37

I would interpret it as the first 22 GB usage is limited to 3 Mbps.

Googling "att 3mbps cap" seems to suggest this is indeed the way this plan works.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

Paul1977

4981 posts

Uber Geek

#1826647 21-Jul-2017 15:50

I'd read that to say the the limit is 3Mbps (1.5Mbps for video) from the beginning, and they reserve the right to slow it down even more after 22GB.

Paul1977

4981 posts

Uber Geek

#1826651 21-Jul-2017 16:04

Similar 4G LTE "unlimited" plan on T-Mobile for $75 T-Mobile One Prepaid doesn't mention any max speed (except for video streaming which it limits to 1.5Mbps), and this plan doesn't potentially limit your speed until you hit 32GB.

wellygary

8171 posts

Uber Geek

#1826658 21-Jul-2017 16:17

Aaroona:

I'm off to the US of A next month and was looking at picking up a local SIM.

Looking at AT&T, they seem to have a pretty reasonable deal of US$65 for Unlimited data (slowed down after 22GB).

What isn't made immediately clear is whether the speed limit of 3mbps applies to ALL data on the Unlimited plan, or it's what they limit to only after the 22GB has been used, otherwise full speed.

The use of the words "full speed" and US LTE networks are generally mutually exclusive, :)

hio77

'That VDSL Cat'
12999 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lizard Networks

Subscriber

#1826660 21-Jul-2017 16:24

I personally don't see the point in slowing down a customer like this..

Surely that is just going to increase contention for airtime rather than be an effective way of sharing out the bandwidth...

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

wellygary

8171 posts

Uber Geek

#1826662 21-Jul-2017 16:25

hio77:

I personally don't see the point in slowing down a customer like this..

Because it allows them to run big ads with "Unlimited" in Big letters-

hio77

'That VDSL Cat'
12999 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lizard Networks

Subscriber

#1826664 21-Jul-2017 16:33

wellygary:

hio77:

I personally don't see the point in slowing down a customer like this..

Because it allows them to run big ads with "Unlimited" in Big letters-

advertising sure, but i was talking about network prefromance...

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

yitz

2041 posts

Uber Geek

#1826666 21-Jul-2017 16:37

I suppose that is how they differentiate pricing plans since they have flat rate 128k 'throttle on cap' mobile data.

Aaroona

3190 posts

Uber Geek

#1826860 22-Jul-2017 00:04

yitz: I would interpret it as the first 22 GB usage is limited to 3 Mbps. Googling "att 3mbps cap" seems to suggest this is indeed the way this plan works.

damn it. I was really hoping I was just reading too much into it.

I have a friend that works at Tmobile, so I'll ask him if their TMobile plan slows you/limits you on their unlimited plan from the get go.

wellygary:

The use of the words "full speed" and US LTE networks are generally mutually exclusive, :)

Yeah well aware - I guess full speed is meant in terms of "without arbitrary limits" :P

unowho08

58 posts

Master Geek

ID Verified

#1826867 22-Jul-2017 07:18

Aaroona:

yitz: I would interpret it as the first 22 GB usage is limited to 3 Mbps. Googling "att 3mbps cap" seems to suggest this is indeed the way this plan works.

damn it. I was really hoping I was just reading too much into it.

I have a friend that works at Tmobile, so I'll ask him if their TMobile plan slows you/limits you on their unlimited plan from the get go.

wellygary:

The use of the words "full speed" and US LTE networks are generally mutually exclusive, :)

Yeah well aware - I guess full speed is meant in terms of "without arbitrary limits" :P

Hi Aaroona. As someone who currently lives in the US, I can confirm that the AT&T prepaid unlimited plan that you refer to does cap you at max 3Mbps for the first 22GB and then slows you further after that. Generally, the unlimited prepaid plans don't allow hotspot usage or cap you at a lower speed (of course you can get around this limitation if you put in a little effort).

What are your specific requirements? Do you need unlimited data or is it just a nice thing to have? Do you need hotspot access included in the plan so that you can use other devices to utilize the data allowance included your plan? Also, where will you be traveling in the US (i.e. will it be mainly cities/urban areas or will there be a mix of urban and rural areas as that could affect your decision).

I'm on T-Mobile's postpaid unlimited plan and it's unlimited at up to 4G LTE speeds for the first 32GB of usage and is then subject to deprioritization. When I signed up they also included 10GB of hotspot access at up to 4G LTE speeds for free (this is now an additional US$10 to new subscribers) and I was able to get an additional discount that results in one line costing me US$56 per month maximum including taxes and fees. For two lines we pay a maximum of US$80 per month for the same unlimited plan including taxes and fees. Looking at the prepaid offering, it's not quite as generous as it costs US$75 per month plus taxes and fees for one line and hotspot access is limited to a maximum of 3G speeds.

AT&T also has another brand they own that operates as a MVNO on their network, Cricket Wireless https://www.cricketwireless.com/cell-phone-plans . If you don't need unlimited 4G LTE data (subject to deprioritization), they could be worth a look as their prices include taxes and fees whereas AT&T Prepaid will charge taxes and fees in addition to the monthly plan price. Cricket Wireless' coverage is also very similar (if not the same) to what AT&T offers as they recently allowed roaming onto partner networks. The only downsides are that using your phone as a hotspot requires paying an additional $10 per month on capped plans and speeds are limited to maximum 8Mbps in LTE areas and maximum 4Mbps in non-LTE areas.

There are also a lot of MVNOs that operate on all four of the main networks that could be worth a look, depending on how much time you want to spend on this issue. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_mobile_virtual_network_operators