On Monday, ATT announced that a select group of users on the network will be allowed to purchase unlimited data plans – an option the company killed nearly six years ago. According to an official AT&T press release, the company is now allowing DirecTV subscribers the option of purchasing free unlimited data plans starting at $100 for the first phone, then $40 each for the next two. Customers who add a fourth line get unlimited data on it for free. This means a family of four can get unlimited data on all four phones for less than $200 a month.
The decision to bring back unlimited plans likely comes as a play to gain back customers who may have left AT&T mobile service last fall when Sprint cheekily offered DirecTV subscribers a year worth of free cell phone service for ditching AT&T as their mobile service provider. The stunt was meant to foil AT&T’s new phone and television bundles offered after the company’s acquisition of DirecTV.
According to the press release, customers who currently use DirecTV but are not signed up for AT&T’s cellular service can receive $500 in credits for switching to AT&T’s Unlimited Plan as long as they have an eligible trade-in, and buy a smartphone on AT&T Next. Conversely, customers with cellular service through AT&T but who are not subscribing to DirecTV can get a deal on a package starting at $19.99 per month for 12 months, with a 24-month agreement.
Though the price of the free unlimited data plans AT&T is offering DirectTV subscribers is no where near the insanely cheap price unlimited data customers who were grandfathered in several years ago enjoy, it may still be a pretty attractive option – particularly as AT&T has hinted at bringing “a wide-range of new video entertainment options” later in the year.
AT&T will roll out the free unlimited data plan offerings on Tuesday, Jan. 12 for all eligible subscribers. Customers who currently have DirecTV or AT&T U-Verse or sign up for either service will be eligible to take advantage of the free unlimited data plans starting that day.
To find out more the plan, see the full press release, here.
