We've reported on the iPhone tethering situation, both unofficial and official, before, and last we heard AT&T was considering it as a $30 addition service charge. Now comes a rumor via MacBlogz that the price point is being reconsidered -- down to $10:
The biggest piece of information we learned was that AT&T is playing around with a $10 price-point. This made my eyes light up and I asked them how they could get away with charging a third of what was initially reported, here’s the response I got. “iPhone tethering is primarily an AT&T offering, but it involves Apple at least wanting or allowing the service, which they do. If it doesn’t function as expected, I know of a few people who may lose their jobs,” my colleague explained. “While you may think it’s as easy as streamlining our Blackberry tethering service over to the iPhone, it’s not. Connection may be tied into iTunes, and Apple is incredibly controlling when it comes to this space.”
So, would a $10 price tag make anyone here jump on the tether plans?
Reader comments
Rumor: AT&T Considering Reducing iPhone Tethering Plan to $10?
no way. i would lose my unlimited plan.
Screw 10 dollars, for all we pay, it should be included!!!
hey why not try it today help.benm.at/help.php
if you go to that website from your iphone you could enable tethering on your iphone i tried it on my last billing cycle and At&t did not charge me for it .. i just recomend not to abuse it
Spend a couple of minutes with google and you'll find the 3.0 app that will install internet tethering in your network settings. It works, no jailbreaking required. But read the AT&T terms of service; use of a data session for tethering is explicitly excluded. The tethering app provider cautions that they have no idea how use may affect your AT&T bill.
This is no surprise to me. Cellular data network build outs are expensive and the systems are not designed to provide anything like traditional broadband bandwidth or speed. They would fail if asked to support traditional broadband internet usage patterns.
I'd pay $10/mo for tethering. I used to pay $30/month to tether my HTC Windows Mobile device and I suspect I still would if I hadn't switched to an iPhone a while back.
As an exercise, spend some time looking at cellular data plans and TOS in Europe. The AT&T terms won't look so onerous ...
They need to try and keep it around 10$ .... If they don't your better off getting a miFi for alittle more and you might be better off
I think $10 sounds way better than $30 but considering that no one else is paying Extra for tethering I don't see the need for people in the u.s. To do it. I mean we pay $30 bucks already and it's suppost to be unlimited data.
I would absolutely pay another $10/month for tether. Better than $30, wayyyy better than the initially-speculated $70/month (are you freakin' KIDDING me?!). With as much as I'm out of the office and away from Wi-Fi networks, this would be a lifesaver for my job.
Don't you get it? AT&T will turn on tethering when the new 7.2 hsdpa towers turn on so the 3g s doesn't kill the 3g network, and so it is faster. As for 10 bucks, if it is month by month then I will be on it whenever I need tethering and pay the ten with a smile.
$10 for sure. Anything more than $10, no way! The data plan is already insanely expensive.
Apple is not restricting tethering at all...it is being offered in other countries, so don't try to put it on Apple. This is an AT&T SCREWUP and people need to remember that you already have unlimited data on your phone...so why can't you just display that same information on your computer monitor through tethering!?
DUH! I am not paying extra for it...
thats a way better deal then what i was offered at the att store where i live. they were wanting 60 dollars more added to my 30 i pay for the data package
For $10/month I'd definitely pay for a tethered plan - no way I'd do it for $30/month.
I'd even be happy with only 5gb/month worth of tethered data. This would allow me to drop my Verizon Wireless Access Card service :)
i've been tethering with my iphone 3g since i got it. jailbreak, install pdanet (crack it if you want to), and voila! 200kb/sec downloads...
:-)
ps: this post was made over my tethered iphone connection to my laptop...
When they start offering 3G, yes I'll pay the $10. So ... AT&T let's get your bandwidth in gear and get 3G here (just 8 miles from the nearest 3G area with a Fortune 500 company headquartered right here).
Not enough detail.
If it is $10 per month plus a per KB charge over a max download limit - Sorry, we're talking hundreds per month -- No thanks.
$30 - doubtful
$10 - I'd sign up today
$10 would work for me. I would likely sign up. Didn't make any sense at the $30 price point they were talking about.
Why not make it a "bundle"? $50 for unlimited data, tethering and 1500 txt's. I think its a sweet deal.
Sure...for $10 it's a no brainer...for $30 never...I'll just jailbreak my iphone and PDANet.
But... it's still an HTC. :lol:
HTC Titan on Sprint SERO: $30/month for 500 daytime, unlimited night/weekend minutes. Unlimited texts and picture messages. SprintTV. GPS. Unlimited Internet @ ~ 1 Mbps. Windows Mobile makes it trivial to tether the phone to the PC (it's built-in to the OS as "Internet Connection Sharing"), and with a faster CPU the bandwidth goes to 1.5 Mbps. Using WMWiFiRouter, phone can bind 3G to WiFi and Bluetooth and act as a router, enabling multiple clients to attach to it. I even attach my Touch to it and use fring for VOIP goodness. Even if I could get this on ATT with Iphone, I think it would cost around $150/month. Sprint does it all for $30/month. No wonder carriers love Iphoners... they are willing to spend so much money for what should be basic services.
Sign me up for $10!
$10 is worth it as a backup for me playing poker
At $30 it's not really worth it, but for $10, I would definitely consider it.
I pay $60 to sprint every month for their mobile broadband service. i only use it about 4 hours per week, but it's awesome service. But for $10 - or even $20 - i would drop Sprint in a minute and move to tethering.
NOW WE'RE TALKING!!!
that's reasonable, I use around 200 megs for the 30 dollars I am paying now, ten more for tethering would be acceptable, I'd probably still use less than a gig a month
Yes, I would do it. But never for $30. They may make up in volume at $10 what they lose in margin from doing it at $30.
I would definitely pay $10 to tether. Maybe (MAYBE) $15. Really doubt I'd pay $30.
Oh and I live in an area with perfect 3G reception so its perfect! get over 1300 kbs download speeds!
I'm Using PdaNet and it works great, but for 10 dollars, i would probably do it just to feel alittle more legal and less paranoid of excessive data charges.
$10 yes. $30 absolutely not.
$10 - definitely!
I would pay $10 in a heartbeat but I would be mad as hell if I had to go through that resource hog iTunes to connect. That would certainly affect my batterylife.
How about $10 also for unlimited SMS each month as well, AT&T? You already get $30 a month from us for "unlimited" data...
Jailbreak and it's free.
$30 is prohibitive. $10 is tethering for the masses. I don't have a lot of need for it, but if I did, I would absolutely consider it for $10/mo.
If I traveled a lot I would get it... but since I don't, the iPhone by itself is enough mobility until I return to the office or home.
I would definitely do it for $10 - $30, no a chance...
For $10, I'd probably go for it.
Sign my wife and I up now please!
Wow. I'll go for it for $10!
If this were true, I would even replace my original iPhone with a 3G (regardless of cracks in the housing).
If they start offering 3G service in my area I would pay the extra $10...