AT&T standing firm on current pricing of data plans

We've heard rumors prior to the unveiling of the iPhone 3G S that AT&T was considering lowering the price of data plans. The case is not so anymore, seeing that AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said that there are no plans to alter the company's data prices when the iPhone 3G S goes on sale next Friday. Such a bummer for all during tough economic times, but the reason is heavily justified. AT&T is already heavily subsidizing the cost of the phone while iPhone users are among the highest in terms of data consumption. Even with all the new software features coming out, like MMS and tethering, it will strain AT&T's network to its highest. And lowering the cost of the data plan by $10 won't alleviate the burden it already has – most likely increase it. It's not saying that AT&T is greedy and not thinking about their customers. Instead they are investing a lot of money into upgrading their network to double the speed of it. One scenario to come to light is the possibility of having tiered pricing plans – customers using the data network more than others would be expected to pay more. Additionally, customers that sparingly use it won't be charged as much. It might not be the finalized solution, but at least it's a reasonable starting point.

via mocoNews