Wireless Data: The End Of All-You-Can-Eat?

摘要

When AT&T announced on June 2 that it would stop offering an unlimited wireless data plan, it said 98 percent of its customers would save money with the change. About two weeks later, Verizon Wireless Chief Financial Officer John Killian said the largest U.S. carrier may soon follow suit and switch from all-you-can-eat data programs to tiered pricing.rnThe savings for half those AT&T customers, however, may disappear by 2013, says independent wireless analyst Chetan Sharma. Here's why: Under the new plan, 2 gigabytes of data will cost $25 a month; each additional GB will cost $10. (The unlimited plan, still available to customers who signed contracts prior to the switch, costs $29.99.) Sharma, who has consulted for Motorola and Qual-comm, predicts the average customer will consume 4 GB of data a month within three years, up from 150 megabytes in 2009 and an estimated 320 MB by yearend, noting that 4G networks, fully in place by mid-2012, will accelerate consumption.