Friday, January 29, 2010

AT&T "Unlimited" iPad Deal

Amid hoopla over introduction of Apple's iPad tablet computing device one might easily miss a potentially important announcement about 3G network access for the device. AT&T, the only carrier currently authorized as a provider by Apple, offers a $15/month plan with a cap of 250 megabytes of data traffic and an unlimited plan for $30.  The latter is groundbreaking.  Users of other AT&T 3G devices have to pay $60/month with a cap of 5 gigabytes of traffic.  Moreover, iPad users can pay month to month -- no being locked into a 24-month contract!

Is this a harbinger of a decline in pricing of 3G services generally?  To the extent that some Mainers rely on mobile broadband, i.e. 3G, for modest near-broadband connectivity in homes and businesses, any move downward on the price curve would be welcome.

For much of Maine, though, the question is whether this AT&T move will eventually carry over into pricing of the much more far-flung Verizon Wireless 3G network.  And does "unlimited" stand a chance of re-entering the pricing structure.  We can hope...

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