Is AT&T playing favorites with iPhone users?

And, this is a problem because…?

What a silly thing to complain about. A bundled benefit for a subscriber with a plan which offers this benefit to that subscriber but not to others? Seriously?

How different is this than my association with T-Mobile? I have a WiFi capable UMA mobile handset. I subscribe for $ 9.95 a month to the T-Mobile HotSpot @Home feature, which not only routes calls through the internet when I am in range of a base station at home and work, but also when I am in range of a commercial T-Mobile HotSpot like those at Borders and Starbucks. So, no prime time minutes are debited at such locations.

My $ 19.95 unlimited data plan also provides not only for tethering, but also bundles a free commercial HotSpot account with it. That's effectively unlimited tethering, unlimited access from T-Mobile HotSpots and no prime time minutes taken if I plan carefully.

So, why are such benefits a problem? Anyone who wants them can obtain a compatible mobile handset, add HotSpot @Home and add the bundled data plan. Those who don't choose to do so don't receive that particular set of benefits.

The same is true for at&t subscribers without an iPhone. Want the benefits? Purchase and iPhone and subscribe to the applicable plan.

Mommy, mommy! AT&T mistreats me...

What a bunch of whiners. If you want free access, all you have to do is buy an iPhone. I suppose you want free access for everyone. Since other crybabies are saying that Apple demands too high a premium for iPhones, well maybe it's just a way of paying that premium back. All cheapsters who get subsidized phones should already have enough initial savings to connect by paying and let the anger go.

This free WiFi offering may not last for long anyway. It sounds like a good tease to pull in more iPhone purchasers, though.

It was AT&T that agreed with revenue sharing with Apple and AT&T are pulling in more customers than ever. It benefits AT&T, so what's the problem.

If the government were to offer tax breaks for smaller cars that use less gas, the huge gas-guzzling SUV owners would be in an uproar. Not everyone is gonna be satisfied in this world.

Jeezus, Stop Whinning!

Get an iPhone and stop whinning about what ATT doesn't provide! Considering iPhone owners plans are significantly higher than other plans, I think it evens things out. Anyways, ATT pulled the free WiFi which I imagine will roll out officially for the iPhone 2.0 launch. I think ATT is doing this to offset the amount of traffic on the 3G system once the faster iPhone hits the market.

iPHONE USERS GET FREE AT&T WIFI

I don't have an iPhone, but I am an AT&T customer for land lines, DSL and Wireless, and AT&T announced recently that I can use any of their 10,000 Hotspots around the U.S. for free. So, if I'm out and about with my laptop, all I need do is use my login for my AT&T DSL account and I'm able to connect for free and use the internet. I suspect that if I had a Blackberry or other smartphone other than an iPhone, I could also use that device to log into an AT&T hotspot, just like an iPhone user .And, since iPhone users are AT&T customers, in theory are not they the same as I even if they don't have AT&T DSL?

No Access for Me!

Anonymous 3:01:

I am curious if the CS people had to give you access. I have the data & tethering plan and tried to access the Wi-Fi and was unable to.

Frankly, I am not sure I would even bother anyway. When my notebook is tethered, the Internet seems to function pretty well. And, it works just about anywhere. I don't have to be within the vicinity of some hot spot.

The pricing is a bit out of hand though. I had the data plan only. When I added the tethering, it was an extra $30 per month or something like that. Give me a break!

All AT&T users...

It turns out, after calling AT&T customer service, that all data plans at a certain price point include wi-fi access. The real crime, however, is that most unlimited data plans with tethering and wi-fi access are $60, while the iPhone is only $40/month.

Ouch

I'm not an iPhone user....yet. But if I were an AT&T customer you can be sure I'd be screaming about this. AT&T is giving wifi to customers who use the only phone manufactured by a company they have to pay off every month. And not to anyone else?