FaceTime Over Cellular Data with Mobile Share Only!

[21stNow]

So AT&T won't charge for FaceTime over cellular data, but will restrict it to Mobile Share customers only.  What are your thoughts?

http://www.phonedog.com/2012/08/17/at-t-won-t-charge-fee-for-facetime-over-cellular-but-only-mobile-...

[lw9090]

So AT&T will start charging to use Facetime in iOS 6 over 3G/LTE  what a joke. You can use it for FREE over skype, tango etc. What a way to screw over your #1 device that saved you from bankrupty 4 years ago.

[johninsj ACE - Wizard]

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lw9090 wrote:

So AT&T will start charging to use Facetime in iOS 6 over 3G/LTE  what a joke. You can use it for FREE over skype, tango etc. What a way to screw over your #1 device that saved you from bankrupty 4 years ago.

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Will... or Might. Since iOS6 is in beta still, it's all rumor at this point.

It's also possible that it's just an option you enable for free, but by doing so you let AT&T know YOU know you're buring data like mad when using FT over cell, so you can't claim later that you had "no idea" that FT used cellular data at such a high rate. Maybe. Who knows.

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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lw9090 wrote:

So AT&T will start charging to use Facetime in iOS 6 over 3G/LTE  what a joke. You can use it for FREE over skype, tango etc. What a way to screw over your #1 device that saved you from bankrupty 4 years ago.

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first - where exaclty did you see / hear this rumor?

second I believe that IOS 6 will allow facetime over cellular data instead of just wifi - so it is logical that if you use it on the cellular data that you will be charged for data usage, they are not going to let you use the data network for free.

third in no way shape or form did the iphone "saved ATT from Bankruptcy" the bottom line for att is stronger then most banks, financial organizations can other companies, this includes going back to when the first Iphone was released. their diluted earnings per share at fiscal close in 2008 was 2.16 as compared to 2007 when it was 1.97. ATT was no were near "bankruptcy" in that period

fourth you are being charged for skype unless you are connecting over the wifi network - anything that utilizes a internet connection will be deducted from your cellular data pool if you are not using wifi.

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

I have seen the reports about having to enable FaceTime over cellular and the messages that are associated with it. It is too early to know if this is just a warning that you will burn through your data or if it is a separate add-on similar to tethering?

I would have to say that I am not surprised. I know I won't use it if there is an additional charge but if I was running a carrier, I am not sure I would not explore charging for the service.

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

One other thought.

Maybe they will not charge extra but like the tethering plan we MAY NOT be able to keep our unlimited data plans? Or the tethering and FaceTime will be merged into a single plan addon?

Time will tell........

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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youngjm wrote:
One other thought.

Maybe they will not charge extra but like the tethering plan we MAY NOT be able to keep our unlimited data plans? Or the tethering and FaceTime will be merged into a single plan addon?

Time will tell........

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you can bet that nothing will be merged with the grandfathered unlimited plan, suspect it will be moe - if you want to use it, changed to the correct tiered plan.

Fully suspect that att will go the way of verizon on the grandfathered unlimited plan soon

[anton697]

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youngjm wrote:
One other thought.

Maybe they will not charge extra but like the tethering plan we MAY NOT be able to keep our unlimited data plans? Or the tethering and FaceTime will be merged into a single plan addon?

Time will tell........

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I would love to see the explanation if AT&T decides to charge for being able to use Facetime over cellular--it's not as if Facetime is an AT&T service--it's an iPhone feature introduced/implemented by Apple.  Tethering is not an iPhone-only feature but a smartphone feature, hence why AT&T can justify charging extra to use it.

[sandblaster]

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wingrider01 wrote:

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youngjm wrote:
One other thought.

Maybe they will not charge extra but like the tethering plan we MAY NOT be able to keep our unlimited data plans? Or the tethering and FaceTime will be merged into a single plan addon?

Time will tell........

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you can bet that nothing will be merged with the grandfathered unlimited plan, suspect it will be moe - if you want to use it, changed to the correct tiered plan.

Fully suspect that att will go the way of verizon on the grandfathered unlimited plan soon

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Personally, I think this is the most likely. AT&T won't charge extra to use FaceTime over cellular but will require that you have a "supported data plan" and the grandfathered unlimited plan won't be one of them.

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

@Anton697 the explanation is that we will use less minutes and reduce our voice plans. They may make it up by charging more for data. Everything these carriers are doing is about increasing the average revenue per user. That is what the analysts on Wall Street look at.

I would tend to agree with @sandblaster the we will need a qualifying data plan and unlimIted data is not one of them.

Just a pure guess!

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

One more thing on face time being an iPhone feature; that is true but AT&T has to provide and support the ifrastucture to support that feature. Do not think for one second that the other carriers will not do the same thing. They may start out supporting the option for free but will eventually follow. Can you say Verizon and unlimited data plans boys and girls in the same sentence! Not for very long after they got the iPhone.

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

Check out this article about AT&T's CEO and charging for FaceTime. http://m.techcrunch.com/2012/07/17/att-facetime-charge/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&#...

Let's see what happens

[monfster]

"I've heard the same rumor," he said, insisting that for now, AT&T is focused on working with Apple to get the technology stabilized, so "it's too early to talk about pricing."

From past experience I read that as a yes, we're going to charge you extra to use FaceTime

[FredW]

Running that much video over the network could kill it.  There is only so much bandwidth available.  I don't see where at&t would have a a choice but to charge for it.  And if they were to allow it with the unlimited data plan, you would probably quickly get to the point of throttling and with the speed limits, you would not be pleased with the video FT would render.

[Shark Tek]

Is not a rumor is real.

The problem with this is the other carriers will do the same too. Is just a matter of time. 

We should do something and not allow him do that. It will affect his user base.

I'm a long term AT&T customer but I wont hesitate to change to another carrier if this materialize. 

Is just plain stupid I already pay for data why you have to keep adding fees to something that I already pay.

If your network cant support the load then upgrade it to make it able to support it. 

Like others say the iPhone put you in the spot stop making bad decissions because you will lose more customers.

There are other video calling apps for smartphone that right now areused over 3G\4G why facetime is that different that are free to use?

[dwill05]

It's all very easy for people to say that AT&T needs to simply upgrade their network to handle the traffic for all the data hogging things they want to do with their smartphone. They don't have to worry about bandwidth and spectrum limits, or installing new equipment, or building new towers (assuming they can find someplace that will let them build new towers), or any of the other practical things AT&T has to deal with. Simply expecting all of this to happen and not pay a penny more for it is probably not very realistic, I think.

[Shark Tek]

And is very easy for a company to add charges and limit the service and keep lying everyone around on how fast their network is.

[dwill05]

Regarding charges and limits, any company has the right to do that, and any customer has a right to take their business elsewhere. That's how business works, not just for AT&T, not just for any cell phone carrier, but for about any business in the world.

If AT&T isn't working out for someone and they believe that another cell carrier is different and better, then they should swap.

[21stNow]

Why is FaceTime in iOS 6 different from FaceTime in iOS 5?  What's the impetus for charging now?

[Shark Tek]

dwill05 you are missing the point completly.

The problem of adding this now is that the other carriers will do the same too like they did with Capped - "Unlimited" Data Plans.

It will be just a matter of time that you don't have another place to run.

[anton697]

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youngjm wrote:
One more thing on face time being an iPhone feature; that is true but AT&T has to provide and support the ifrastucture to support that feature. Do not think for one second that the other carriers will not do the same thing. They may start out supporting the option for free but will eventually follow. Can you say Verizon and unlimited data plans boys and girls in the same sentence! Not for very long after they got the iPhone.

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It should be noted that Facetime isn't the only application that is capable of consuming lots of data due to the fact that it's a video-based app--there are other video apps that are capable of receiving video over cellular--Youtube, Netflix, and Slingplayer all come to mind...should wireless carriers start requiring a data surcharge to users who want to use such apps over cellular as well?  Granted I will concede that the one major difference between Facetime and those other apps I mentioned is that, unlike those apps, Facetime is capable of sending AND receiving video...but the point of the matter is, all of these apps are quite capable of draining your data bucket in no time.  What happens if/when Apple releases their new Maps app in iOS6?  IIRC it has features which I would imagine could result in higher data consumption compared to the current Google-based Maps app, if fully implemented...in which case, logic would dictate that AT&T should charge for using that over celluar as well--no?

What next--start charging iPhone users for being allowed to use iMessage over cellular to make up for lost revenue from folks dropping their text plans in lieu of using iMessage (and yes I know that iMessage isn't a complete replacement for SMS)?  Actually, AT&T already knows this--hence why they no longer offer fixed-allotment SMS plans.

[Shark Tek]

anton697 stop giving ideas to the CEO !!!!

Maps, youtube, hulu, netflix, etc are other good source for greddy fees.

[21stNow]

Shhh! Anton.  Don't give them any ideas!

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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21stNow wrote:

Why is FaceTime in iOS 6 different from FaceTime in iOS 5?  What's the impetus for charging now?

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IOS5 Facetime is wifi only, in IOS6 it becomes available on the cellular data network

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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Shark Tek wrote:

Is not a rumor is real.

The problem with this is the other carriers will do the same too. Is just a matter of time. 

We should do something and not allow him do that. It will affect his user base.

I'm a long term AT&T customer but I wont hesitate to change to another carrier if this materialize. 

Is just plain stupid I already pay for data why you have to keep adding fees to something that I already pay.

If your network cant support the load then upgrade it to make it able to support it. 

Like others say the iPhone put you in the spot stop making bad decissions because you will lose more customers.

There are other video calling apps for smartphone that right now areused over 3G\4G why facetime is that different that are free to use?

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got a link to a offical ATT released document that shows it is real? Have only seen vague references to it that really says nothing validatable

One way or the other you will pay for it - in added data usage costs or in usage fees for the application in itself. Now that ATT has announced their shared data plan would be interesting to see if they add the same termination of grandfathered unlimited data plans into it as Verizon did

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

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21stNow wrote:

Why is FaceTime in iOS 6 different from FaceTime in iOS 5?  What's the impetus for charging now?

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Facetime in IOS 5 was wifi only.  Facetime in iOS 6 will allow use of celluar data.

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

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anton697 wrote:

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youngjm wrote:
One more thing on face time being an iPhone feature; that is true but AT&T has to provide and support the ifrastucture to support that feature. Do not think for one second that the other carriers will not do the same thing. They may start out supporting the option for free but will eventually follow. Can you say Verizon and unlimited data plans boys and girls in the same sentence! Not for very long after they got the iPhone.

---

It should be noted that Facetime isn't the only application that is capable of consuming lots of data due to the fact that it's a video-based app--there are other video apps that are capable of receiving video over cellular--Youtube, Netflix, and Slingplayer all come to mind...should wireless carriers start requiring a data surcharge to users who want to use such apps over cellular as well?  Granted I will concede that the one major difference between Facetime and those other apps I mentioned is that, unlike those apps, Facetime is capable of sending AND receiving video...but the point of the matter is, all of these apps are quite capable of draining your data bucket in no time.  What happens if/when Apple releases their new Maps app in iOS6?  IIRC it has features which I would imagine could result in higher data consumption compared to the current Google-based Maps app, if fully implemented...in which case, logic would dictate that AT&T should charge for using that over celluar as well--no?

What next--start charging iPhone users for being allowed to use iMessage over cellular to make up for lost revenue from folks dropping their text plans in lieu of using iMessage (and yes I know that iMessage isn't a complete replacement for SMS)?  Actually, AT&T already knows this--hence why they no longer offer fixed-allotment SMS plans.

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I don't disagree and I am not defending why but this may be a tipping point for the carriers?  With lost revenue from calls, they need to turn to data to make up for lost revnue as you have pointed out?  There is also discussion that providers of content may pay for our data use for certain services.....

[21stNow]

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wingrider01 wrote:

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21stNow wrote:

Why is FaceTime in iOS 6 different from FaceTime in iOS 5?  What's the impetus for charging now?

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IOS5 Facetime is wifi only, in IOS6 it becomes available on the cellular data network

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Thanks to you and youngjm.  For some reason I thought that FaceTime went over cellular data starting with iOS 5.  I'm getting rusty on my iOS knowledge, I see!

[Revenge Of DG]

I just find it odd that any company would need to add another charge to something that they're already charging us for. 

If/when Facetime is capable of being used on cellular data, we'll be paying for that data already.  Why add a surcharge?

It makes no more sense to me than charging for "enabling" tethering. (Yes, I know, AT&T has tethering turned on with a specific tier of data plan now, but that's only a shade less nonsensical, but still, kind of silly.)

Someone needs to explain to me, if data bandwidth is actually so tight at AT&T, how charging MORE for data, spontaneously makes MORE data bandwidth available?

If AT&T is REALLY THAT WORRIED about their data bandwidth, then they shouldn't allow Facetime to work on cellular data until they're certain they can provide the bandwidth.

Facetime doesn't make existing bandwidth more expensive, so adding any sort of surcharge is just price gouging.

Though as mentioned previously, the cellular providers will collude to all add 'facetime' surcharges so there won't be an option to avoid being double charged to use Facetime.

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

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Revenge Of DG wrote:

I just find it odd that any company would need to add another charge to something that they're already charging us for. 

If/when Facetime is capable of being used on cellular data, we'll be paying for that data already.  Why add a surcharge?

It makes no more sense to me than charging for "enabling" tethering. (Yes, I know, AT&T has tethering turned on with a specific tier of data plan now, but that's only a shade less nonsensical, but still, kind of silly.)

Someone needs to explain to me, if data bandwidth is actually so tight at AT&T, how charging MORE for data, spontaneously makes MORE data bandwidth available?

If AT&T is REALLY THAT WORRIED about their data bandwidth, then they shouldn't allow Facetime to work on cellular data until they're certain they can provide the bandwidth.

Facetime doesn't make existing bandwidth more expensive, so adding any sort of surcharge is just price gouging.

Though as mentioned previously, the cellular providers will collude to all add 'facetime' surcharges so there won't be an option to avoid being double charged to use Facetime.

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Until they really figure out if they will charge, this is all just a guess but I think that they are protecting against the reduced usage of voice.  Do you really need a 1400 minute plan if many of your calls are going to be video?  I think that they will lean towards the option that if you enable Facetime via cellular, you cannot have the unlimited data plan just like the situation is today with tethering.  If you want it you cannot have unlimited data, you pay more, and you get a higher cap.

For those who say they will switch if ATT does charge, expect the other carriers to follow.  Always choose the network that works best for your needs and not over one policy.  The other carriers will have other policies that will hurt in other ways.  They all do.