Carrier AT&T to launch prepaid Aio Wireless nationwide ($40, $55, $70 a month, LTE included)

[EbookReader]

http://www.aiowireless.com/shop/plans.html

$40: unlimited talk, unlimited text, 250MB at LTE speed, unlimited throttled speed
$55: unlimited talk, unlimited text, 2GB at LTE speed, unlimited throttled speed
$70: unlimited talk, unlimited text, 7GB at LTE speed, unlimited throttled speed

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...nationwide-with-prepaid-aio-wireless-service/

AT&T to go nationwide with prepaid Aio Wireless service

The phone giant takes on T-Mobile in the no-contract market, announcing it's pushing its prepaid network throughout the U.S. in mid-September.

From AT&T press release:

Aio makes wireless easy with a friendly in-store and online experience and three simple plans to choose from. All three plans include unlimited talk, text, and data-with a pre-established amount of high-speed access, including 4G LTE. Plans range from $40 to $70 per month, with taxes and fees included.

I wonder if sales tax is included...or that is just regular "cell phone tax" that the government charge.

 

[barkomatic]

$70 for unlimited talk, text and 7GB of "full speed" LTE sounds like a good deal. I read elsewhere though that even the LTE on Aio has a capped download rate of 8GB or something like that. I don't know if that is true.

It's good that some carriers or MVNO's are moving to simply throttle speeds over a certain point rather than simply charging overage. Smartphone of all types are notorious for burning data at unexpected rates sometimes.

 

[Menel]

$70 for unlimited talk, text and 7GB of "full speed" LTE sounds like a good deal. I read elsewhere though that even the LTE on Aio has a capped download rate of 8GB or something like that. I don't know if that is true.

It's good that some carriers or MVNO's are moving to simply throttle speeds over a certain point rather than simply charging overage. Smartphone of all types are notorious for burning data at unexpected rates sometimes.

8GB is not a measurement of rate.

8GB/s would be an incredible rate and far beyond what LTE is capable of.

 

[atteligibility]

http://www.aiowireless.com/shop/plans.html

$40: unlimited talk, unlimited text, 250MB at LTE speed, unlimited throttled speed
$55: unlimited talk, unlimited text, 2GB at LTE speed, unlimited throttled speed
$70: unlimited talk, unlimited text, 7GB at LTE speed, unlimited throttled speed

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...nationwide-with-prepaid-aio-wireless-service/



From AT&T press release:



I wonder if sales tax is included...or that is just regular "cell phone tax" that the government charge.

I live in Houston where AIO has been for a few months, I left ATT 3 months ago and was looking at options, including AIO.

I chatted with a few AIO representatives, they all swore that they had nothing to do with AT&T (although it is a known fact that AIO is an ATT company). They also swore that the speed wasn't capped, although their website states that it is indeed capped.

So there you go, same as att, bunch of liars and ignorant folks. I did not leave att to end up there... I ended up with t-mobile

Also, their attitude is to try to present the service as "fun", clearly oriented for young folks, although there is no feature besides a phone service and limited data plan, but somewhat it's fun and refreshing.

 

[Demonface]

Might consider switching from AT&T GoPhone when it becomes available in NJ.

 

[2298754]

AT&T needs to start matching their post-paid service with this on their tiered plans. X Amount of 4G data and unlimited throttle.

 

[Mrbobb]

although it is a known fact that AIO is an ATT

After a while after everybody knows your faults, the only thing left to do is to "rebrand" with another name. Looking forward the to hear what real-life experiences are with this AT&T experiment.

 

[bagelche]

Could be good. Still very limited in terms of markets. From their initial zip code sign in:

Right now, we're signing up new accounts in select Texas, Florida, and Georgia markets. We're expanding to new markets over the coming months, so look out for us in your area.

 

[EstaVidaLoca]

I might look in to this when my contract with Sprint is up in November. Maybe the data speeds limits will change by then. I live in a large city that has ample T-mobile LTE coverage but I'm not sure about when I leave.

 

[Satnam1989]

AT&T's $60 GoPhone plan is much better than their $55 plan if purchased via Callingmart.com (look for their 10% off coupon as it drops the price from $60 to $54 - I've been posting about this for quiet a while now).


Breakdown:

AIO $40 Plan > AT&T $40 Plan
Why? AIO Plan gives you more:
- 250MB(AIO) Vs 200MB (AT&T)
- Unlimited Minutes (AIO) vs 500 Mins (AT&T)
***AT&T Gives you Unlimited International Minutes and 4G/LTE Data is not throttled (I have tested AT&T GoPhone LTE and getting 15-30+Mbps regularly) Unlike AIO (4Mbps 4G/8Mbps LTE - Yes AIO Store reps say they arent throttled despite being mentioned on the site but we cannot agree until members post Speed test results - I have requested a few to do so if possible - waiting on results)

AT&T $60 GoPhone plan > AIO $55 Plan
Why AT&T Plan is better?
- Buy $60 on Callingmart.com via their 10% off coupon for $54 Total
- 2GB Full 4G LTE Data (Have tested speeds 15-30+Mbps)
- Unlimited International Texting
- Buy Additional 1GB for $10 (Total $70 on AT&T - 10% via Callingmart = $63 = Amazing)

AIO $70 Plan vs AT&T $70 GoPhone ($60 Plan + $10 for Additional 1GB)
Well the AIO plan wins mainly due to a larger Data Bucket (7GB vs 3GB) however speeds may be hindered...but I think 8Mbps is still acceptable if that is what you get...personally anything over 5Mbps is acceptable for majority of the things. Although you do lose International Texting with AIO

if one were to get AT&T GoPhone Refill from Callingmart.com, you can essentially have the $60 plan with 3GB of Full 4G/LTE Data for $63....which is amazing...

 

[Retired Cat]

AT&T to launch prepaid Aio Wireless nationwide ($40, $55, $70 a month, LTE in...

The $40 AIO plan is a joke, but the $55 plan looks like it could put pressure on T-Mobile.

$50 at Tmo gets you unlimited talk text, and 500 MB high speed data throttled after that.

$60 at Tmo gets you an upgrade to 2.5GB high speed data.

$5 more at AIO gets the customer a lot more high speed data than you get at Tmo, and nearly as much data as the $60 Tmo plan.

AT&T network also has more coverage than Tmo.

For most users, 2GB is more than enough. That is essentially unlimited for basic use.

What I wonder is how MetroPCS GSM on Tmo will affect things. $50 at MetroPCS gets you 2.5GB on the Tmo network.

Steve Jobs wanted unlimited talk, text, and data at $50/month. I'm glad that this is slowly nearing reality at 3G and faster speeds.

 

[EbookReader]

The $40 AIO plan is a joke, but the $55 plan looks like it could put pressure on T-Mobile.

$50 at Tmo gets you unlimited talk text, and 500 MB high speed data throttled after that.

$60 at Tmo gets you an upgrade to 2.5GB high speed data.

$5 more at AIO gets the customer a lot more high speed data than you get at Tmo, and nearly as much data as the $60 Tmo plan.

AT&T network also has more coverage than Tmo.

For most users, 2GB is more than enough. That is essentially unlimited for basic use.

What I wonder is how MetroPCS GSM on Tmo will affect things. $50 at MetroPCS gets you 2.5GB on the Tmo network.

Steve Jobs wanted unlimited talk, text, and data at $50/month. I'm glad that this is slowly nearing reality at 3G and faster speeds.

T-Mobile wins if you use more than 2 lines. Especially $25 per line if you have 4 lines.

$50 (1st line) + $30 (2nd line) + $10 (3rd line) + $10 (4th line)

Line 1: unlimited talk, unlimited text and 500MB of 4G LTE data, unlimited 2G
Line 2: unlimited talk, unlimited text and 500MB of 4G LTE data, unlimited 2G
Line 3: unlimited talk, unlimited text and 500MB of 4G LTE data, unlimited 2G
Line 4: unlimited talk, unlimited text and 500MB of 4G LTE data, unlimited 2G

 

[Michael CM1]

This is pretty tempting. First, anybody buying iPhones should realize the caveat with the $40 plan: IT'S NOT FOR SMARTPHONES. I thought I'd shout that since it seems pretty important in a group of iPhone owners.

Well, myself, I switched to Verizon because AT&T's signal strength sucked around here. Once I got about five miles from home it wasn't so bad, but I live in a bad pocket. But when I look at my ZIP code on the coverage, it's solid yellow, meaning LTE. The iPhone 4 obviously wasn't LTE or even AT&T's fake 4G, so maybe the coverage is better. My parents have iPhone 5's, so I think I'll get them to come over soon and let me check that out.

The main difference in these versus contract plans is obviously the lack of a contract and lack of a phone subsidy. So looking at the iPhone 5 comparision, it's $199 if you get a contract with AT&T and $649 if you go through Aio. So that means over two years, you have to save $18.75 per month to break even. Aio Smart is $55 per month for 2GB of LTE data. I don't know my Verizon "pre-tax" rate, but I end up paying $81 or $82 per month for 2GB of data, 450 minutes and 250 texts. So it sounds like that's break even after two years, which also means I can keep my phone longer and save tons of money.

If anybody's still reading, here are some questions:
1) Does this include a mobile hotspot feature for free? I can't find that info on the Aio website.
2) Anybody know how much extra the taxes and fees are per month?
3) Is Verizon going to launch something similar? I heard a few months ago Verizon was going to do that in August, and August is kind of about over.

 

[Barden Bella]

Sounds tempting, I just wish I got good AT&T reception. Unfortunately Verizon is the most reliable service, and I gotta pay a big price to have it. I need to move out of the sticks.

 

[iBreatheApple]

So at the end of my contract I can take my AT&T iPhone to AIO and get on the 2Gb plan?

 

[617aircav]

So at the end of my contract I can take my AT&T iPhone to AIO and get on the 2Gb plan?

Yeah once you unlock it.

 

[iBreatheApple]

Yeah once you unlock it.

It doesn't run on the same network? Even so once ice fulfilled my contract AT&T will unlock it for me.

 

[Menel]

This is pretty tempting. First, anybody buying iPhones should realize the caveat with the $40 plan: IT'S NOT FOR SMARTPHONES. I thought I'd shout that since it seems pretty important in a group of iPhone owners.

Well, myself, I switched to Verizon because AT&T's signal strength sucked around here. Once I got about five miles from home it wasn't so bad, but I live in a bad pocket. But when I look at my ZIP code on the coverage, it's solid yellow, meaning LTE. The iPhone 4 obviously wasn't LTE or even AT&T's fake 4G, so maybe the coverage is better. My parents have iPhone 5's, so I think I'll get them to come over soon and let me check that out.

The main difference in these versus contract plans is obviously the lack of a contract and lack of a phone subsidy. So looking at the iPhone 5 comparision, it's $199 if you get a contract with AT&T and $649 if you go through Aio. So that means over two years, you have to save $18.75 per month to break even. Aio Smart is $55 per month for 2GB of LTE data. I don't know my Verizon "pre-tax" rate, but I end up paying $81 or $82 per month for 2GB of data, 450 minutes and 250 texts. So it sounds like that's break even after two years, which also means I can keep my phone longer and save tons of money.

If anybody's still reading, here are some questions:
1) Does this include a mobile hotspot feature for free? I can't find that info on the Aio website.
2) Anybody know how much extra the taxes and fees are per month?
3) Is Verizon going to launch something similar? I heard a few months ago Verizon was going to do that in August, and August is kind of about over.

1. Reports I've read say no.
2. Aio claims to include taxes/fees in $55 figure
3. Time will tell

 

[Menel]

The $40 AIO plan is a joke, but the $55 plan looks like it could put pressure on T-Mobile.

$50 at Tmo gets you unlimited talk text, and 500 MB high speed data throttled after that.

$60 at Tmo gets you an upgrade to 2.5GB high speed data.

$5 more at AIO gets the customer a lot more high speed data than you get at Tmo, and nearly as much data as the $60 Tmo plan.

AT&T network also has more coverage than Tmo.

For most users, 2GB is more than enough. That is essentially unlimited for basic use.

What I wonder is how MetroPCS GSM on Tmo will affect things. $50 at MetroPCS gets you 2.5GB on the Tmo network.

Steve Jobs wanted unlimited talk, text, and data at $50/month. I'm glad that this is slowly nearing reality at 3G and faster speeds.

You missed the detail Aio includes taxes/fees in their figures. TMo does not.

4 times the high speed data, and on a better coverage network for same $55 price.

Fine print.
LTE capped at 8mbps, and 4G at 4mbps. Plenty IMO.
No tethering. Uggh.

 

[Michael CM1]

1. Reports I've read say no.
2. Aio claims to include taxes/fees in $55 figure
3. Time will tell

I just read the same thing about the hotspot. Bummer. But the all fees included thing is huge. I guess I'll have to make my choice on whether the 5S has a model that will work on both Verizon and AT&T networks. I could switch to Aio and then jump to Verizon if its plans are worth it.

----------

You missed the detail Aio includes taxes/fees in their figures. TMo does not.

4 times the high speed data, and on a better coverage network for same $55 price.

Fine print.
LTE capped at 8mbps, and 4G at 4mbps. Plenty IMO.
No tethering. Uggh.

Also as I mentioned the Aio $40 plan is NOT for smartphones. Moot for most of us, but important if anyone lets parents or aunts and uncles know. I'm on Verizon 3G, so those caps might as well be a 250 mph speed limit on the highway.

 

[Retired Cat]

You missed the detail Aio includes taxes/fees in their figures. TMo does not.

4 times the high speed data, and on a better coverage network for same $55 price.

Fine print.
LTE capped at 8mbps, and 4G at 4mbps. Plenty IMO.
No tethering. Uggh.

TMo pre-paid (AIO is pre-paid, so AAPL to AAPLs comparison) includes the taxes too.

 

[itouchaddicted]

You can use $40 plan with iphone (just confirmed)

I just chatted with a repp and here is my conversation with him


"harry: so here is my plan, i will get the factory unlocked iphone 5S and then i can use your $40 plan with it right
Johannie Amador: Yes Harry But let me explain to you that the $40 only has 250mb it is commonly used for basic phones
Johannie Amador: Your data will run fast
harry: 250 mb is fine for me as i have wifi everywhere
Johannie Amador: Ok Great! With the Wi-fi some of the features wont work as you will need the AIO Internet but you can use it. =-)
Johannie Amador: Is there any other question you need assistance with Harry?
harry: what features wont work without aio internet
Johannie Amador: I'm not sure... Some times customers are not able to send mms and they just turn the Wi-fi off and they send. Things like that.
Johannie Amador: No big deals.
harry: oh ok gotchaa. one last question
Johannie Amador: =-) Sure
Johannie Amador: I will be more than glad to answer it Harry!
harry: i just browsed your website for your rate plans. Over there it says that $40 plan is only for basic phones and not for smartphones. But you said I can use a smartphone(iphone 5S) with this $40 plan
Johannie Amador: Yes You can us it but as I told you some features wont work with the wi-fi, the Internet will run fast and in some cases you will have Internet problems, What we recommend is to put the $55 Smart plan in a Smart phone.
Johannie Amador: That's why the $40 Is call AIO Basic because on basic phones it will work perfectly but we can't assure that is going to work the same way on a Smart phone.
harry: ok i see what you are saying. thanks a lot
Johannie Amador: You're very welcome Harry
Johannie Amador: Is there anything else I can do for you?"

 

[Michael CM1]

I just chatted with a repp and here is my conversation with him


"harry: so here is my plan, i will get the factory unlocked iphone 5S and then i can use your $40 plan with it right
Johannie Amador: Yes Harry But let me explain to you that the $40 only has 250mb it is commonly used for basic phones
Johannie Amador: Your data will run fast
harry: 250 mb is fine for me as i have wifi everywhere
Johannie Amador: Ok Great! With the Wi-fi some of the features wont work as you will need the AIO Internet but you can use it. =-)
Johannie Amador: Is there any other question you need assistance with Harry?
harry: what features wont work without aio internet
Johannie Amador: I'm not sure... Some times customers are not able to send mms and they just turn the Wi-fi off and they send. Things like that.
Johannie Amador: No big deals.
harry: oh ok gotchaa. one last question
Johannie Amador: =-) Sure
Johannie Amador: I will be more than glad to answer it Harry!
harry: i just browsed your website for your rate plans. Over there it says that $40 plan is only for basic phones and not for smartphones. But you said I can use a smartphone(iphone 5S) with this $40 plan
Johannie Amador: Yes You can us it but as I told you some features wont work with the wi-fi, the Internet will run fast and in some cases you will have Internet problems, What we recommend is to put the $55 Smart plan in a Smart phone.
Johannie Amador: That's why the $40 Is call AIO Basic because on basic phones it will work perfectly but we can't assure that is going to work the same way on a Smart phone.
harry: ok i see what you are saying. thanks a lot
Johannie Amador: You're very welcome Harry
Johannie Amador: Is there anything else I can do for you?"

What the hell does not sending an MMS have to do with WiFi being off/on?

 

[itouchaddicted]

What the hell does not sending an MMS have to do with WiFi being off/on?

Exactly, thats why it didnt bother me. So I am pretty sure we are all set to use this $40 plan with any iphone. I am gonna buy iphone 5S at full price and use this $40 plan.
He also confirmed that it uses AT&T towers so service is great, atleast in my area(Orlando, Florida). $40 includes all fess, taxes everything and you can port your old number as well. WIN

 

[Michael CM1]

Exactly, thats why it didnt bother me. So I am pretty sure we are all set to use this $40 plan with any iphone. I am gonna buy iphone 5S at full price and use this $40 plan.
He also confirmed that it uses AT&T towers so service is great, atleast in my area(Orlando, Florida). $40 includes all fess, taxes everything and you can port your old number as well. WIN

I wish I actually knew how much I use. I go back and look at my PDF bills and it says I used "1" gigabyte. Call detail is on there, but that's all the info about how much data I used.

I could probably force myself to get by on 250MB, but I just hate the thought of being all "I want to download this album!" nowhere near WiFi and blowing my whole data allowance. Plus with iTunes Radio, I might start using more.