AT&T has launched an official crackdown on smartphone users who have been tethering to their laptops illegally, using up precious bandwidth that generates revenue from paying customers. AT&T sells tethering plans and the company expects smartphone users to pay if they want to connect mobile devices.
AT&T's E-Bust
AT&T first sent text messages to customers illegally tethering. One of the messages reads, "AT&T Free Msg: Did you know tethering your Smartphone to a computer requires a tethering plan? Pls call 888-860-6789 for details or visit att.com/dataplans."
Those simple text messages were followed by e-mails with a more serious tone. The bottom line is this: If AT&T customers don't stop illegal tethering, AT&T is going to stop it for them. The wireless carrier will start auto-charging customers, beginning March 27.
"Many AT&T customers use their smartphones as a broadband connection for other devices, like laptops, netbooks or other smartphones -- a practice commonly known as tethering. Tethering can be an efficient way for our customers to enjoy the benefits of AT&T's mobile broadband network and use more than one device to stay in touch with important people and information," reads AT&T's e-mail.
"Our records show that you use this capability, but are not subscribed to our tethering plan ... if we don't hear from you, we'll plan to automatically enroll you into DataPro 4GB after March 27, 2011. The new plan -- whether you sign up on your own or we automatically enroll you -- will replace your current smartphone data plan, including if you are on an unlimited data plan."
How Does AT&T Know?
Whether you've been busted or you just want to sign up for a tethering plan, you'll pay $20 a month on top of your monthly smartphone data plan. That means tethering on top of your normal mobile broadband usage will ultimately cost you either $35 a month or $55 a month.
For that rate, you'll be able to tap into the smartphone's 3G capabilities to power your laptop for 4GB of data. The DataPro 4GB Tethering Plan AT&T is automatically assigning to noncompliant, trespassing customers runs $45 a month and includes the standard data plan.
The AT&T crackdown could cut down on Apple iPhone jailbreaks, since jailbreaking the phone is usually driven by the desire for illegal tethering. iPhone users were turning to an app Cydia developed called MyWi, which allows the illegal tethering. At $19.99, MyWi is a bargain compared to the additional monthly fees. It's not clear how AT&T has determined which customers have been illegally tethering, but there are no reports so far of customers receiving the warning message erroneously.