Text messaging rates increaase by 33%

"Ernie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> But, after calling AT&T Customer Service about Spam text messages, I
> was told they have a new "Smart Text" plan .. where I could specify
> which phone numbers I would accept text messages .. for an additional
> $4.99/month ...

That's priceless! I expect they'll offer a similar $4.99 add-on that
credits you for wrong numbers soon! ;-)

I often wonder if cell carriers are trying to wring every cent out of
texting while they can- as smartphones become more commonplace, I wonder if
push e-mail will replace texting. Why would I MMS a picture or video from
my smartphone to my wife's at $0.25 each direction when I can simply e-mail
it as an attachment from my push account to hers?

I looked at the SMS account on my phone, and the last text I sent was back
in November! (It was a reply to a text I was sent from a buddy without a
smartphone.)

---

› See More: Text messaging rates increaase by 33%

Todd Allcock wrote:
>
>
> "Ernie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> But, after calling AT&T Customer Service about Spam text messages, I
>> was told they have a new "Smart Text" plan .. where I could specify
>> which phone numbers I would accept text messages .. for an additional
>> $4.99/month ...
>
> That's priceless! I expect they'll offer a similar $4.99 add-on that
> credits you for wrong numbers soon! ;-)

Hey, this is AT&T after all. They learned about this sort of fee decades
ago when they began charging subscribers to not print their name and
number in the telephone directory (though originally there was some
justification for the charge because directory assistance was free and
unlisted numbers caused more DA calls).

Does AT&T have something similar to Verizon where you can specify a
nickname ([email protected]) and only accept text messages sent to that
nickname? You give out your nickname to those that you'll accept text
messages from, but you make it unique enough that no one would guess it
otherwise.

At 21 Feb 2008 19:01:45 -0800 SMS wrote:


> Does AT&T have something similar to Verizon where you can specify
> a nickname ([email protected]) and only accept text messages
> sent to that nickname?

I don't know. T-Mo does the nickname thing, but it's simply an alias- they
"can't" (translation: won't) block messages sent to the numeric address.
In fact, unlike Verizon, T-Mo "can't" (won't) disable texts on any account.
T-Mo was just hit with a class-action suit a couple of weeks ago by
disgruntled lawyers, er, um, customers who are tired of paying for spam
texts, despite begging T-Mo to disable texting on their accounts entirely.

"Todd H." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Just noticed an unpleasant bit on this month's statement:
>
> "Effective 3/30/08, AT&T will charge 20 cents for text/instant messags
> and 30cents for picture video messages sent or received on a pay per
> use basis."
>
>
> The old rate for text was 15 cents.
>
> I'm curious is this a lower rate for picture/video though. This
> almost sounds semi reasonable.

On my one year old plan I was being charged 10 cents for txt, 25 cents for
pictures.

With the voice price war heating up, revenue mining will probably shift to
txt and media.

clifto wrote:

> IIRC it's cheaper than a message plan and unlimited to boot. I used to carry
> two and would again if I had much use for texting. I was disgruntled enough
> at two cents per received message that I didn't use it much, and you can bet
> that at twenty cents per message it's emergency-only communication for me.

The solution is obviously to get a PagePlus phone, where text messages
are as little as 3.5¢ each.

SMS wrote:
> clifto wrote:
>
>> IIRC it's cheaper than a message plan and unlimited to boot. I used to
>> carry
>> two and would again if I had much use for texting. I was disgruntled
>> enough
>> at two cents per received message that I didn't use it much, and you
>> can bet
>> that at twenty cents per message it's emergency-only communication for
>> me.
>
> The solution is obviously to get a PagePlus phone, where text messages
> are as little as 3.5¢ each.

Argh, sorry, I didn't realize that Navas had pulled his newsgroup
removal crap fro the original poster's post. I've added back
alt.cellular.attws added. Please be aware that if you choose to reply to
a Navas post, that he often will remove all newsgroups other than
alt.cellular.cingular from his follow-ups. Please go back to the
original post in the thread and see which newsgroups it was posted to,
and add back the deleted newsgroups.

I should also add that the 3.5¢ rate is only on "regular" PagePlus
service when you buy the $80/1400 minute card at a discounted price. If
you're on the PagePlus unlimited plan ($2.49/day) then text messages are
15¢ each, the same as on Verizon (for now, until Verizon matches AT&T's
price increase to 20¢ each).

I wonder how long it'll be until PagePlus decides to raise their texting
rates. They say that they charge 8¢, but that's in "PagePlus money." An
$80 PagePlus card costs $73.72 and buys you 1400 12¢ minutes, or $168 in
"PagePlus money." Each text message then costs 8¢*$73.72/$168=3.5¢. As
with T-Mobile, the most economical strategy with PagePlus is to buy one
high value card, then buy the lower value cards periodically (every 4
months on PagePlus) to keep your account active.

SMS wrote:
> clifto wrote:
>
>> IIRC it's cheaper than a message plan and unlimited to boot. I used to carry
>> two and would again if I had much use for texting. I was disgruntled enough
>> at two cents per received message that I didn't use it much, and you can bet
>> that at twenty cents per message it's emergency-only communication for me.
>
> The solution is obviously to get a PagePlus phone, where text messages
> are as little as 3.5¢ each.

I have two StarTAC phones being groomed for just that right now. Are there
meatspace stores that sell the PagePlus stuff?

--
Obama's childhood mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, was a communist.
http://www.aim.org/aim-column/print/...munist-mentor/

"clifto" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> SMS wrote:
>> clifto wrote:
>>
>>> IIRC it's cheaper than a message plan and unlimited to boot. I used to
>>> carry
>>> two and would again if I had much use for texting. I was disgruntled
>>> enough
>>> at two cents per received message that I didn't use it much, and you can
>>> bet
>>> that at twenty cents per message it's emergency-only communication for
>>> me.
>>
>> The solution is obviously to get a PagePlus phone, where text messages
>> are as little as 3.5¢ each.
>
> I have two StarTAC phones being groomed for just that right now. Are there
> meatspace stores that sell the PagePlus stuff?

PagePlus allows StarTAC Phones to be used ? Are you sure about that ?
As they use Verizon I figured Verizon would not allow it.

Interesting.

>
> --
> Obama's childhood mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, was a communist.
> http://www.aim.org/aim-column/print/...munist-mentor/

clifto wrote:

> I have two StarTAC phones being groomed for just that right now. Are there
> meatspace stores that sell the PagePlus stuff?

Yes, a few.

"http://pagepluscellular.com/Why%20Page%20Plus/Store%20Locator.aspx"

I've never been to one, as it's unnecssary.

clifto wrote:

> I have two StarTAC phones being groomed for just that right now. Are there
> meatspace stores that sell the PagePlus stuff?

Yes, a few.

"http://pagepluscellular.com/Why%20Page%20Plus/Store%20Locator.aspx"

I've never been to one, as it's unnecessary.

"Kevin Weaver" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "clifto" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> I have two StarTAC phones being groomed for just that right now. Are
>> there
>> meatspace stores that sell the PagePlus stuff?
>
> PagePlus allows StarTAC Phones to be used ? Are you sure about that ?
> As they use Verizon I figured Verizon would not allow it.
>
> Interesting.

Page Plus doesn't seem to require that phones they activate be GPS-enabled.
I suspect they activate such a small number of phones (relatively) that
Verizon doesn't enforce it for MVNOs. (The FCC requires that 95% of the
phones on a carriers' network be E911 compatible. I suspect Page Plus total
number of activations doesn't represent 5/100ths of a percent of Verizon's
users!) ;-)

As long as the StarTACs in question are CDMA and able to be programmed
(either OTA or manually) to work on Verizon, PP will activate them.