AT&T leans harder on TDMA customer base
by Brian White 
posted Aug 15th 2007 at 6:55PM
We kinda knew that AT&T was ready to start throwing the switches on its aging TDMA national network, but now the carrier is taking it to the customer with increased fees on older calling plans. Make that stiffing the customer, as those AT&T subs still using tried-and-true TDMA digital handsets on older AT&T "Blue" plans (non-GSM) are apparently now being charged $9.99 per month for sticking with those grandfathered calling and feature plans. So, if you're an "old" AT&T Wireless customer (pre-Cingular merger) using that Nokia 6160, be warned. We know some of those older plans have hard-to-beat prices for features, but AT&T really wants you off them. That, or pony up another $10 a month.
Filed under: ATT
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
090 @ Sep 19th 2008 11:27AM
I have been hearing all about how great the old blue plans were and I was wondering what were their prices anyway?
dcny @ Aug 15th 2007 8:46PM
att should offer the same plans to them and just them if they want them to really get off why would you leave a wonderful plan to go to a piece of s**t plan
Will @ Aug 15th 2007 9:03PM
well to defend at&t, it's really only a $5 increase because these customers have already been paying $5 for quite a while now. and they are offering them $19.99 and $29.99 plans, plans that a regular customer doesn't have access to
NMZ @ Aug 15th 2007 10:10PM
Original AT&T Wireless?, the article seems to mention just the old blue, the original cingular side(orange) is affected too.
Roger Alford @ Aug 15th 2007 11:25PM
Legally, if they resigned a 2-year agreement just before the first $5.00 increase, then they can not charge EITHER the first $5.00 or the $9.99 total. The clause in the contract states that anytime there is a monitary increase to a plan, the customer can cancel at any time. However, while in the contract, no "additional" fees can be charged for "Access" or to honor "grandfathered" plans, unless the person is OUT of contract, or resigned a contract during the "increase" period.
Cingular or ATT or whomever they are now, are just trying to make good after literally shutting off TDMA in so many areas 2 years ago.
Will @ Aug 15th 2007 11:44PM
but these customers have all been out of their contract for at least 1 year...most of them have been out for 3-5 years and just didn't want to give up their old nokia brick phones that never break.
Roger Alford @ Aug 15th 2007 11:57PM
Well, if they are out of contract, then maybe ATT should offer them a plan for emergency uses, like Sprint does, "Basic Plan" with little minutes for 29.99 since thats why most people kept the TDMA. GSM service has gotten much better for ATT and there is no reason for TDMA for coverage anymore. ATT could offer them to migrate to the same plan with a GSM phone at the 2 year contract price, if they agree to sign to a 1 year on GSM.
Will @ Aug 16th 2007 12:00AM
did you not read my first post above...that's exactly what they're doing. originally they were only offering 29.99 plans, but they are now offering 19.99 plans. they are however 2 year contracts because they still have free phone offers to these customers
Cash @ Aug 16th 2007 4:20AM
AT&T intro'd GSM service a long time before the Cingular merger, and that had nothing to do with it.
If a company has to go to the expense of maintaining two different kinds of networks, then the people using the old network that should have by all rights been phased out by now then they deserve to pay more. My brother in law works for the local cable company, and he was telling me the other day how much money and bandwidth they waste on people who still have analog boxes and refuse to trade them in for digital ones for god knows why. They have offered 3 months free service, a courier to bring the new box over and install it, 3000 free air miles etc and people still refuse to switch to digital. I'm not into companies telling me how to use my equipment and all, but still using TDMA when GSM or CDMA phones are cheaper and more reliable is just dumb.
Iscariote @ Aug 16th 2007 11:50AM
AT&T should have just shut off their TDMA network and no one would have noticed.
KC @ Aug 16th 2007 1:35PM
There certainly isn't any reason to keep TDMA alive, but the customers who want to should be able to keep their old plan with a new GSM or UMTS phone.
Rogers Wireless in Canada pulled the plug completely on TDMA earlier this year, and AT&T should do the same to fee up that spectrum.
egloskerry @ Aug 19th 2007 9:27PM
Well once the network is gone completely, people will either have to switch to a new phone/carrier, or just do without a phone. Most TDMA customers are either on a really good value plan, or are just old and only change technology once it completely stops working. I guess in a few months their bricks will be just that.
They should just send out a letter saying "We're turning off the network you're on. Your phone won't work anymore. You're not a profitable customer. Switch or fuck off."
It's really not a good couple of years for old people, huh? First their phone stops working, then their TV.
judi @ Aug 30th 2007 10:32AM
in respone to the person who made the commit about old people losing their phones then their tvs in a couple years,did they stop to think it may be more a money issure,then a change issure?try to live on some of the income some of these people live on,see how far you can go.and it is a shame more people do not understand or care about that!!!
B @ Sep 2nd 2007 11:47PM
The main reason that people do not want to transfer to GSM is the 2 year contract with the early termination fee of $175 plus costs of buying new equipment. Cover these fees and cost and let me be a customer with out the contract hanging over my head or maybe a 1 year contract and I would change in a minute. Otherwise, maybe I should hold out and just cost an uncooperative company a little money on maintaining there system.
Urban @ Sep 9th 2007 8:45AM
I signed my wife up for a TDMA plan for upstate NY the year before the Cingular merger, the TDMA coverage was better than their GSM coverage then, and she had/has a really cheap rate even with the extra charge.
Does anyone know what AT&T's offered $19.99 plan includes?
Thanks for the
Mark @ Dec 12th 2007 12:11AM
If I could stay with a TDMA timeport I would but Att makes cell phones for women only or men that dont get thier fingernails dirty.I want a good flip phone thats only a phone.
Since my wife works for att im stuck on girly Island.Thier was no phone like the timeport the read like a dashboard of a car Black backround with green letters and you could hear it when your in a crowd without one of those stupid blue things in your ear!!