Items tagged with (NYSE:T)
Most of us don't put much stock into the claims of mobile carriers that unlimited data users slow down the network for everyone. We tend to think that the carriers are just using excuses to throttle our connections and charge us more money. But according to recent tests from OpenSignal, speeds at AT&T and Verizon are indeed slowing down thanks to unlimited data users. OpenSignal writes, "Six months after reintroducing unlimited plans, Verizon and AT&T experienced a marked decline in 4G speeds in our tests. The impact appears to have hit Verizon the most. Its average LTE download test fell 2 Mbps to 14.9 Mbps in the six months between reports." As speeds at AT&T and Verizon have declined,...
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The streaming media market for cord-cutters is becoming filled with competitors vying for your hard-earned dollars. AT&T introduced its DirecTV Now streaming TV service late last year, and is now looking to revamp its offering with a wealth of new features. First and foremost, DirecTV Now is gaining cloud DVR functionality, giving you the ability to both record and access your favorite programs from just about anywhere at any time. This feature brings DirecTV Now up to par with similar services like Sling TV, YouTube TV and Hulu Live TV. Additional features on tap for DirecTV Now include parental controls and the ability to pause live TV. AT&T will give invited beta testers the ability...
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AT&T is putting the word out that it is "creating a 5G network that will change the world," only it's not really a 5G network. It is more like a rebranded 4G network that AT&T is calling 5G Evolution, a fancy marketing term that is supposed to make customers think of real 5G, the next generation successor to 4G LTE that will offer significantly faster speeds than what is available today. To be fair, that's also the pitch from AT&T—the company says its 5G Evolution network "offers twice the speeds" of its 4G LTE network, at least in Austin, Texas. And that may very well be true, but make no mistake, 5G Evolution is not the same as 5G no matter how much AT&T wants customers to think...
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AT&T is currently pretty far along in the process of acquiring Time Warner, which gives it access to popular brands including HBO and CNN. Even though the merger has yet to complete, AT&T is already spreading the wealth to customers that sign up for its best unlimited data plan. New customers to AT&T Unlimited Plus (or already ready on the service) will now automatically receive HBO for free. AT&T says that there are currently three ways for you to receive HBO. If you currently pay for HBO via DirecTV Now, DirecTV or U-Verse TV, that additional monthly charge will simply go away. Likewise, if you currently subscribe to one of the above video services, but don’t have HBO, you will...
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When it comes to a bill that was passed both in the U.S. House and Senate that would kill off FCC rules pertaining to internet privacy, consumers are understandably somewhat upset and confused about what this all actually means. The FCC rules, which were ratified late last year, would require internet service providers (ISPs) to gain consent from customers before sharing or selling web browsing data and other identifiable information with third-parties. Lawmakers in the majority argued that the FCC overstepped its authority and that ISPs were being subject to regulations that don’t apply to companies like Google and Facebook (which both make money based on customer behavior via ads). However,...
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Over the past month, we’ve witnessed an all-out war among the top four U.S. wireless carriers with respect to unlimited data. Verizon Wireless drew first blood, then everyone else hopped in with guns blazing. AT&T was the last to rejoin the unlimited data fight, and quickly had to alter its plans to make them more competitive. Now, it is extending the unlimited data option to its prepaid GoPhone service, but there are many strings attached. For starters, the $60/month plan does technically give you “unlimited” data, but it’s capped at 3Mbps, which isn’t exactly too impressive these days. That speed will drop down to nearly unbearable levels if you exceed 22GB of data within your billing period...
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If you listened to rap music in the early 1990s, you undoubtedly heard Flava Flav spit rhymes to "911 is a Joke," the song he is most famous for. However, it was no laughing matter when mobile phone users subscribed to AT&T's wireless service were unable to call 911 emergency dispatchers in more than a dozen states on Wednesday night. Service has since been restored, but given the seriousness of the situation, the FCC has opened an investigation into what went wrong. During the outage, law enforcement and emergency response officials were on social media warning people across the nation of the trouble AT&T was having. The outage lasted around five hours, with AT&T indicating at 10:30...
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It looks as though the unlimited data wars are extending to cars and trucks thanks to a partnership between AT&T and General Motors. AT&T, which was the last major U.S. wireless company to revitalize its unlimited data plan offering, is providing a $20 a month prepaid unlimited data plan for in-car use on Chevrolet vehicles. According to Chevrolet, its customers have been using the available OnStar 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot functionality in record numbers. Chevrolet says that its customers used 200 percent more LTE data in 2016 than they did in the previous year. “To put this data usage in perspective, Chevrolet owners and their passengers streamed the equivalent of more than 17.5 million...
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The unlimited data wars between America’s top four wireless carriers is getting even more heated. AT&T was the last wireless carrier to enter the fray earlier this month, and it by far had the most unattractive pricing and features when put head-to-head with the competition. Not only was its pricing not competitive, but AT&T didn’t provide tethering — something that Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint give unlimited data customers (in 10GB buckets per month). AT&T has finally wised up and has announced some adjustments to its unlimited data plans. Kicking things off is Unlimited Plus which gives customers unlimited talk, text, and data along with HD video streaming and 10GB of tethering...
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With three of the four major U.S. wireless carriers duking out amongst each other with regards to unlimited data plans during the past week, AT&T was left to watch from the sidelines. The second place wireless carrier currently offers unlimited data, but only to customers that sign up for its DirecTV packages, which instantly adds at least $50 to your monthly outlay. Well, AT&T today announced that it is dropping the DirecTV prerequisite and will extend unlimited data availability to all customers starting tomorrow, February 17th. While it’s nice to see that AT&T is finally getting with the program that unlimited data should be available to all of its customers, pricing still remains...
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Would you like unlimited data? If you are an AT&T customer, start searching for pennies in between the sofa cushions. The telecommunications company recently confirmed that it will be increasing the price of unlimited data legacy plans by $5. The public announcement followed email notifications to AT&T unlimited plan customers. A spokesperson for AT&T remarked, “Our Mobile Share Advantage plans and our AT&T Unlimited Plan provide several benefits that our legacy unlimited plan doesn’t. If you have a legacy unlimited data plan, you can keep it; however, beginning in March 2017, it will increase by $5 per month.” This comes after AT&T increased its unlimited data legacy plans...
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5G internet speeds are inching closer to reality in the United States. This week at CES, AT&T outlined a roadmap for the path towards a public introduction of 5G wireless technology to replace existing 4G infrastructure. AT&T has already experimented heavily with 5G in lab settings (speeds of up to 14Gbps have been achieved, with latency of just 3ms), but it is increasingly going out into the real world with field tests. AT&T will launch a 5G trial with Austin, Texas residents during the first half of 2017 to stream its DirecTV Now video service. The trial will comprise of a fixed 5G wireless connection, with select AT&T customers likely being given access to special hardware...
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Satellite TV provider DirecTV is in contract disputes with several local affiliates that has paying subscribers caught in the crossfire. Existing agreements to carry local TV stations in some areas expired in the wee hours of morning after ringing in 2017, and without new agreements or contract extensions in place, the AT&T-owned service flipped the switch on some local channels. Contract agreements between television stations and service providers happen all the time. Usually these take place entirely behind the scenes without the customer ever knowing it, though when there is a failure on both sides to hammer out a new contract and extend an existing one, the affected stations go dark and...
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Telecommunications corporations are under fire again. The Federal Communications Commission has accused Verizon and AT&T of violating net neutrality rules with their “zero-ratings” promotions. Jon Wilkins, the chief of wireless telecommunication for the FCC, sent a letter of complaint to both corporations. First off, what is “zero-rating”? Zero-rating is when mobile network operators (MNOs) and ISPs do not charge customers for data used by specific applications or internet services through their network, in limited or metered data plans. Verizon and AT&T introduced their own zero-rating services at the beginning of 2016. T-Mobile has touted its Binge On service since 2015. Wilkins...
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AT&T is leveraging its DirecTV acquisition to try and attract a growing number of cord cutters into the fold with a new streaming service called DirecTV Now. The service will target broadband subscribers who either have no bundled TV package or are otherwise looking to ditch their cable TV provider in favor of a less expensive streaming service. "This is rules-free TV for anyone in the U.S. who wants to stream shows and movies anytime, anywhere. For the more than 20 million U.S. households who have dropped cable or are flirting with cutting the cord, we’re now delivering video over a technology platform that will have multiple product capabilities, the first of which we’re unveiling today,"...
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Before too long it might be easier and quicker to list the things Amazon's digital assistant can't do rather than all the things it can. Case in point, Alexa just learned yet another trick, one of many of as of late. This newest trick, or "skill" as Amazon likes to call them, is the ability to transmit text messages. The caveat is that you have to be an AT&T subscriber to use the feature. AT&T is in full braggadocios mode at being the first and so far only wireless carrier to offer this skill. Using it, AT&T subscribers can summon Alexa to dutifully transcribe their voice message into a text message and fire it off from their mobile number to someone on their contacts list. "Amazon...
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At the start of 2017, AT&T will enable a new feature by default for customers using its “most popular plans” for mobile devices. Called Stream Saver, the feature will effectively cap all streaming video to your smartphone at 480p no matter the source. For those that still have plans with data caps, Stream Saver could be seen as a great way to enjoy the benefits of streaming videos on the go — albeit at lower resolutions — while not digging deeply into your month data allotment. And for those that would rather stream at the maximum resolution allowed by your device, you can always opt-out by logging in to your account using the AT&T website or through the myAT&T app. AT&T says...
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AT&T is looking for a way to entice customers to sign up for its new DirecTV Now streaming service, and according to a fresh report, you could receive a free media streamer if you sign your name on the dotted line. Information concerning AT&T’s promotions were accidentally revealed online, but the company wasn’t able to pull down the information before snooping eyes got a glimpse of what’s in store for consumers. According to the posted information, AT&T will offer customers that sign up for at least one month of DirecTV Now service a free Amazon Fire TV Stick (retail price $39). For those that agree to at least three months of service, you’ll walk away with a free Apple TV (retail...
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AT&T might still be basking in the glow of its much ballyhooed blockbuster deal to acquire Time Warner for $85 billion, but that is not why the company is the focus of attention today. While the Time Warner mashup has regulators and customers understandably worried, AT&T is being accused of even more dastardly deeds with its wireless and wireline phone businesses. AT&T has allegedly been running a secret program called Project Hemisphere, which has been effectively crawling through trillions of customer phone records, metadata and location information. While the Department of Justice has extolled the benefits of the program to help it combat the war on drugs, The Daily Beast reports...
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If you own an LTE smartphone, you might want to pay close attention. Wanqiao Zhang, a security researcher with Chinese firm Qihoo 360 has demonstrated a vulnerability that can compromises any 4G LTE network around the globe. The attack is so devastating that a hacker with enough resources has the ability to not only hijack your phone calls and text messages, but even track your location at any time. Zhang demonstrated the active vulnerability at the Ruxcon hacking conference, which was held in Melbourne, Australia over the weekend. Speaking at the conference, Zhang explained, “You can create a denial of service attack against cellphones by forcing phones into fake networks with no services.”...
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In the media world, consolidation is the new name of the game and AT&T is trying to win it by making major acquisitions. It already purchased satellite TV provider DirecTV for $49 billion last year, and now it will look to gain regulatory approval to buy Time Warner for around $85.4 billion. Should the deal go through, AT&T would become one of the biggest multi-faceted media giants around. Time Warner has been selling off bits and pieces of its business over the past decade, including Time Warner Cable, which Charter Communications acquired for $55 billion last year after a deal with Comcast was effectively derailed by the Federal Communications Commission over antitrust concerns. What...
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If you had to pay any overage fees to your carrier this year, you'll hopefully find some solace in the fact that you weren't alone. In fact, the amount of money the big carriers make from overages is staggering: $600 million. This information comes from a recent study conducted by NerdWallet, which doesn't just analyze the amount of money people are paying for their phone usage, but whether or not opting for a "protection plan" of sorts is even worth it. Both AT&T and Verizon offer plans that don't charge overages, but instead throttles the speed of the data after the limit has been reached. According to this study, because those plans have other buried surcharges and other fees, the end...
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