T-Mobile, one of our favorite operators due to the pricing structure of the plans they offer and their ability to not screw up devices with additional preloaded software, is rumored to be modifying their 200 MB per month data plan. Until now users who were subscribed to T-Mobile’s data packages have enjoyed high speed data at whatever bucket they opted to pay for (200 MB, 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB), and then once said monthly cap was hit speeds would be throttled back to 2G levels. You could then consume as much data as you wanted to at said lower speeds. We’re huge fans of that because some data is better than no data at all. According to TmoNews, starting on August 14th those who want to use the 200 MB data plan will be charged $0.10 for each additional megabyte, with a maximum overage charge of $30 if you’re on a classic plan or $35 if you’re on those new value plans. We can’t say we’re surprised at the change, more and more people are using data after all, but we’re a little disappointed. If you’re already on the 200 MB/month data plan then this change isn’t going to affect you. If you’re looking to sign up to T-Mobile, then do it now, or opt for the slightly more expensive 2 GB plan.
What we’re curious about is how everyone currently on T-Mobile is going to be migrated over to AT&T’s billing system come Spring 2012. Like we’ve said numerous times in the past, we’re fairly sure that AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile will be approved because that’s simply how Washington works. Are all of the current plans going to be maintained or will true unlimited data, even if it’s throttled, be a thing of the past? Yes, there’s Sprint and Virgin Mobile, but will they survive for long once the reign of America’s new wireless duopoly begins?