AT&T Mobility unveils iPhone plans

AT&T Mobility unveiled price plans exclusively for the much-hyped Apple Inc. iPhone, which will be unleashed on the world later this week. (Perhaps showing who wears the pants in this relationship, the price plans are currently only shown on Apple’s site.) The plans include both individual and family plans as well as an option for existing customers looking to upgrade to the iPhone.
All plans include unlimited data using the carrier’s EDGE/GPRS network, 200 text messages, the phone’s visual voicemail feature, AT&T Mobility’s Rollover feature and unlimited on-network calling. Individual plans start at $60 per month for 450 anytime calling minutes and 5,000 night and weekend calling minutes; ratcheting up to $80 for 900 anytime minutes and unlimited night and weekend minutes; and finally to $220 per month for 6,000 anytime minutes and unlimited night and weekend calling.
Family plans begin at $80 per month for one line and 700 shareable minutes, ranging up to $310 per month for 6,000 shareable minutes. Each additional line on a family plan costs $30 per month. Each line also includes unlimited data and 200 text messages.
The pricing is a $20 increase from the price of its regular plans-similar to adding the carrier’s $20 MEdia Max 200 plan for regular phones, but undercuts the $40 charge AT&T Mobility charges for its PDA Personal Max bundle for smartphones that includes unlimited data.
The existing customer option allows the addition of unlimited data and 200 text messages for $20 per month, 1,500 text messages for $30 per month or $40 per month for unlimited text messages in addition to the customer’s current voice plan. Existing customers will also have to sign a new two-year contract.
All users also must pay at one-time $36 activation fee, plus the cost of the phone itself: either $500 or $600, depending on the amount of memory.
AT&T Mobility and Apple also announced that customers can activate the device at home using Apple’s iTunes’ software. The iPhone also will sync with iTunes in much the same manner that an iPod is updated, according to the two companies.
The iPhone goes on sale at 6 p.m. Friday.