After a series of improvements and additions to its postpaid plans, AT&T turns to its prepaid customers to up the ante on its GoPhone prepaid plans.
The second biggest wireless carrier in the United States announced on Tuesday that customers of its $45 and $60 GoPhone prepaid plans will receive 1.5 GB and 4 GB respectively of high-speed data beginning on Friday, Feb. 20. Previously, customers received 1 GB on the $45 plan and $2.5 GB on the $60 plan. Once customers max out on their data allocation, they can still continue to use data to connect to the Internet. However, the data will be throttled down to 128 Kbps for the remainder of the plan's 30-day period.
The plan includes unlimited calling and SMS to anywhere in the U.S. and unlimited SMS to Mexico, Canada, and more than 100 other countries. The $60 plan will also include unlimited calling to anywhere in Mexico. Previously, the company charged customers 1 cent per minute to call someone in Mexico.
"The unlimited calling to Mexico and extra high-speed data are just another way of appreciating your business," says AT&T spokesperson Judy Cavalieri in a statement.
AT&T has been increasingly gaining a steady foothold in the country, where last month the wireless carrier completed its acquisition of Iusacell, which covers 70 percent of the 120 million population of the growing market. Justifying its efforts to go to Mexico, AT&T said in January that Mexico is the most frequently called country by its customers in the U.S.
Carrier rivals Verizon and T-Mobile also offer packages for people who want to make frequent calls to Mexico. Verizon charges a monthly access fee of $5 and 1 cent per minute of landline and mobile calls, while T-Mobile charges $10 for unlimited landline calls to Mexico and $15 for unlimited landline and mobile calls.
Also introduced on Wednesday is a low-cost unlimited U.S-only calls, SMS, and unlimited calls to Mexico for $30 a month. The plan, however, does not include data, but customers have the option of adding a 100 MB package for $5. Customers who subscribe to AT&T's Daily Unlimited Talk and Text for $2 can also purchase the 100 MB package for $1.
Customers who subscribe to any of AT&T's GoPhone prepaid plans are not required to do anything to receive the upgrades. AT&T will automatically add the extra high-speed data and unlimited calls to Mexico upon the start of their next 30-day period.
