Business Users Beware, AT&T GoPhone Unlimited Data Offer Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be

A new unlimited data plan from AT&T (NYSE:T) recently announced for the carrier’s GoPhone customers may have small business owners excited. But the new option comes with some serious constraints.

Details Behind the GoPhone Unlimited Data Offer

The unlimited data plan costs $60 per month. However, AT&T caps subscribers’ speeds at 3Mbps and a maximum of 1.5Mbps for 480p video streaming. This basically means that you won’t be able to stream HD video.

Moreover, you should expect slower speeds once you exceed 22GB of data for the month. “AT&T will temporarily slow data on a line during a plan cycle after 22GB of usage during periods of network congestion,” the company says in announcing the service.

The “unlimited plan” also comes with unlimited texting and call time, but there is no mention of tethering inclusion.

The upside of this plan, however, is that if you are traveling to Canada or Mexico, you can use you data to send texts and make calls in and between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. without worrying about additional charges.

Is the GoPhone Unlimited Data Plan Right For Your Small Business?

The unlimited data plan is ideal if you are looking to “surf the web, keeping up with your friends on social and stream standard definition (about 480p) video.” But it is not exactly a good deal for businesses that use more than 22GB of data every month. The plan’s limitations are just going to slow down your business.

AT&T, however, adds that customers who don’t need unlimited data should try out their 6GB AT&T GoPhone plan that goes for $40 a month after AutoPay. You also get unlimited talk, text and data usage. But similar to the unlimited plan, speeds are reduced to an unusable 128Kbps once you exhaust the 6GB data.

You can learn more about AT&T GoPhone’s monthly rate plans at att.com/GoPhone.

Image: ATT Wireless

This article, "Business Users Beware, AT&T GoPhone Unlimited Data Offer Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be" was first published on Small Business Trends