AT&T talks iPhone 3G pricing

Dawn Kawamoto | Jul 02, 2008

AT&T reaffirmed pricing for the iPhone 3G on Tuesday, noting that eligible customers can snag the new smart phone for a discount: US$199 with an 8GB flash drive and US$299 for 16GB. Note that this is in the US, for those in Asia eyeballing the pricing.

AT&T will begin offering Apple's iPhone 3G at its retail stores beginning July 11 at 8am US time. AT&T is the exclusive iPhone carrier in the US.

Under the plan, the discounted price will be available to customers who have purchased any iPhone before July 11, who are activating a new customer line with AT&T, or who were eligible for an upgrade discount at the time of purchase. (Eligibility for an upgrade discount, the carrier said, is generally determined by amount of time remaining on a current contract and the payment history.)

To be eligible, customers must also sign a two-year contract. Apple had revealed the US$199 and US$299 pricing for the iPhone 3G at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Those who are not eligible for an upgrade discount can buy the iPhone 3G for US$399 for the 8GB model or US$499 for the 16GB version. Both require a two-year contract as well.

Customers who purchase the phone without a contract will pay US$599 for the 8GB version or US$699 for the 16GB model.

The phones will come with the iPhone 2.0 software preloaded on the devices, which includes such business-class email through Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and the iPhone Software Development Kit for creating customized applications. AT&T will also offer its Yellowpages.com Mobile for iPhone on the devices.

There will be an activation fee of either US$18 for existing customers eligible for an upgrade, or US$36 for new customers.

AT&T is requiring customers to activate their phones in the stores, as the carrier looks to reduce the number of customers who may try to unlock, or hack, the phones to run on other carriers' networks.

AT&T is launching four voice and unlimited data plans for the iPhone 3G.

The AT&T Nation Unlimited plan will include unlimited anytime minutes for US$129.99 a month, while the AT&T Nation 450 plan includes 450 anytime minutes and 5,000 night and weekend minutes for US$69.99 a month.

The carrier is also offering its Nation 1350 plan, which includes 1,350 anytime minutes for US$109.99 a month, and Nation 900 plan that includes 900 anytime minutes for US$89.99 per month. Both of these plans include unlimited night and weekend minutes.

And for folks who engage in tons of text messaging, AT&T is charging US$5 for every 200 text messages; US$15 for every 1,500 messages; and US$20 for unlimited text messages.

For more details on the device, see Crave's iPhone 3G FAQ.

Via CNET Crave

Filed under: Mobile Phones
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