AT&T Will No Longer Throttle High-speed Data On Unlimited Elite Plan

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The VergeThe Verge logo.AT&T removes high-speed data throttling from its most expensive unlimited planComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...

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AT&T removes high-speed data throttling from its most expensive unlimited plan

Plus 4K streaming and more hotspot data at no extra cost

Plus 4K streaming and more hotspot data at no extra cost

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Jul 12, 2021, 7:43 PM UTC

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is a senior reviewer with over a decade of experience writing about consumer tech. She has a special interest in mobile photography and telecom. Previously, she worked at DPReview.

AT&T is adding a few more benefits to its $85-per-month top-tier unlimited plan at no added cost. Unlimited Elite subscribers will now truly have access to unlimited high-speed data and will no longer be subject to deprioritization after hitting 100GB of data per month. Customers will also get a bump from 30GB of monthly hotspot data up to 40GB as well as up to 4K video streaming — boosted from a maximum of 1080p. The new plan features will be added automatically for all current subscribers starting this week.

If this all sounds familiar, that’s because T-Mobile did more or less the same thing earlier this year. In fact, AT&T’s Unlimited Elite now matches T-Mobile’s Magenta Max nearly feature-by-feature. Both start at $85 per line (including autopay discounts) and include the same 40GB hotspot data, 4K streaming, and (actually) unlimited high-speed data plan features. AT&T includes HBO Max on its plan whereas T-Mobile offers Netflix, but otherwise, they’re broadly similar. The “Un-carrier” T-Mobile is looking an awful lot like a regular carrier these days.

Most unlimited phone plans include data deprioritization in the fine print, meaning after a certain threshold of monthly data is reached, your account is subject to slowdowns when the network is busy. In this case, T-Mobile’s move to do away with this practice for its highest-paying customers appears to have put pressure on its competitors to do the same. There’s just the slight issue of providing high-speed 5G data that’s worth getting excited about, which AT&T has struggled to do over the past couple of years, but things will likely improve in the near future. Until then, it’s your move, Verizon.

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