Report: AT&T mulls cheaper iPhone data plans

AT&T Mobility is considering cutting the price of its monthly data plan for Apple's iPhone or offering a range lower-priced plans, according to a BusinessWeek report.

The report, citing unnamed sources familiar with the decision, said that one plan could be put in place as early as later this month, and would include a $10 per month reduction in the cost of the $70 per month plan. Speculation that AT&T was planning such a move first surfaced last week when Cote Collaborative analyst Michael Cote said there was a "strong possibility" that AT&T would cut the price of the data plan.

Additionally, the BusinessWeek report suggested that the possible price cut was part of a broader series of negotiations between AT&T and Apple about whether the carrier will continue to have exclusive U.S. rights to the smartphone. Speculation also has mounted that Apple will release a new version of the iPhone this summer and that the two companies are looking to clear out inventory of the iPhone 3G, introduced last July, in advance of the new launch.

For more:
- see this BusinessWeek article [1]

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