AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) confirmed it will stop offering its "A-List" unlimited calling feature to new customers in favor of its "Mobile to Any Mobile" feature, bringing the A-List feature to a halt after nearly two years.
"With automatic addition at no-cost of AT&T's Mobile to Any Mobile offer for our wireless customers with an unlimited messaging plan, AT&T A-List is being discontinued for new users," the carrier said in a statement. "Existing A-List users are not affected. We have seen a very enthusiastic response to the value of Mobile to Any Mobile, which lets users with an unlimited messaging plan call any mobile number in America, regardless of the wireless provider."
The news was first reported by the blog Engadget.
AT&T introduced A-List in September 2009 to compete with Verizon Wireless' (NYSE:VZ) "Friends and Family" and T-Mobile USA's "MyFaves" offerings. The A-List plan allowed subscribers to make unlimited calls to and from five domestic numbers at no additional cost. AT&T also said families could place unlimited calls to up to 10 numbers through its "FamilyTalk" plan.
Then, in February, AT&T took a page out of Sprint Nextel's (NYSE:S) playbook with its "Mobile to Any Mobile" option of unlimited calling to any mobile number at any time--if customers signed up for an unlimited messaging plan as well. Sprint has been offering its own unlimited mobile calling plan, called "Any Mobile, Anytime," since September 2009.
The Mobile to Any Mobile feature is available to new and existing AT&T customers with a qualifying voice plan who subscribe to unlimited messaging plans. Unlimited messaging costs $20 per month on an individual plan and $30 on a FamilyTalk plan, which supports up to five lines. In August, AT&T altered its messaging plans to essentially include only unlimited messaging options for subscribers.
For more:
- see this Engadget post
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