AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) is launching a promotion that will give customers a $100 discount on a tablet if they sign a two-year contract for data services.
The move comes several months after AT&T decided to discontinue offering tablets at subsidized prices in exchange for signing a contract. AT&T did not say when the promotion will end, but it presumably will last through the holiday shopping season. AT&T Mobility President and CEO Ralph de la Vega said on the company's third-quarter earnings conference call in October that the carrier anticipates a higher number of net subscriber additions from tablets in the fourth quarter.
AT&T's tablet plans include 250 MB for $15, 3 GB for $30 and 5 GB for $50. Further, on AT&T's Mobile Share shared data plans, which require at least one smartphone, tablets can be added for an extra $10 per month.
Carriers have been experimenting with different tablet price plans to spur more adoption. Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) in October began quietly offering a financing plan for postpaid customers who want to purchase a cellular-capable tablet. The financing plan dovetails with Verizon's newly introduced Share Everything shared data plans, which also let customers pay $10 per month to attach a tablet to those plans.
First disclosed in a report from research firm Current Analysis, Verizon's financing plan applies to any tablet costing $349.99 or more--that includes Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad and Android tablets from Samsung and Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Motorola Mobility. To obtain the financing, customers must pay a $35 activation fee and a $30 finance charge (and pass a credit check).
For more:
- see this release
- see this The Verge article
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