AT&T Bailing Out of U-Verse

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I'm wondering when our computers will be directly connected to the satellite like a satellite phone.


They can be but there's every reason not to be.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
when att uverse enforced its bandwidth caps i fired them

BTW, if you have both Uverse Internet and Uverse TV, then there are no caps.


Not for much longer. I just picked up ATT for internet (Don't watch TV much)-I found nearly all the plans they tried to offer me had data caps. Was really annoyed when I found that they lied about how much data was included in the plan.......

The plans themselves change again soon....and only the few tops ones will have that benefit. Scary part is some of the lower plans are going to cap at like 500GB or even less....

Between them and Comcast, I'm expecting the consumer to get the red rear here in the near future. And you would think the cost would start heading down.......nope!

 

[CKN]

The discussion about "Data Caps" comes up because there are some real "Data Hogs" out there. So-either the rest of us can pay for the "data hogs" or there can be structured tiers.

For those of us who do not not download dozens of movies-spend untold hours playing games, etc., we could very well see a reduction in rates.

It's my experience those who are concerned about "data caps" are the ones who do all the above.....and more.

500GB is more than enough for my household.

 

[sleddriver]

UPDATE:
My ADSL promotion of $19.95/mo for "elite" speed of 6mb/s (LOL) expired this month. Therefore it shot up to the 'standard' rate of $54/mo....for the same 6mb/s speed.

After talking to several loyality reps, the best deal I could get was $34/mo @ 6mb/s. When asked why so expensive, I was told ATT is phasing of ADSL service by 2020 and pushing everyone to u-verse internet. $30/mo @ 18mb/s...at least for the first year. Then it would default to the standard rate of $45 or more/mo. whatever it will be then.

As the original article noted, ATT is now pushing all of their u-verse TV customers over to DTV to free up uverse internet BW.

Supposedly, goog-fiber is close by and will be sucking users off due to high speeds at very low rates...at least initially.

Re: landline phone. ATT wants me to ditch that as well. Go with VOIP on uverse internet, get a digital phone (which I don't have). Not sure what the call quality will be, however they've had 10yrs or so to get that fixed. One benefit is that I could use that large call screening service to put a stop to all the #$%^! junk spam calls I receive.

Another benefit that wasn't explained to me until today, is that the taxes/fees I would pay would also greatly drop by "elevating" from landline phone to VOIP. Namely, 41% of the discounted /mo. landline rate to about 10% roughly!!! Geeze......

This negotiation this time around was much more frustrating giving the higher rates which vary depending upon what call center you happen to hit, the reduced discounts avail. and the normal confusion resulting from one rep telling you one thing while another corrects them. Then offers you another option the previous one didn't. ?????

Go figure that........

I don't like the deal. They didn't want to elevate me to a supervisor either. Past experience has shown they offer the best rates. I'll call back in two months and see what's changed. It always does.

ATT is RAATs

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Originally Posted By: nthach
AT&T wants to see all residential copper dead. They're still maintaining their copper(Tx carriers) and fiber for business and of course their cellular network needs the fiber backhaul to connect it to the PSTN(but that will also go the way of the dodo, VoLTE is more or less VoIP).


You do realize that "killing copper" is being pushed by the Fiber To The Home Council.

Our CO-OP started working on this back in 2006, and now in 2016 all members will be on fiber internet(and new copper for phone service)

I cannot imagine having at&t as a phone/internet provider. When I think of at&t, I think of "long lines" "corporate users" and data centers.. Not a local phone company!

I have no data caps!!!

 

[DuckRyder]

U-Verse telephone quality is fine...

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
U-Verse telephone quality is fine...


It's just voice over IP. I've seen stable VoIP working on anything from 1.5 Mbit/sec ADSL to 70 Mbit/sec cable internet. They of course recommend higher internet speeds for higher reliability.

 

[Subdued]

Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: JustinH
ATT is lousy. We had DirecTV, we were in our last month of contract they would not re-negotiate the rate.

We cancelled. Time warner just gave me 300 dollars to switch.

I would never deal with Data caps.

When I first moved to the area, we had UVERSE. The pixelation was terrible.

My new house, in the year 2016, in one of the fastest growing cities in Texas, UVERSE can only offer me a 7MB connection.

Time warner gave me a 300MB connection that has been rock solid. Also when we had tornados last year I was ticked that the DirecTV would go out when a drop of rain rolled over the house.



And when your promotional period runs out with Time Warner you will be in the same situation.

Not really.

At least around here TWC plays ball to get you on their current promotions. I've done it 3 times now.

Sure it's annoying to call every year, but DTV doesn't play ball at all.

 

[mk378]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
UPDATE: Go with VOIP on uverse internet, get a digital phone (which I don't have).


You don't need a new phone to use VOIP. You would connect your existing network of analog phones to a VOIP box instead of having them connected to a conventional copper line that leaves the house.

Usually the VOIP box function is integral to the cable or DSL modem that the company supplies.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: mk378
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
UPDATE: Go with VOIP on uverse internet, get a digital phone (which I don't have).

You don't need a new phone to use VOIP. You would connect your existing network of analog phones to a VOIP box instead of having them connected to a conventional copper line that leaves the house.

Usually the VOIP box function is integral to the cable or DSL modem that the company supplies.


Correct. And if you don't wish to purchase your VOIP service through your Internet provider, you can do it yourself pretty easily with an Obihai or other device and a service with a connection provider such as Anveo. Heck you can do it for free with the device and Google Voice (but without 911 or CNAM).

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: mk378
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
UPDATE: Go with VOIP on uverse internet, get a digital phone (which I don't have).


You don't need a new phone to use VOIP. You would connect your existing network of analog phones to a VOIP box instead of having them connected to a conventional copper line that leaves the house.

Usually the VOIP box function is integral to the cable or DSL modem that the company supplies.

I've seen it on all-in-one equipment, but I've never had that in my own home. I have a separate cable modem and DSL box from a different provider. My folks have U-Verse (and there are the phone connections on their equipment), but have a separate VoIP service and equipment.

 

[JustinH]

Yep, I was in the same boat with Spectrum once my promo rate ran out.

Decided to dump cable and Spectrum phone, I was rewarded by a full retail rate on internet. $59 per month plus tax.

Only 2 tiers available, 100MB and 300MB.

Ordered a refurbished OOMA device on amazon, have really liked their phone service. Use it all the time, with a cheap cordless phone, no problems $4.50 per month.

For TV I watch sling, antenna, and amazon prime app on roku. Too much TV than I ever need.

 

[sleddriver]

I've read of OOMA (digital phone, right?). Do you keep your same phone number? If so, how long does it take to xnsfr over? I'm currently using a very old Siemens deskphone that is no longer supported. Bought it in 2000 or so. I have one wireless Uniden phone that's lousy. Time to update these.

Going to u-verse 'net w/o phone would save me roughly $30/mo. However, ATT would charge me more for 'net service w/o phone. They're puzzled I'm an OTA user! They want me on u-verse TV as well, yet that's going away according to the article. I have a relative on uverse/all: cell/net/tv/landline. Bill is > $250/mo. That's just nuts....to me.

Dealing with ATT is so frustrating. Difficult to find a loyality rep who will give it to you straight. They remind me of a new car dealer who wants to "pack" options you don't want (paint sealant: $800, etc.)onto the bill then tell you they can't be removed. Yeah...they can. The on again/off again "wiring warranty" of $6/mo. is a case-in-point. Particularly since I rewired my own house a few years back with CAT5 wire + jacks and punched a block. Finally got them to replace the 30yr old weather-beaten copper between the pole and my demarc box.

 

[kschachn]

Ooma is just another form of "private" VOIP you do yourself rather than getting it from your Internet provider. You still need an Internet connection mind you. Ooma sells both the interface devices and the service, others just sell devices and/or service.

You port your number to the provider and that is pretty much instantaneous. Be aware though that doing so generally terminates any existing agreement you may have with your current provider. So for example if you have a contract with your current provider (such as a 1-year agreement with AT&T) and you port your number to another provider, that terminates your existing agreement with AT&T and you might be liable for any early termination fees. It can get dicey if your current phone service is bundled with Internet and or cable since terminating the phone portion of your service may terminate everything.

Also you can't just change your phone number with your existing provider and then expect to have the new provider pick it up out of the "pool". It has to be ported for you to ensure you keep that number.

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
I've read of OOMA (digital phone, right?). Do you keep your same phone number? If so, how long does it take to xnsfr over? I'm currently using a very old Siemens deskphone that is no longer supported. Bought it in 2000 or so. I have one wireless Uniden phone that's lousy. Time to update these.

Going to u-verse 'net w/o phone would save me roughly $30/mo. However, ATT would charge me more for 'net service w/o phone. They're puzzled I'm an OTA user! They want me on u-verse TV as well, yet that's going away according to the article. I have a relative on uverse/all: cell/net/tv/landline. Bill is > $250/mo. That's just nuts....to me.

Dealing with ATT is so frustrating. Difficult to find a loyality rep who will give it to you straight. They remind me of a new car dealer who wants to "pack" options you don't want (paint sealant: $800, etc.)onto the bill then tell you they can't be removed. Yeah...they can. The on again/off again "wiring warranty" of $6/mo. is a case-in-point. Particularly since I rewired my own house a few years back with CAT5 wire + jacks and punched a block. Finally got them to replace the 30yr old weather-beaten copper between the pole and my demarc box.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
You port your number to the provider and that is pretty much instantaneous. Be aware though that doing so generally terminates any existing agreement you may have with your current provider. So for example if you have a contract with your current provider (such as a 1-year agreement with AT&T) and you port your number to another provider, that terminates your existing agreement with AT&T and you might be liable for any early termination fees. It can get dicey if your current phone service is bundled with Internet and or cable since terminating the phone portion of your service may terminate everything.

My parents did that. It was also quite an experience for a few weeks since they lost their home phone service.

They were set up with traditional ADSL from Earthlink, which I helped them set up. As soon as they signed up for the VoIP (with a port of their existing phone number) AT&T disconnected their phone line, and Earthlink cancelled their ADSL service since there was no phone line to connect to. We ended up making a bunch of calls. Earthlink suggested that perhaps they could get a "dry line" without phone service, but AT&T said they couldn't do it unless it was for their own ADSL service. Eventually they settled on U-Verse internet-only, and could run VoIP through that.

 

[mk378]

"Dry" DSL only service should be easy to get. Often the line also carries an analog dial tone, but like an inactive cell phone, you can only use it to call 911.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: mk378
"Dry" DSL only service should be easy to get. Often the line also carries an analog dial tone, but like an inactive cell phone, you can only use it to call 911.

I didn't buy that they couldn't do it, but they said they wouldn't for whatever reason.

When we got VoIP at our own house, of course the previous phone line was inactive. However, we still have an old Western Electric dial phone connected to the line. When I pick it up I can still hear static but no dial tone. So it's still connected to power at least, although I'm guessing the connection is in my neighborhood and not at the switching office.

 

[JustinH]

Copper is dying through the whole country.

The big telcos are dumping their copper onto smaller companies.

We like OOMA because it was simple to setup, and it offered 911 capability.

We did not port any numbers in it, just had it assign us a new number. We have never had a home phone before. I'm glad I got it because cell coverage is spotty in my house sometimes.

The voice quality is much better than even my iphone 6 on verizon.

Unlimited calling for "free" plus taxes. So I pay $4.60 per month for unlimited calling.

Have not had one problem in a year, it works well.

The ooma device you purchase is like a little ATA device, with an answering machine on it. I plug it into a $10 walmart VTECH cordless telephone and it is great.

 

[sleddriver]

All good info guys! Thanks for chiming in with suggestions & your experience.

I have yet to get a cell phone (

) I know...I know. Might be a good idea to go that route first, before changing my home land-line. It would be very handy at times, especially if I frequently traveled for instance. There are many more options available currently than ever before, which is great for customers.

 

[supton]

If you don't have a cell yet you could look into pre-pays. If you don't like, toss when you're done and do something different. I've done that, albeit I've kept with it. I'm a very light phone user so Tracfone has worked good enough for me, $6/month; but wife uses PagePlus.