• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Tech

Why AT&T Added a Big Video Discount to Its Unlimited Plan

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 27, 2017, 10:37 AM ET
Earns AT&T
In this Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012, photo, an AT&T logo is displayed on an AT&T Wireless retail store front, in Philadelphia. The flow of customers into AT&T's wireless stores slowed further in the latest quarter, putting the company far behind rival Verizon Wireless. AT&T Inc. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012, said it added a net 151,000 new customers on contract-based plans from July through September, the lowest number for that period since at least 2003. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)Photograph by Matt Rourke — AP

AT&T put its multifaceted video entertainment strategy to work on Monday to aid its wireless business. While rivals have started to offer unlimited data plans at rock bottom prices—a recent Sprint promotion charges just $90 for four lines—AT&T’s counter punch was about putting wireless and video offers together.

Glenn Lurie, president of AT&T’s Mobility and Consumer Operations, explained to Fortune that the response is aimed to play to AT&T’s strengths—strengths he says competitors can’t match.

AT&T had the most expensive unlimited offer, starting at $100 for a single line. So on Monday, the company cut the price modestly to $90. But it also added a $25 month discount for unlimited customers, who also subscribe to one of its three pay-TV offerings: the DirecTV satellite service, the U-Verse cable service, or the DirecTV Now online streaming service.

Competitors don’t have anywhere close to AT&T’s more that 25 million wired and satellite video subscribers and don’t have their own Internet video cable-like video streaming service either.

“We’re about integration,” Lurie says in an interview, sitting in a conference room above AT&T’s sprawling booth at the Mobile World Congress, the telecom industry’s big annual trade show in Barcelona.

Calling the $25 price cut for dual subscribers “a “very healthy discount,” he points out that a customer can now get both AT&T’s unlimited phone plan and the basic level of the DirecTV Now online video service for a total of just $100 a month. Before the price cut and promotion, that combo would have cost $135 a month.

“You’re getting a whole bunch of goodies,” he says. “We’re the only ones who can do that. That’s what’s fantastic about the offer and it’s obviously incredibly competitive with the rest of the industry.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Bundling is an age-old strategy to convince customers not to defect to competitors but it hasn’t always worked in the telecom business, where typical bundle discounts are only $5 or $10. But AT&T’s data shows that a wireless customer who also takes a video service is “exponentially” less likely to defect and adding third service, such as home Internet magnifies the impact to the same degree again, Lurie says.

For most of the past year, AT&T only offered its unlimited data plan to customers of its DirecTV and U-verse video services, but without a discount. Verizon’s (VZ) decision two weeks ago to finally offer an unlimited plan—after Sprint and T-Mobile had successfully pitched their low-cost unlimited plans for months—forced AT&T’s hand. The Dallas-based carrier last week lifted the video requirement and allowed any wireless customer to opt for unlimited data.

But the open unlimited plan didn’t play to AT&T’s bundling strengths, so the company tweaked the offering, Lurie says. “We’re going to continue to stay focused on delivering that full integrated value,” he says.

That also means AT&T (T) still won’t get fully involved in the price war that Sprint and T-Mobile have led in 2017. “We’re not going to chase every knee jerk offer—we don’t have to,” Lurie says. “There are competitors in the market place that that’s their only option. Their only option is to go compete on price and mobility. That’s all they have.”

Absent the occasional temporary promotion, Sprint’s (S) unlimited plan starts at $60 per line and goes up to $150 for four lines. The carrier started a limited promotion recently, offering five lines for only $90 per month for the first 12 months. T-Mobile’s unlimited plan starts at $70 and goes up to $160 for four lines. Last month, T-Mobile (TMUS) also stopped adding surcharges and taxes as additional fees, effectively cutting its unlimited price by another 10% or more. And then on Monday, T-Mobile said customers could get three unlimited lines for $100, up from two lines under its previous deals.

Away from the pricing wars, Lurie is looking forward to robust smartphone sales later this year, as both Apple (AAPL) and Samsung are rumored to have appealing new models in the works. Samsung on Sunday said it would unveil its Galaxy S8 smartphone on March 29. Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone, with a rumored edge-to-edge display and wireless charging feature, is expected later in the fall.

“I think there’s a lot of really cool innovation coming in the hardware,” he says. “You have the rumor mill around what Samsung’s doing, you have an anniversary around what Apple’s doing. Other people have rumors around what they’re going to do. I actually think its pretty darn exciting.”

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

murdochs
CommentaryMedia
OpenAI paid $100 million for a talk show. James Murdoch is eyeing an even bigger deal. The hot new asset class is humanity
By Lin CherryMay 17, 2026
6 hours ago
dennis
CommentaryAI agents
Freshworks CEO: why agile enterprises are winning the AI race — and what they did differently
By Dennis WoodsideMay 17, 2026
6 hours ago
A man with a headset sits at a desk in a call center.
EconomyAutomation
The AI boom hasn’t stopped U.S. companies from hiring cheap offshore labor, and overseas call center employment is still skyrocketing
By Sasha RogelbergMay 17, 2026
7 hours ago
Zillow CEO doubles down on remote-work model: ‘There is talent everywhere in this country’
Workplace Cultureremote work
Zillow CEO doubles down on remote-work model: ‘There is talent everywhere in this country’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 17, 2026
7 hours ago
Stressed job seeker
SuccessGen Z
Gen Z is right about the job hunt—it really is worse than it was for millennials, with nearly 60% of fresh-faced grads frozen out of the workforce
By Emma BurleighMay 17, 2026
7 hours ago
A 45,000-person labor strike at Samsung’s memory chip plants could throw a wrench into the AI boom
EconomySamsung
A 45,000-person labor strike at Samsung’s memory chip plants could throw a wrench into the AI boom
By Catherina GioinoMay 17, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
21 hours ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
Oil markets could be a month away from the moment of truth. Brace for a 'non-linear' price spike and panic buying, analysts warn
Energy
Oil markets could be a month away from the moment of truth. Brace for a 'non-linear' price spike and panic buying, analysts warn
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
23 hours ago
Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
Future of Work
Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.