In late August, AT&T is introducing Mobile Share plans that let subscribers connect up to ten devices to a pooled data plan. Phones that are connected get unlimited calling and texting, and a set amount of data allowance is shared among the devices. Here's a brief look at prices and a breakdown of which plans are best suited to various types of users. The base cost of a Mobile Share plan is for a monthly data allowance and one smartphone with unlimited calling and texting: — 1 gigabyte $85 (each additional smartphone: $45) — 4 gigabytes $110 (each additional smartphone: $40) — 6 gigabytes $125 (each additional smartphone: $35) — 10 gigabytes $150 (each additional smartphone: $30) — 15 gigabytes $190 (each additional smartphone: $30) — 20 gigabytes $230 (each additional smartphone: $30) Subscribers can then add smartphones at the price above. They can also add: — Basic, non-smartphones for $30 each — Laptops or laptop modems for $20 each — Tablets and gaming devices for $10 each The devices all share the same "bucket" of gigabytes. ___ Here's how the Mobile Share plan stacks up against some current AT&T plans. — The Connected Single: One smartphone with unlimited calling and texting. Current Nation single-line plan with 3 gigabytes of data: $120 per month Mobile Share with 4 gigabytes of data: $110 per month Winner: Mobile Share. It's cheaper, and you get more data. Not many people need unlimited calling, though. — The Frugal but Connected Single: The cheapest plans for that one-smartphone guy or gal. Current Nation plan: $60 for one smartphone with 450 minutes of calling, pay-per-use text messaging and 300 gigabytes of data. Mobile Share: $85 for one smartphone with unlimited calling, unlimited messages and 1 gigabyte of data Winner: Nation plan. It's cheaper, but you get less, too. Continued... |