AT&T CEO says 5G phone plans can be tiered and priced based on data rates

We are still several years away from the 5G, and cover the US in coverage and deliver on all the promises of breakneck speeds and low latency we've heard of. But eventually, AT & T CEO Randall Stephenson assumes a change in the way mobile operators are pricing their plans today. During today's AT&T earnings call, Randall Stephenson said 5G may be more accurately modeled after broadband internet at home, with different rates for different speed levels. With LTE data plans, you usually pay a price for the best performance the network can offer.

"I will be very surprised that when we enter wireless, the price controls on wireless do not look like the pricing regime you see in a fixed line," Stephenson said. "If you can offer a gaming speed, there are some customers who are willing to pay a prize of 500 me to a gaming speed, and so on. So I expect that to be the case. We are two to three years away from seeing the play out. "

AT & T's actual 5G network ̵[ads1]1; not the carrier's misleading 5G E nonsense – currently lives in 19 markets in the United States, but the only device that can benefit from 5G is a mobile hotspot. Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G will eventually make its way to AT&T after a period of exclusivity at Verizon Wireless. And a new Samsung branded device, capable of utilizing "both 5G mmWave and sub-6GHz" network technology, will be released in the second half of this year.

So far, AT & T has not announced prices for 5G mobile plans. But as Stephenson suggested, I think you can expect status quo unlimited plans during childhood. Verizon charges an additional $ 10 for 5G access, currently only available on Motorola's 5G Moto Mod unit, but has so far depreciated from speed levels. However, when coverage begins to spread significantly, these companies can dramatically change how we've come to think about mobile plans.