It’d seem unusual (if it’s even possible) for AT&T to maintain a comprehensive database of IMEIs that are outside its sphere of influence, so we’re thinking that this could be as simple as a situation where the carrier’s last known record of the user’s phone was a subsidized smartphone, but regardless, this is a pretty big deal — for many users it means paying $30 instead of $15 for unlimited data, all the while paying significantly more for the handset upfront (at a savings to AT&T, no less). We’re going to follow up with AT&T to figure out what’s what here, but in the meanwhile, watch out for that email and / or text message of doom, folks. Follow the break for the full text of AT&T’s communique.
Update: AT&T tells us that this policy has been in place since last September; folks who haven’t changed phones since then are still grandfathered. Unsurprisingly, the company says that users with unlocked phones are more likely to be heavy data users, and that “the unlimited data plan protects them from sticker-shock bills.” In other words, this policy is here to stay, which means one very, very important reason for buying unsubsidized has been taken away.
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