AT&T Allows FaceTime for Limited Data Users. What About Unlimited?

AT&T said that it would allow more of its iPhone customers to use Apple’s videoconferencing app, FaceTime, over its cellular network. But customers with unlimited data plans are still left out.

AT&T published a blog post that said it was letting customers with its tiered, limited data plans use FaceTime over the network. Previously, it had reserved this privilege for customers who subscribed to its newer shared data plans. What about people who have unlimited data plans that they signed up for while they were still being offered? A few months ago, AT&T said it anticipated opening the service to those on “other billing plans in the near future,” which would imply unlimited data customers. But on Jan 16, the company wasn’t firm about that prospect, saying it was still assessing the impact that FaceTime has on its network. Nonprofit groups have threatened to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission against AT&T for limiting how FaceTime can be used over its network. They claim that it is a violation of the FCC’s network neutrality rules, which say that mobile providers may not block applications that compete with the provider’s voice or video telephony services.