AT&T Confirms Move to A “Variable Pricing Model”

A few months ago I wrote an article showing how AT&T was going to move to a pay-per-byte model on its 3G plans. Recently, AT&T CEO Randall L. Stephenson confirmed this move in an interview for the WSJ.

He said that AT&T is carrying half of the nation’s wireless data traffic. He said that carriers will eventually move to a “variable pricing model,” and that it was inevitable that heavy users should pay more than low users.

I think it’s a big move that makes sense for both AT&T and its users. Of course, these new “variable pricing models” will start with the iPad which offers 250MB plan at $15/month and an unlimited plan at $30. It’s just a way to get us used to it.

What do you think? Do you welcome this move to introduce various plans depending on your data consumption?