AT&T Drops Price of Shared Plans to $130 a Month for 10GB

AT&T may have just started a new price war among wireless carriers by cutting the cost of its shared plans. The plans now start at $130 for two people to share 10GB of data along with unlimited talk and text, with extra lines costing another $15 each.

By comparison, the same two-person plan on Verizon Wireless costs $180, or $50 more. The difference grows as you add more lines, since Verizon charges $40 for each additional smartphone, so a four-line plan with 10GB of shared data costs $260 a month; on AT&T, it would cost $160.

Sprint offers a similar package with its "Framily" plans, although the comparison isn't perfect, since Sprint limits each line to 1GB of data. A four-line shared plan on Sprint, however, would include unlimited talk and text and costs $160 a month.

T-Mobile isn't a perfect comparison, either; the carrier also places data limits on individual lines in a shared plan. The cost of four lines, each with 2.5GB of data (for a total of 10GB), would cost $140 per month. However, users can upgrade to "unlimited" data for individual lines; the cost for unlimited on all four would be $180 a month (although large data use can lead to slower speeds due to throttling). T-Mobile's plans also include low-cost international roaming.

AT&T says the new rates apply to both new and existing customers. In addition, the carrier is giving a $100 credit to customers who add a new line, whether it's a smartphone, tablet, modem, feature phone or home line. That offer lasts through the end of March.

The competition for wireless customers has grown increasingly fierce

The competition for wireless customers has grown increasingly fierce in the past year, particularly since T-Mobile has begun to chip away at the dominance of AT&T and Verizon with new kinds of "contract-free" plans and populist marketing. Verizon is clearly the primary target of AT&T's move — the carrier is even name-checked in the company's press release.

Representatives for Verizon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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