AT&T Confirms Data Plan Requirement

AT&T has confirmed that starting Sept. 6 it will mandate that customers using a smartphone will have to subscribe to a data plan. That means no more using your iPhone just for making calls while appearing techno-savvy. AT&T said the vast majority of its smartphone customers already have data plans for email, mobile Web access and using applications. But it wants to bring the holdouts along to increase customer satisfaction by [making decisions for the consumer] and by not having to worry about fluctuating phone bills. It also happens to fit with the wireless carrier's goal of boosting revenue by increasing mobile data usage.