If you are an iPhone owner on a pay-as-you-go data plan, the end is near: AT&T has announced that the iPhone OS 3.0 upgrade will terminate your data service. The reason: A "technical change." Update from AT&T.
This the message that that some prepaid users got:
AT&T Free MSG: A new software upgrade for iPhone will be available on 6/17. This upgrade may affect your data service. Please visit att.com/iphone or call 800-901-9878 for a representative. If you download the software and are not on an approved iPhone data plan, your data service will be interrupted.
Meanwhile, Erica at TUAW has called AT&T and confirmed that they want pay-as-you-go users to move to a full data plan. According to the technician: "Based on your plan [official iPhone GoPhone plan], you will not receive the same quality service on your GoPhone plan, even with the same equipment. This is a technical change on AT&T's end on how we service that data plan."
Update: Apparently, Erica was misinformed, according to our contact at AT&T. This is not a change in policy at all, and the pay-as-you-go data plans were really never approved for iPhone.
• If you are a Pick Your Plan Customer with the required unlimited Data Plan for iPhone, you should not experience any interruption in your data service due to downloading the iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update which will be available on June 17.
• If you are a Pick Your Plan Customer who does not currently have the required unlimited Data Plan for iPhone, you will experience an interruption in your data service. To avoid this interruption, you should call 866-499-7888 to have the required Data Plan for iPhone added to your service.
• Pay As You Go rate plans are not approved for AT&T iPhone customers. Customers currently using an iPhone with a Pay As You Go rate plan should call 800-901-9878 so they can move to an approved rate plan with the required unlimited Data Plan for iPhone.
Still, a new unlock is in order. [TUAW]