WirelessED Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by © Consumer Action 2011 Learning About Wireless Services

Wireless Service Devices that use wireless service: phones, PDAs, tablets, other electronics Service types: voice, text and data – Voice is measured in minutes of talk time – Data is measured in “bytes” 1,024 kilobytes=1 megabyte 1,024 megabytes=1 gigabyte What activities use data? WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action 20112

How much data does it take…? 1.To watch one minute of a YouTube video? a.800 KB b.100 MB c.2 MB 2.To upload a photo to your Facebook page? a.7 MB b.500 KB c.1 GB WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action 20113

Data Estimates for Common Smartphone Activities Activity/FunctionData UsedActivity/FunctionData used Send/receive 1 text-only 20 KB Stream 1 minute of music 500 KB Send/receive 1 photo 350 KB Stream 1 minute of standard-quality video 2 MB Send/receive 1 w/doc attachment 300 KB Download 1 app, game or song 4 MB View 1 Web page180 KB Upload/download 1 file to/from social media 500 KB Based on the data calculator from AT&T Mobility. Actual data used per activity can vary significantly. WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action 20114

Estimating Your Service Needs Important to estimate service needs accurately! Calculating voice, text and data service needs – Past bills – Carrier and third-party tools – Phone tracking function Why data requirements vary for same activity: quality, device type and network speed WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action 20115

Wireless Service Plans I Contract plan – requires one- to two-year commitment – a monthly service allowance (buckets) for a set price – typically better rates for voice and data – may include free night/weekend minutes, free minutes to certain phones, and rollover minutes Prepaid – no contract, no credit check, no early termination fee – May have higher per-unit rates (though not always) no free minutes, and service not used expires – no unexpectedly high bill WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action 20116

Wireless Service Plans II Unlimited – best for heavy users – may not be most economical choice for lighter users Tiered service – allowances (buckets) to use during billing cycle – higher per-unit rates on “overages” – best for consistent users (little fluctuation month to month) Per-use – In some cases could have higher rates; sensible only for very limited use WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action 20117

Wireless Service Plans III Individual – single-line account Family – two or more lines on the same account – allowances can be shared – Calls, and sometimes texts, between family members may be free (depending on carrier) – parental controls available to limit children’s usage and activities WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action 20118

Wireless Service Plans IV Local – Smallest region; not widely available Regional – Metro area, state, or group of states – Roaming charges applied for use outside the region Nationwide – no long distance charges anywhere in continental U.S. – may include Canada, Mexico or other non-continental U.S. areas Long-distance and International Calling – lower rates for calling or texting numbers outside the area or in other countries International roaming – Lower rates for calling, texting or using data while outside the U.S. WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action 20119

Additional Costs Activation fee Overage charges Taxes and surcharges Daily access fee s (prepaid service) Early termination fee (if customer terminates service before the end of the contract term) Long distance (only on local and regional plans) Roaming (only on local and regional plans) WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

International Roaming What is international roaming and why do you need to know about it? International roaming service plans Minimizing data usage while roaming Lower-cost options when traveling – Internet calling – Prepaid calling card used from landline – Local SIM card – Wi-Fi WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

ACTIVITY: Navigate Your Service Statement Refer to the sample wireless statement to answer the questions. WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

Food for Thought U.S. wireless consumers used more than 2.3 trillion minutes in the 12 months ending June 2010 (or 6.3 billion per day). During the same period, more than 1.8 trillion text messages were sent and received (or 4.9 billion per day). More than 89% of the handsets operating on wireless carriers’ networks are capable of browsing the Web. As of May 2010, more than 240,000 applications (“apps”) were available from 7 stores on 7 different platforms. Approximately one-third of children ages 13 to 17 said that it was “absolutely essential/very important” or “important” to have the latest and greatest cell phone for their purposes. Source: CTIA, wireless telecommunications industry association WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

Choosing a Carrier Coverage/reception GSM vs CDMA Plan options, features, cost Phone selection Customer service What else you should know about choosing a carrier WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

Choosing a Wireless Device What makes smartphones so smart? Assessing your phone needs (design, features, performance, price) Where to buy your phone (carrier, non-carrier retail, online, used) What else you should know about buying and owning a wireless device WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

Monitoring and Managing Usage Avoid overages! How to monitor and manage usage: – Carrier tools – Built-in handset/OS tools – Apps and widgets – Parental controls WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

Reducing Your Wireless Costs Choose the right plan Voice service: Know your minutes Keep text messages short Budget for apps Set parental controls Use Wi-Fi Consider prepaid service (no overages!) WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

ACTIVITY: Case Studies Use what you’ve learned so far today to determine what choices the consumers in the scenarios should make now, or should have made before. Give tips that will help the consumer manage their usage and reduce or avoid additional charges. WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

Wireless Privacy and Security Threats to your wireless privacy Tips/tools for better privacy and security Protecting the personal info on your phone Protecting your service records If your phone is lost or stolen Cell phone fraud WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

Congratulations! You’ve completed the Wireless Services training! Visit us at WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action

About Consumer Action Consumer Action empowers low to moderate income and limited-English-speaking consumers nationwide to financially prosper through education and advocacy. Call us: / Consumer Assistance Hotline: Assistance (English, Spanish and Chinese spoken) WirelessED: Created by Consumer Action. Sponsored by AT&T © Consumer Action