How AT&T Data Plans Work (and How to Make Them Stop Working)

by excessive|offnetwork

Some time around the end of last year, AT&T Wireless started automatically attaching "Smartphone Personal" data packages to any subscriber line using a smartphone.

These mandatory add-ons allow for unlimited mobile data use for $30 per month.  If you are like me, you have two questions about this policy.

First, what is a smartphone anyway?  AT&T maintains a database of the IMEIs (serial numbers) of all the phones they sell, as well as some popular phones they don't sell, like the Google Nexus One.  A phone must be in the AT&T database and classified as "smart" before a data package will be automatically attached.

If I put my SIM card in, for example, an AT&T branded Nokia E71x, the network will log the IMEI of that phone and automatically attach the required $30 data plan to my account.

This happens before I use a single packet of data, simply because I allowed a phone on AT&T's list to register with a cell tower.

On the other foot, if I put my SIM card in an unbranded E71, which is essentially the same device, no data plan will automatically attach to my account because that phone's IMEI is not in the database.  This means that I am required to pay an extra $30 per month for the pleasure of using my E71x, even if I don't use any data at all.

Meanwhile, the guy sitting next to me at the coffee shop with an unbranded E71 and $10 MEdia Net Unlimited has just tethered his phone to his laptop and downloaded 68 gigabytes of Justin Beiber videos like a total jerk.

The short answer to question one is that a smartphone is whatever AT&T says it is.

This is America.

I simply do not accept this type of arbitrary policy, and I refuse to pay for it.  AT&T obviously has an interest in charging users an additional fee for using extra data and putting a greater strain on their network, but this system is analogous to a gas station charging more per gallon for gas it pumps into sports cars than gas than gas it pumps into minivans.

Question two obviously becomes, "How can I get out of my required data plan?"  One easy answer is to just say no to free Motorola Backflips, knowing that they will end up costing you in the long run; but that's not any fun, so let's try something else.

Every service that AT&T provides has something called a Service Order Code (or SOC, like what's between your shoe and your foot), which is a unique identifier that allows features to be accurately added or removed from an account.

For example, if you want your phone to say "Off Network" when you are roaming, you can ask customer care to add the SOC "4EON" to your account.

Some SOCs require a higher access level than others.  If you want the Smartphone Personal data package that I hate so much, any representative that has access to your account can add "DPPB" for you.  If, however, you would like 350 extra minutes per month for free, you will need someone who wears a suit to work to sign off on the infamous "BM350" (a pretty neat SOC that most reps don't think exists at all).

The feature we care about is called a "smartphone data exclusion," and it can be added by a floor manager in customer care with the "SMRTEXCL" SOC.

A customer care manager is not the only person who can add the feature, but is probably the easiest path to success.  This feature prevents the system from automatically changing the data plan on an account, regardless of what device you are using.

Once the exclusion is added to your line, you can add pay-per-use data and avoid the extra fee or, like the aforementioned jerk, add MEdia Net Unlimited and watch kitty cam all day, or whatever it is people do with unlimited data.

Be warned that accidentally using 100 GB of data in a month may get your account flagged for excessive data use, and you will suddenly be fancy-dancing your way out of service cancellation.

As a final note, most people would refer to the process outlined here as "social engineering," but I've avoided the phrase because I think that it implies exploitation.

Obviously the point of this exercise is to exploit the AT&T account management system for the purpose of gaining value, but that can be accomplished without tricking people or treating them like garbage.  AT&T is a faceless machine that would kill you without thinking twice, but customer service representatives are real people and generally seem willing to help.

Lies and coercion are unnecessary in addition to being unethical.  The next time you call 611 looking for discounts or bonus features, remember that you will catch more BM350s with honey than vinegar.

Happy hacking.