AT&T Eyes The Data Hogs As A New Revenue Source

With about 3% of smart-phone customers driving 40% of data traffic, AT&T is considering incentives to keep those subscribers from hampering the experience for everyone else, he [Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility] said. “You can rest assured that we’re very sure we can address it in a way that’s consistent with net-neutrality and FCC regulations.”

Many customers don’t know how much bandwidth they’re consuming, Mr. de la Vega added. When AT&T conducted a broadband test, customers often reduced their data use. Longer-term, he said, a pricing scheme based on usage is likely, though it will be determined by industry competition and regulatory guidelines.

via blogs.wsj.com

I bet that data hogs — currently 3% consuming 40% — are growing like a power law, so that soon we will have 2% consuming 50%, and the top 10% accounting for 90% and so on. This will be a function of disproportionate connectedness, as the smartphone maniacs use immersive reality, geolocational apps, and constant streaming of live video.