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With the official unveiling of its newest feature, Stream Saver, it appears that the second biggest wireless carrier in America is looking to allow its subscribers to reduce their data consumption by watching video content in 480p on mobile devices. Indeed, AT&T’s newest offering will be streaming most higher definition videos at standard quality on smartphones and tablet devices, with users having the option of activating or deactivating the feature anytime they want. The mobile operator is planning to roll out Stream Saver by early 2017.
As explained by David Christopher, the chief marketing officer of AT&T Entertainment Group, the overall objective is to give the wireless carrier’s subscribers some control in managing their data usage. AT&T has promised to notify its customers regarding the full availability details of the new feature soon, as well as specific instructions on how to activate or deactivate Stream Saver.
Looking into the functionality of AT&T’s Stream Saver, it is highly likely that some may be reminded of another service offered by a rival network, specifically T-Mobile’s Binge On. With the Binge On feature, mobile users get to watch video from a list of content providers without worrying about their monthly data allotments getting affected. But instead of zero rating the video content like what T-Mobile is doing with its Binge On service, AT&T has chosen to let the customer decide and manage his data usage himself.
According to AT&T, the Stream Saver feature will be made available on its most in demand mobile plans, including its GoPhone prepaid brand. But it bears noting that the wireless carrier will not require its subscribers to avail of more pricey plans in order to gain access to full resolution video content, unlike some other services that promise videos optimized for viewing on mobile devices.
It makes sense for AT&T to offer a way in which data consumption can be managed better, not only on the customer’s side, but also on the part of the service provider as well. Unchecked data usage often leads to network congestion, which only results to below par network performance and potential disgruntled subscribers. Of course, downgrading video quality can also risk the ire of users, but so far, T-Mobile’s Binge On feature has mostly been warmly received by customers everywhere. As revealed by Neville Ray, the chief technical officer of T-Mobile, less than 1 percent of subscribers have deactivated their Binge On service since the feature debuted a year ago. And in terms of network management, T-Mobile was able to decrease the total volume of data by 13 percent to 15 percent.
For more of AT&T’s services, you can browse other plans and phones from AT&T at Wirefly today.
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