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It wasn’t even three weeks ago when Verizon announced that it was raising text messaging rates. Not to be outdone or undersold, AT&T is right behind ‘em, raising their SMS rates to 20 cents. So, like Verizon subscribers, AT&Ters will do well to purchase a text messaging plan, which is exactly what they want you to do. Oh, and they’ll be raising MMS to 30 cents a message, which just excites and over-joys me.

The change takes place on March 30, 2008, so there’s still time to nab a bundle if you don’t already have one. Or you could take the radical route and try to get out of your contract. Text messaging rates does represent a material change to the terms and conditions, and if you don’t back down, the company will likely relieve you from your contract early termination fee-free.

I’ve seen it mentioned elsewhere and tend to agree that this is a bit ridiculous. They’re clearly aiming to get people onto texting bundles. I mean, check out their release about the increase:

AT&T will increase the price on the Messaging (Text/IM & Picture/Video) Pay Per Use (PPU) features for new and existing customers on March 30, 2008. While the price increase impacts the Pay Per Use customers who tend to be light messaging users, our customers who have purchased messaging packages or MEdia Bundles will not be impacted.

So what do they plan to do once they get more people onto texting bundles? Why, raise the bundle rate. Or at least that’s what I see happening. Then again, predicting a price increase is usually an easy bet.

[Engadget Mobile]

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