AT&T Inc. is abandoning unlimited-pricing plans for new wireless subscribers to email and Internet services on smartphones, kicking off an important and long-awaited shift in how carriers bill their customers. View Full Image AFP/Getty Images AT&T is abandoning unlimited-pricing plans for new wireless subscribers to email and Internet services on smartphones. The change, which takes effect next week for new AT&T customers, could mean lower rates for typical customers but higher costs for heavy data consumers. Current AT&T smartphone customers, however, can opt to keep their existing plans indefinitely, even if they switch phones, AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said.With the move, AT&T's second price cut for wireless plans in six months, the company appears to be trading a hit to short-term revenue for greater control of its network and more power to price accordingly as wireless-data usage grows.Journal Community “This is why Apple should not have made the iPad usable on only one wireless carrier.[Read more...]