AT&T confirms it’s killing unlimited data for hotspot jailbreakers

Drink up your free AT&T tethering while you can, jailbreakers. AT&T has got you in its sights.

The carrier confirmed today that it will soon begin killing unlimited-data plans for users who hack their iPhones and use unauthorized tethering or hotspot apps. The new rules also apply to users of Android and other smartphones who hack their way to free tethering access.

“Earlier this year, we began sending letters, emails, and text messages to a small number of smartphone customers who use their devices for tethering but aren’t on our required tethering plan,” the company wrote in its statement to the press. “Our goal here is fairness for all of our customers.”

We reported back in March that AT&T had begun warning unauthorized tethering users that their unlimited plans would be revoked, but today marks the first time the company has declared it’s moving in that direction.

AT&T offered three choices to users in its statement:

1. Stop tethering and keep the current plan (including grandfathered unlimited plans),
2. Contact AT&T and move to the required tethering plan, or
3. Do nothing and AT&T will go ahead and add the tethering plan.

Users who continue to use unauthorized tethering apps will be moved over to AT&T’s DataPro 4 gigabyte tethering plan, which costs $45 a month.

Basically, if you’re a jailbroken-iPhone user and cherish your unlimited AT&T plan — and you should, as truly unlimited plans are a rare thing in the mobile world these days — you should consider giving up on free tethering apps. The company also confirmed last week that it would begin throttling data speeds for heavy unlimited users.