ATT Confirms Pricing Plans for iPad 2, iPhone 4 Hotspot

Though there are no surprises here, AT&T confirmed on Thursday its pricing plans for both the iPad 2 and for the just-added hotspot option for the iPhone 4.

AT&T also plans to sell the iPad 2 in its retail shops starting at 5 p.m. on Friday–the same time it will go on sale at Apple Stores and other outlets.

“We are thrilled to offer iPad 2 in our stores and give customers several easy ways to connect to the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network,” AT&T emerging devices unit head Glenn Lurie said in a statement.

Verizon has said it too plans to offer its version of the iPad in stores, starting on Friday. Also, contrary to some reports, the company said it has no plans to charge an activation fee for iPads running on its network.

Both AT&T and Verizon allow customers to sign-up directly from the device, with no contract or up-front fees, on a month-to-month basis.

AT&T’s pricing plans, as laid out by Mobilized last week, start at $14.99 for 250MB of data. A second option for $25 a month, gives users 2GB of data.

Overage charges vary depending on whether a user is billing his credit card directly (prepaid) or having AT&T send a bill (postpaid). For info on that, and a comparison with Verizon’s charges, check out the chart from last week.

Verizon’s iPad service starts at $20 for 1GB of service, with plans ranging all the way to $80 a month for 10GB of data.

As for the iPhone 4 hotspot feature, AT&T is charging the same rate it currently does for tethering on the iPhone, and for hotspot capabilities on Android phones. The company requires customers subscribe to its $25 data plan and then charges $20 extra, which includes 2GB of additional data. Data use beyond that is billed at $10 per gigabyte.