If you plan to obtain cell phones for all your employees, you should check out AT&T wireless phone plans. Allow your employees to stay in touch with each other and clients with an ideal plan for your company. Whether or not you already have phones for you and your employees, learning the AT&T wireless phone plans basics is crucial before making a commitment to any plan. Find your business cell phone needs and obtain the AT&T phone service that is best for your company.

AT&T com wireless offers several solutions so that every business professional's needs are met with a plan. Consider the following types of plans for you and your employees:

1. Obtain an individual plan for your AT&T phone.

2. Consider a prepaid phone plan from ATT wireless.

3. Buy a data plan if your phone allows you to connect to the Internet.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase an individual plan for your ATT wireless phone

If you are just buying a phone plan for yourself, or perhaps only a few employees, an individual plan might be best. If you go this route, there are many options, such as rollover minutes where you can use your leftover minutes the next month, free mobile-to-mobile calling, no roaming or long distance fees, and unlimited talk time on nights and weekends. Find the plan that offers just the right amount of minutes for you.

I recommend: Decide how many minutes you will need from AT&T. Consider which plan to get for your phone from Wirefly.

Buy a prepaid plan from AT&T.com wireless

If you want to have more control over your employees' talk time and your cell phone bill, think about purchasing a prepaid plan. Simply pay for a certain amount of minutes that you think employees will use. If they use it up during the month, you can decide whether to pay for more minutes or let them pay for more talk time. AT&T offers two options for prepaid plans right now. In Pay As You Go, you purchase your minutes ahead of time and can keep your rollover minutes. If you choose Pick Your Plan, you can choose a plan for a set amount of money, and mix and match what services you want that price to include.

I recommend: Decide between the Pay As You Go option on MyRatePlan.com and Pick Your Plan.

Consider AT&T cell plans that include data usage

If the phone you have chosen allows you to go online or send email, you will need a data plan. The plan you choose often depends on your phone's abilities, so take those into consideration when selecting a plan.

I recommend: Pick your plan based on your phone type at the AT&T website. If you plan to buy an Apple iPhone 3G, check out the data plans available at AppleInsider before making a decision.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider your employees' cell phone habits before purchasing any ATT wireless plans for them. If they tend to talk a lot, you should either purchase a prepaid plan to curb large bills, or you can increase their amount of minutes so that you do not get charged overage fees. If they rarely use cell phones, do not waste money on plans with massive amounts of minutes.

AT&T has taken the wireless phone world by storm with its acquisition of Cellular One, making AT&T Wireless the world's largest provider of wireless phone services. Add this easy access to all of AT&T Wireless' plans through AT&T.com Wireless, and you have a comprehensive tool at your fingertips.

The AT&T wireless phone service has grown to the point where it can sign exclusive contracts with cellular phone companies for some of the most desirable phones on the market. AT&T Wireless also offers a large array of cell phone plans to fit any budget.

So, what make AT&T Wireless Phone Plans so desirable?

1. The AT&T wireless phone service is the exclusive provider of Apple's iPhone.
2. The AT&T wireless network is the largest in the country, providing service in areas other wireless providers don't reach.
3. You can save by bundling AT&T phone service with an AT&T wireless phone plan.
4. You can modify or change your plan online using the AT&T.com wireless website.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find the AT&T cell plan that's right for you

AT&T cell phone plans can be modified to fit your usage and budget.

I recommend: Estimate your cell phone usage, and then choose a plan that fits your calling habits by going to an AT&T dealer or shopping online. You can get pretty good deals and AT&T cell plans online by going to the AT&T website, or possibly save some money on your phone by shopping at Wirefly, Let's Talk or A-1 Wireless.

Bundle your wireless plan

AT&T offers discounts to customers who bundle their wireless phones service with other products.

I recommend: Take a look at your land line phone bill, cable television bill and wireless bill to see if you can benefit from getting all of these services from one provider. The AT&T website offers tons of options, or you can bundle your services through White Fence.

Consider a pay-as-you-go plan

AT&T offers a wireless plan where you pay in advance for wireless service. This is good for those on a limited budget or with poor credit or for companies wanting more control over wireless charges.

I recommend: AT&T's Go Phone wireless plan is available from various dealers in addition to AT&T, including MyRatePlan.com, CellPhoneSavings.com and Calling Mart.

Purchase from an AT&T retailer

In addition to online dealers, there are AT&T stores, where you can purchase your AT&T wireless plan.

I recommend: You can get the location of the AT&T store closest to you by entering your zip code or address on this web page or go to your nearest Radio Shack store.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't under estimate the minutes included in your plan. Going over your allowed minutes can result in higher phone bills.
• •  Even though AT&T wireless blankets the country, you could end up with roaming charges if you hit a spot where there's no service. This can happen anywhere, even in certain rooms of your house.
• •  AT&T's broadband service, especially for Internet access, is among the worst in the nation. If this is what you need, consider a provider with faster EVDO broadband service.

If you are considering purchasing AT&T wireless phone plans for your employees, you will likely develop a budget first. Make sure you stay within this budget by checking out the pricing and costs of AT&T wireless phone plans before signing up for a particular service. Once you know the average costs, you can assess your needs and pick a plan that works for your company.

A simple look at the ATT wireless website, along with a few other cell phone plan sites, can give you an idea of what you can expect to pay. Before committing to any plan from AT&T com wireless, check out the typical costs of each type of plan:

1. Decide whether you will use the data plan before paying the price monthly.

2. Save some money with a prepaid plan for the ATT wireless phone.

3. Check out prices on individual plans from AT&T.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Make sure you can use the AT&T phone service you sign up for, such as the data plan

f the phones you buy for your company allow Internet or email, you will probably want to purchase a data plan so that you can take advantage of these features. However, if you never actually use the service, you can end up wasting your money every month on such plans. Depending on your phone, you will typically pay about $35 per month for a data plan. If you also have a voice plan, it costs about $30 per month to add a data plan to it.

I recommend: According to CNET, if you have the iPhone, your data plan will cost about $30 per month or about $45 if you have a voice plan as well. You can also add tethering to your laptop to any plan for about $30 per month. Learn how at Smart Device Central.

Check out prepaid ATT wireless plans

If you want to limit how much your monthly cell phone bill will be, or that of your employees, you can purchase a prepaid plan. The AT&T Pay As You Go plan allows you to choose between two plan types based on usage. The 25 cent per minute plan is best for those who only plan to talk for about 5 minutes per day. The unlimited talk plan is best for those who use their phone more often, as it charges $1 per day you use your phone, as well as 10 cents per minute. You can also choose to Pick Your Plan, in which you pay $30 to $70 depending on how many minutes you need.

I recommend: The Pay As You Go plan charges anywhere from 10 cents per minute to 25 cents per minute depending on which one you pick. Refill your minutes at myminutes.com. Use Pick Your Plan at AT&T and pay about $30 per month for 200 minutes, or go all out and pay $60 per month for 650 minutes.

Consider individual AT&T cell plans

If you are only purchasing service for yourself or a few employees, an individual plan is often best. You can expect to pay anywhere from $40 per month to $80 for a certain number of minutes. If you think you will talk a lot, consider unlimited minutes for about $100 per month.

I recommend: AT&T provides options for people who use the phone often and for those who rarely use it. Check them out at Onestopwirelesshop.com. You can also view a listing of plan prices at Foncentral.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you have not purchased your phone yet, be sure to check out plan costs with each type of phone. Some plans are phone-specific and can cost more money with a certain phone.

AT&T has one of the largest wireless phone networks in the world. It is also one of the most popular providers in the United States. AT&T offers cell phone plans for business and personal use. Some AT&T cell phone plans are tailored specifically for professionals. If you choose AT&T as your businesses cell phone provider, it's important to understand basic AT&T wireless phone plans key terms. With a little knowledge and basic understanding of industry jargon, you are sure to be able to choose the right plan for your business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Contract

Unless you purchase your phones outright, AT&T will require you to sign a contract. Contracts usually last for two years per phone. A contract has terms and conditions that need to be followed as conditions for use.

I recommend: Learn about contract specifications at AT&T.

Rollover

A company named Cingular was the pioneer behind the concept of rollover minutes, and when the company became AT&T, the practice remained. Rollover minutes are unused minutes that can transfer from month to month.

I recommend: Learn more about Rollover minutes at 1800 Mobiles.

Media Net

Media Net is included in most AT&T rollover plans. It is an Internet home page that is used with AT&T wireless plans.

I recommend: Visit Phone Magazine for more information about Media Net.

Mobile to mobile

Many wireless phone carriers offer free mobile-to-mobile minutes. The term mobile to mobile refers to a call that takes place between two customers of the same cell phone provider. Mobile-to-mobile calls are free with AT&T wireless phone plans.

I recommend: Mobile Burn offers insight into mobile-to-mobile minutes and other types of minutes that are used on a cell phone plan.

Family plan

A family plan is a wireless plan that is made especially for families. It allows every member of the family to share minutes and pay one bill.

I recommend: For more information about family plans, check out CNET.

Bundling

Bundling services is popular with many wireless providers, but for AT&T bundling usually means wireless services and Internet services. Bundling services can save money, and it can be convenient to have both services on one bill. In some areas, AT&T bundling can include home phone services, cell phone services and Internet services.

I recommend: Learn more about bundling services at AT&T Bundled Services.