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AT&T updates Unlimited Elite plan with 4K streaming, unlimited high-speed data

The new changes will come to existing customers automatically for no extra charge.

Eli Blumenthal Senior Editor
Eli Blumenthal is a senior editor at CNET with a particular focus on covering the latest in the ever-changing worlds of telecom, streaming and sports. He previously worked as a technology reporter at USA Today.
Expertise 5G, mobile networks, wireless carriers, phones, tablets, streaming devices, streaming platforms, mobile and console gaming,
Eli Blumenthal
2 min read
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AT&T is updating its high-end Unlimited Elite plan on Monday, upping the amount of mobile high-speed and hotspot data you can use while also allowing users to stream in 4K on their phones over 4G or 5G. 

With the new changes, the company says there is no longer a cap on how much wireless high-speed data you can use in a month. The previous Unlimited Elite plan allowed for 100 GB of high-speed data every month before you were at risk of having your data slowed if you were in an area where the network was "busy." 

The older Unlimited Elite plan also capped mobile video streams to HD resolution and allowed for 30GB of high-speed hotspot data. As mentioned, the new plan ups the mobile video streaming to allow for watching in 4K and now allows for 40GB per month of high-speed hotspot data. 

The new features will be automatically added to existing Unlimited Elite subscribers, with AT&T stressing that there will be no changes in monthly pricing. 

The switch will start going into effect on Wednesday, July 14. The company is not, however, making any adjustments to its other unlimited wireless plans, known as Unlimited Extra and Unlimited Starter. 

AT&T's Unlimited Elite upgrade comes amid increased competition between the major wireless carriers for premium unlimited subscribers. In February T-Mobile updated its top plan, now called Magenta Max, to allow for 4K video streaming and removed its high-speed data caps. The carrier also boosted the amount of high-speed mobile hotspot data it allowed to 40GB in a month. 

Verizon, for its part, has been leaning more heavily into adding additional perks to its plan. In May it announced that those with one of its Play More or Get More plans would be able to get a free year of Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass, depending on whether you have an iPhone or Android device. 

In addition to the Unlimited Elite upgrade, AT&T is also making some changes to its International Day Pass program for using your phone abroad. The carrier will now only charge you $10 a day for up to 10 days when using your phone internationally, capping the total it charges in a billing month to $100.

In other words, if you are on a two-week trip abroad, instead of paying $140 you'd now pay just $100.  Day Pass includes unlimited talk and text and uses data from your domestic AT&T plan.

One notable caveat: The carrier charges are based on your monthly billing cycle, not the actual calendar. So if your two-week trip consists of 10 days on your current billing cycle ends and four days when your next billing month begins, you'd be on the hook for the full $140.