AT&T breaks out big subsidies for 3G

US operator AT&T is hoping to stir some demand in the 3G market as well as push its bundled offerings by heavily subsidising devices.

On Tuesday the operator began offering up to $200 in mail-in rebates to customers who bought a 3G handset and bundled it with one of the providers ADSL broadband services.

Handsets available under the offer are the Samsung SYNC, which is available for free after the subsidy and requires a two year contract on a voice plan of $39.99 or greater; the LG CU500, also available for free with a similar voice plan; and the Samsung BlackJack, available for $99.99 after rebate.

The offer is also available to existing AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet Pro or Elite service, or FastAccess Ultra or Xtreme 6.0 subscribers.

AT&T/Cingular had around 282,000 3G subscribers as of the end of 2006 and is adding a round 20,000 new 3G customers a month.