Sponsors Will Now Foot The Bill For *Some Of Your Mobile Data

We've all gotten used to sponsored Wi-Fi in public places. Paying for it in a mall, park or even a subway now seems almost unthinkable. Could mobile data be next? Yesterday at CES in Las Vegas, AT&T launched Sponsored Data, which looks to take this trend one step further.

The gist behind the new program is that if you're an AT&T consumer, you shouldn't have to pay for data charges associated with promoted content. The sponsor will foot the data bill when you agree to do specific mobile actions like....

- try a new smartphone or tablet app.

- watch movie trailers or play games.

- watch wellness videos from healthcare providers.

- browse mobile shopping sites.

The combination of mobile hungry advertisers and budget conscious consumers makes this a win-win say execs. Among the first sponsors to join the program is UnitedHealth Group, which according to the New York Times will use the program to stream educational videos to mobile devices.

“Customers love mobile content. Whether it’s shopping, banking, entertainment or personal wellness, mobile content is increasingly available for customers almost anywhere and anytime. And that’s what makes this a win-win for customers and businesses – customers just look for the Sponsored Data icon and they know the data related to that particular application or video is provided as a part of their monthly service,” says Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility.

More info here.