Ads Could Soon Lead to Lower Cell Phone Bills

Would you be willing to watch an ad on your cell phone before sending a text or making a phone call in exchange for a lower monthly bill? The CEO of AT&T thinks you would and the company is strongly considering making it a reality.

According to CNN Business, AT&T Ceo John Stankey believes a five to ten dollar savings off a monthly cell phone bill would be enough to cause some customers to switch to such a plan. AT&T would, obviously, recoup the loss of money from your bank account with the ad sales.

This isn't a new idea. Sprint and Virgin Mobile have tried it, unsuccessfully, in the past. AT&T thinks they would have a better outcome because they say they'd be able to hit you with ads that are better targeted.

Personally, I don't see it. Even if the discount is $10 a month, that still only equates to about 33 centers per day. There's no way I'm sitting through a commercial on my phone before I send a text or make a phone call for that small of savings. I think you've got to be both very patient and very frugal to like this idea, but maybe I'm wrong. Reuters reports Stankey told them the new AT&T plans could be available in "a year or two."