AT&T rolls out iPhone plans for business customers

As rumored, AT&T on Monday quietly rolled out iPhone plans for business customers, marking the first time it has authorized use of the Apple handset with discounted corporate wireless accounts.

To use iPhone as a business customer, users will need to sign up for a 2-year service agreement or a renewed 2-year service agreement if they're an existing AT&T wireless customer, the carrier said.

New Corporate Responsibility Users and other corporate-liable users (CRUs) must then activate an eligible voice service plan for iPhone and an Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone.

Meanwhile, existing CRUs with iPhone-eligible voice service can keep their current corporately-discounted voice plan, but must tack on one of AT&T's Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone, which will replace any existing data plan.

Enterprise Data Plans are essentially offered at a $25 premium to those offered to residential customers, starting at $45 for unlimited data and 200 SMS messages, and scaling up to $65 for the plan that includes both unlimited data and SMS messages.

For a limited time, however, AT&T is offering a rolling $25 monthly discount for certain Qualified Corporate Responsibility Users and other corporate-liable customers, which brings the cost of the data plans back inline with the residential data plans.

Those who qualify for the offer must activate an Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone by March 31, 2008 in order to receive the service credit in the amount of $25 per month through December 31, 2008.

"To receive the recurring monthly credit, qualified users must maintain and be active on both an Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone and an eligible voice service plan at the time each such credit is applied or the credit will be forfeited," the carrier said. "It may take up to two billing cycles after activation for the first monthly credit to appear on qualified invoices. Offer not available to Individual Responsibility Users."

iPhone activation for business account holders appears to follow the same process as activation for residential users, requiring only a computer running iTunes with internet access.