We’ve known AT&T’s had shared data plans in the works for a healthy amount of time, as the GSM carrier let the cat out of the bag many seasons ago. And while Ralph de la Vega hasn’t hid his company’s aspirations from view, the network hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about when the party is going to get started. If the above and below screenshots are any indication, however, AT&T has already added support for group data into Telegence, the internal system employees use to manage customer accounts.

According to the memo seen above, Telegence has been tweaked to include a new group-level data feature node “in preparation for the launch of Shared Data.” This verbiage seems to suggest the new plans are coming in the very near future, but the communication is quick to point out that the launch date has yet to be determined. Unfortunately, since the new adjustments aren’t functional just yet, it could simply mean the company’s beginning the first wave of crucial internal testing. Regardless, its presence in AT&T’s systems is a great step forward, and a welcome one that’s been a long time coming. The question is, will the new plans arrive before Verizon can push its version out to the masses?

[Thanks, anonymous]