Instead of seeing separate charges on your phone bill for data and voice, the services might soon be wrapped up into one data-service plan. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said Friday that cell plans could be data-only within the next 24 months, so separate voice and text messaging charges could be absorbed.

“I’ll be surprised if, in the next 24 months, we don’t see people in the market place with data-only plans,” Stephenson said at an investor conference in New York. “I just think that’s inevitable.”

He didn’t say AT&T had such plans in the works, but the technology is there, and so is a new pattern of use by smartphone owners. Mobile minutes are down for AT&T, yet texting and messaging apps continue to flourish. And, services like Skype and other VOIP clients make it easier to place calls on a mobile device using the data service. –Mashable