Just a couple of months ago, Apple ruthlessly rejected the NetShare tethering application for the iPhone hours after its release, and got everyone suspecting that perhaps they were already working on a tethering plan of their own.

However, despite all that, neither Apple, not AT&T made any confirmation of a tethering plan. But then again, why would they deny an application that users had already expressed interest in, if not to eliminate unwanted competition?

A month later, Steve Jobs supposedly responded to an e-mail sent by a user, agreeing that there should be a tethering plan in place. “We are discussing it with AT&T,” Jobs allegedly wrote.

Another month went by, and it was AT&T’s turn to speak about such a plan. During the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, AT&T CEO Ralph De La Vega said in an interview with Michael Arrington that there is indeed a tethering plan in the making, and that it will be deployed soon.

This is good news for all those users out there who’ve been asking for a tethering application and only got jail-break alternatives. These alternatives violate AT&T’s terms, but the fact that some users risk it, means a tethering plan is indeed wanted.

Furthermore, it looks like a logical move from AT&T, considering that the carrier allows tethering options for other devices for $30 monthly fee. “It seems ludicrous that the same thing is not offered with the iPhone,” one user wrote at one point.

However, the question on everyone’s lips right now is how much will AT&T charge for the service, since they are unlikely to keep the monthly fee at $30.