We knew it was coming: Verizon joins rival AT&T and kills off its unlimited data plans.
Verizon CEO Fran Shammo told Reuters today that the carrier’s unlimited data plans are no more. Verizon will introduce its new pricing strategy this summer, which will now be based on tiered packages – bad news for data hogs.
Shammo says the network will beging to offer family plans for its data coverage. “We had individual minutes for individual users. Then we eventually got to what we call family share where everyone in the family shares the same minutes. I think it’s safe to assume that at some point you are going to have mega-plans (for data) and people are going to share that mega-plan based on the number of devices within their family. That’s just a logical progression,” he says. Shammo didn’t give a timeline for when these “mega-plans” might be introduced, but implementing the success of shared family minute plans into how it covers data is an idea most carriers may soon adopt. Smartphones are clearly becoming the handset of choice, and data plans can be the most obnoxious part of owning them. Creating a catch-all system for households
Verizon is following in AT&T’s footsteps, capping its data-heavy users by eliminating the unlimited plans. AT&T did the same after its all-you-can-eat data packages were being monopolized by only a fraction of its users. Shammo didn’t reveal the new packages’ pricing details, but AT&T’s plans could be something of an indication: Users pay $15 a month for 200 MB and $25 a month for 2 GB.
Shammo also revealed a few iPhone 5 details. He said it would be a global phone (which Verizon claimed last month) – that it would operate on CDMA and GSM networks. He also mentioned the handset will launch on Verizon and AT&T at the same time, but couldn’t give a definite answer about an LTE-capable iPhone 5. Shammo more or less said when it comes to 4G, the ball’s in Apple’s court.
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