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Verizon to Drop Unlimited iPhone Data Plans as Soon as This Summer
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That's their whole idea... trying to get people to react and go to the store.
However, I don't agree with this "fact". I think we've only started seeing the beginnings of "unlimited" this and "unlimited" that — as Apple gets further and further into different cell providers, I think we'll see deals like never before as the Smart Phone Wars truly heat up for business. I imagine that Verizon has only a very limited time with the CDMA iPhone. Their competition, Sprint Nextel and Alltel, also have CDMA infrastructures and I would bet that they will have the iPhone in their stores sometime in 2011, hopefully by the time iPhone 5 rolls out in June/July.
Once the competition really is level with everyone having the iPhone, then the consumer will truly get the big deals.
Can't wait.
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I am in exactly the same situation. My wife and I both want smart phones (probably Android phones) and we would LOVE to stay with Verizon, but at $30 PER PHONE ($60 total), that is just WAY too much for use to swallow in our budget. And we too would primarily use WiFi. So, if I could get two "capped" plans $15, then we have something...
Iphone On T-Mobile My Best Move Ever.!!!
Putting my iphone on T-Mobile's edge network was my best move ever.
Yea, it's not as fast but my $52 per month gets me unlimited everything.
With the huge move to cloud based activity & with websites continually adding
more graphics anyone not getting an unlimited data plan is going to get killed. Its sad that the cell providers could care less if their plans limit our access to all the net has to offer, without paying through the nose. Until people find a way to send a serious message this business model will continue.
Putting my iphone on T-Mobile's edge network was my best move ever.
Yea, it's not as fast but my $52 per month gets me unlimited everything.
With the huge move to cloud based activity & with websites continually adding
more graphics anyone not getting an unlimited data plan is going to get killed. Its sad that the cell providers could care less if their plans limit our access to all the net has to offer, without paying through the nose. Until people find a way to send a serious message this business model will continue.
Riven, a game for iOS wieghs in at a hefty 1.01GB download.
Many would argue that they can use Wifi, however some people just don't have Wifi, some people use the phone as a modem. Some people are not in range of a hotspot.
Why should those people have to be at an inconvience?
What about heavy social networkers? People who are posted every second of thier life in pictures and videos? The youtubers? Netflixers?
Just because you use your iOS device lightly does not justify for others.
Unlimited data should not be dropped. It should be more of a premium option. Those who want unlimited data I am sure will pay extra for unlimited data.
thank god for my sprint plan.
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Of course Vzw sticks to to long time loyal customers....
I'm locked into my current phone/plan until August so I can't take advantage of the unlimited plan if I wanted to.
I asked about getting the unlimited plan for my current "feature" phone and was told no, it had to be a smart phone.
I'm locked into my current phone/plan until August so I can't take advantage of the unlimited plan if I wanted to.
I asked about getting the unlimited plan for my current "feature" phone and was told no, it had to be a smart phone.
If that were true that would equal near 60 GB on average per month. I'm almost positive most people don't use that much data on a desktop in a month much less a phone.
Something I've not seen addressed is whether current Verizon customers with Android or Blackberry phones that have unlimited data will also be grandfathered in with a new iPhone once unlimited data plans are eliminated. If they only allow customers that jumped on board with the iPhone 4 to keep that unlimited plan on future iPhones it's going to stifle future sales of iPhones 6, 7 etc.
Question:
I have had my Moto Droid for over a year and I have that $30 Unlimited locked in. If I upgrade to the new iPhone this summer will I lose that $30 Unlimited and have to go to a Limited Plan or will the Unlimited continue with my new iPhone?
If it's not going to continue I'd probably grab that iPhone 4 today and hope in 2 years things have changed.
I have had my Moto Droid for over a year and I have that $30 Unlimited locked in. If I upgrade to the new iPhone this summer will I lose that $30 Unlimited and have to go to a Limited Plan or will the Unlimited continue with my new iPhone?
If it's not going to continue I'd probably grab that iPhone 4 today and hope in 2 years things have changed.
Putting my iphone on T-Mobile's edge network was my best move ever.
Yea, it's not as fast but my $52 per month gets me unlimited everything.
With the huge move to cloud based activity & with websites continually adding
more graphics anyone not getting an unlimited data plan is going to get killed. Its sad that the cell providers could care less if their plans limit our access to all the net has to offer, without paying through the nose. Until people find a way to send a serious message this business model will continue.
Did you have to do anything special to get the iPhone working on T-mobile?
Look, you are falling into the trap.
I am not justifying the daily usage for all, as I too do not utilize that much. BUT. It is doable, and easily so.... Now let's come back here in 5 years when you say you use 60 GB in a day.
All carriers need to drop the fee for texting and include it either in the phone plan or the data plan.
LOL, so gracious of them! Verizon is no better and in my neck of the woods they have far worse coverage. I thought Verizon would be able to handle all this traffic without a hiccup? Thats what I heard over and over so they must be trying to rein in customer use or they are just gigging for more dough.
Shouldnt these companies be giving us more..rather than taking **** away!!!!!!! I'm really getting sick of this.
Apple currently does not allow apps larger than 20MB to be downloaded using the cellular data network. You're forced to use WiFi or download from a computer using iTunes.
As long as they offer a cheaper limited data plan, I'm all for it. I still can't justify paying another $30/month for data because I won't be using it that much. If Verizon has data plans similar to T-Mobile ($10/month 200MB), I'd have my iPhone already.
Honest answer? I didn't think that the United States are so far behind the rest of the world. True voice and data flatrates ("unlimited data") are cheap here in Europe/Germany. It's actually hard to get an iPhone/Android contract WITHOUT unlimited data.
I mean, what are your carriers thinking? Those phones only make sense when you don't have to worry about your data consumption.
Not your grandfather's iPhone
Announcement translation: 'We only offered unlimited data plans because we were introducing last year's iPhone model near the end of its product cycle. When the iPhone 5 comes out, we will charge as much as we can get for current technology.'
As far as grandfathering goes, with most carriers you can keep the same plan at the same speed. When Apple eventually releases a true 4G phone, 3G users will not be able to upgrade and grandfather. The same was true with the switch from Edge to 3G. However, sometimes carriers offer plans with lower voice or data minutes that could net a similar monthly fee.
Announcement translation: 'We only offered unlimited data plans because we were introducing last year's iPhone model near the end of its product cycle. When the iPhone 5 comes out, we will charge as much as we can get for current technology.'
As far as grandfathering goes, with most carriers you can keep the same plan at the same speed. When Apple eventually releases a true 4G phone, 3G users will not be able to upgrade and grandfather. The same was true with the switch from Edge to 3G. However, sometimes carriers offer plans with lower voice or data minutes that could net a similar monthly fee.
$10 for 200MBs is a dream. Admittedly when I got my first smartphone I burned through about 2GB's a month but it slowly declined and now I'm down to less than 400MB's /month and that's with tethering...I don't need unlimited mobile data anymore I have wifi at home and at school. Also I've noted more and more smartphones have an easy to access off switch to turning mobile data off. I noticed this with the recent android update on my droid as well as on the verizon iPhone 4. I would imagine this switch would be useful if you were about to go over your quote and I see few other uses of this switch.
Additionally more kids my age (17~) are getting smartphones, I live in a wealthy area so mommy and daddy usually pay the bill easily but thats not to say everyone will do the same...My family has two smartphones and two regular phones on the plan and the bill is ugly. Offering a lower tier data plan would in my opinion based on the past few years growth increase smartphone use allot in the teenage group which would in turn increase revenue and allot of the older folk who never paid for a data plan before might be more enticed to start with a low data plan and move up.
Text messaging literally costs network operators NOTHING. It is such an insignificant portion of both cost and operation it blows my mind it is even charged for. Its almost archaic but will remain popular for a while.
I'll agree on this point completely. Though I will mention I don't think anyone seams to understand how much 2GB a month really is...its allot. People who "Just don't have wifi" Need to get it, in this day and age that's like saying "I just don't have a computer". At my school we got IT to open up a secondary student network. Oh and at my house I actually bought a $15 dollar wifi router /dripping sarcasm. That argument is barely valid these days...
Internet industry in US is too concentrated
This is what happens when you have a few big boys with most of the market share. We're many times the size of, say, Britain, but the UK has four legitimate national carriers and that's before you consider MVNO mobile operators. You go with O2, Hutchison Three, the combined Orange/Tmobile or Vodafone, you're going to have very broad national coverage with any of those networks except for gaps in 3G out in the sticks.
In the US, the Sprint and TMobile networks are skeletal and there are serious coverage gaps even with ATT. Only Verizon has a truly national network, though ATT is catching up. So if you're interested in any kind of rural coverage at all, you're basically down to two networks.
I suppose another network could be cobbled together, or Sprint and T-Mobile improved, if US Cellular, Cricket, Metro PCS and other minor carriers could be merged together or with the appropriate companies. That at least might make things interesting.
But Verizon's simply doing what any US stock market-listed company would do in an environment where nobody in power cares about anti-trust or monopoly; they're adding shareholder value (which they're pretty much legally required to try to do) by building enough of a monopoly to get away with gouging the customer. I don't hold it against them; I hold it against politicians who have been bought off by big corporate money and Wall Street.
This is what happens when you have a few big boys with most of the market share. We're many times the size of, say, Britain, but the UK has four legitimate national carriers and that's before you consider MVNO mobile operators. You go with O2, Hutchison Three, the combined Orange/Tmobile or Vodafone, you're going to have very broad national coverage with any of those networks except for gaps in 3G out in the sticks.
In the US, the Sprint and TMobile networks are skeletal and there are serious coverage gaps even with ATT. Only Verizon has a truly national network, though ATT is catching up. So if you're interested in any kind of rural coverage at all, you're basically down to two networks.
I suppose another network could be cobbled together, or Sprint and T-Mobile improved, if US Cellular, Cricket, Metro PCS and other minor carriers could be merged together or with the appropriate companies. That at least might make things interesting.
But Verizon's simply doing what any US stock market-listed company would do in an environment where nobody in power cares about anti-trust or monopoly; they're adding shareholder value (which they're pretty much legally required to try to do) by building enough of a monopoly to get away with gouging the customer. I don't hold it against them; I hold it against politicians who have been bought off by big corporate money and Wall Street.
This was my very first thought when I read the title of the entry.
If this isn't bait and switch then I don't know what is. I'm glad I stuck with AT&T instead of defecting to Verizon. I was warned by several friends that Verizon is no better - they are not the lesser of two evils, only equal.
As stated again and again. Don't like what you have to pay, don't get it. :
Or
Get a 1099 status and write it all of as expense.
