“Verizon Wireless plans to kick off pricing changes this summer by eliminating smartphone plans that allow unlimited Web access for a flat fee. It will replace them with tiered pricing that forces heavy data users to pay more for mobile data,” Sinead Carew reports for Reuters. “After this change the company will look to soften the blow by offering more options such as family plans for data services, Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo told the Reuters Global Technology Summit.”

“In February Verizon ramped up its competitive efforts against AT&T by launching a version of the Apple Inc. iPhone, which had previously been exclusive to AT&T,” Carew reports. “When the next iPhone model launches Verizon will be able to offer it at the same time as AT&T. Verizon’s version will also work in as many countries as AT&T’s iPhone, which has global coverage, Shammo said.”

Carew reports, “Some customers held off on buying the first Verizon iPhone because they were waiting for a model that supports Verizon’s high-speed wireless service, which runs on a new technology called Long Term Evolution (LTE). Shammo said that even if the next iPhone does not support LTE, Verizon will have enough high-speed alternatives to sell. ‘I think it’s a bigger issue for Apple than it is for us,’ he said. ‘Depending on where Apple plays, that’s where we’ll sell.’”

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[Attribution: AppleInsider. Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers "Dow C." and "Dan K." for the heads up.]