“Competition in the mobile landscape became more intense Friday, when Verizon Wireless announced it has cut its basic voice plan by $29 per month, to $69.99 for unlimited calling,” Katie Marsal reports for AppleInsider.
“Verizon also has an unlimited voice and text plan for customers available at $89.99 per month. But while Verizon is reducing its voice plans, those on its low-end data plans will see an increase,” Marsal reports.
“While its basic wireless service fee would see a $29 reduction, the company was also doing away with its $19.99 75MB data package for 3G multimedia phones. In its place is the 25MB, $9.99-per-month plan for all 3G phones, giving access to e-mail, games and the Internet,” Marsal reports.
Marsal reports, “Verizon’s pricing changes… could force AT&T to do the same to remain competitive.”
Full article here.
AT&T;will follow, I bet.
Ridiculous data packages.
@ Mac-nugget–
Let’s all hope so! Even for those who are not with ATT, this will be a benefit, because the others will all have to follow suit in order to remain competitive.
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I would burn through 25MB on my iPhone in less than an hour. Even 75MB is laughable. I wonder what the average monthly data usage is for an iPhone user.
I think this settles the idea that Apple and Verizon will be partnering anytime soon.
I bought an all you can eat data plan from Alltel (3G) back before the merger with Verizon without a contract and Verizon has to honor it under the DoJ’s approval plan for the Verizon-Alltel merger. This despite Verizon not offering this plan for any price. With the affinity discount I get from my employer I have nationwide 3G data without a cap for a little over $52/ month.
Too bad the door is closed on this one.
Can you smell what Verizons’ got cookin’ ?!
@ed:
I am what I consider to be a reasonably heavy data user on my iPhone. Using AT&Ts;app, I see that I have used 150.39MB while I am 14 days into a 31 day cycle. Extrapolating linearly, I would use 333MB in a month.
yeahhhhh……25MB? 75MB? who are they even kidding? I average 2-3GB (yes gigs) a month.
25MB is like 3-4 songs from itunes now. Or a few app updates. geez…
forget streaming radio, m.nbc.com….
ATT better not follow
I like the voice changes, but the data is ludicrous – I’ve used 3.5 gigs in the last half month. These bastards are just scared of becoming the dumb pipes; they don’t know yet that they can’t stop it.
I don’t talk much on my phone. I need unlimited texts and unlimited data!!
How do you tell how much data you are/have used?
@Some Are More Lucky
Same reason I haven’t jumped to the iphone yet. I have the Sprint Sero plan which is 500 anytime minutes, unlimited text and data and it’s $30 a month…
As much as I hate my WinMo phone, it lets me fill my data needs, especially like tethering which I use almost everyday (and *cough* *cough*, the iphone still doesn’t have).
I wait for the day I could get an unlocked CDMA iPhone.
Verizon plan is no good for iPhone users. Those limits are laughable.
One album from iTunes store could reach 75mb easily with the higher bitrate the songs have…
But still no roll over minutes. Those are really nice to have.
According to Ars Technica, the 25MB data plan is simply the low-end plan for data usage. WinMo, Android and BlackBerry devices will need the $29.99 smartphone plan. It’s unclear from the article if that plan has a limit. Nothing’s indicated on the Verizon release, either. It seems to indicate that the $29.99 plan is the same plan that has been in place for smartphones.
So, this new plan does not apply at all to anything in the smartphone world, so it’s probably useless to extrapolate anything iPhone-related out of this. It’s an attempt to set a lower price point for consumers who may not have wanted to pay for data before. However, it does mean the cost per MB is going up with the elimination of the $19.99 plan. It’s a way for Verizon to try to make more money.
One thing we can all be sure about: Whatever changes Verizon or AT&T;make to any voice or data plan, their intention is to make more money. Serving their customers is the very last thing on their mind.
A verizon rep told me about these plans last week.(best buy mobile) she said that if you get the cheapest voice plan and the $9.99 data package, you would still end up paying less than if you would have gotten just the old voice plan. I guess this is their way to make everyone experience data with their phones. However 3g smartphones still require that unlimited $30 data package.
You should have that cough looked at.
Oh, and the iPhone has tethering. ATT, however, does not offer it.
@ @sherman
Um, no the iphone does not have tethering in the USA atleast, where I and most of us on the forum are from. As far as I and most people are concerned if ATT doesn’t have it in the USA, then that means the iPhone doesn’t have it. Duh! It doesn’t help me out with tethering what so ever because if I were to move to ATT and get an iPhone and ask for a tethering plan they would laugh at me.
Which is exactly the reason why they should be opening up carriers to atleast one other company. I don’t even really care who it is. It is just starting to make Apple look bad.
Well, iPhone has tethering pretty much on EVERY carrier in EVERY market where they legitimately exist, except AT&T in the USA. Obviously, that doesn’t do much to our sherman here, but there are millions of people who are currently enjoying tethering with their iPhone.
Christ. Go back to land lines and phone booths. Our lives would slow down a bit, and we’d all save some money.
@Predrag
And luckily there are enough customers like you who probably live in the USA with me while thinking its cool I can’t have it because many other people around the world are enjoying it…
That makes absolutely no sense….
Next time for Predrag and “@sherman” I will say ‘in the USA’ at the end so you don’t have to be point out the obvious guys every time.
Again, it’s one of the many reasons that Apple has outgrown its exclusivity with ATT.
Att just followed. Offering the same cuts
This is for the iPhone nano. It won’t allow you to use apps or safari on 3g, only wifi. It’ll be like an iPod touch that can make a call. That’s what verizon is going to get.