“It’s official: Verizon is going to offer iPhone buyers a $30 unlimited data plan,” Roger Cheng reports for The Wall Street Journal.
“The carrier’s heir apparent and chief operating officer, Lowell McAdam, told us the news ahead of the company’s meeting with investors,” Cheng reports. “‘I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot,’ he said. Not offering an unlimited plan would put up a barrier for customers who might otherwise switch from AT&T, he said… But you’d better act fast. Speaking later Tuesday morning, Mr. McAdam said the iPhone unlimited plan will be a temporary offer and that the carrier will follow AT&T’s move to tiered pricing in the not too distant future.”
Cheng reports, “Anticipation Verizon would soon offer the iPhone held back sales over the fourth quarter, he said. Analysts seemed happy with the subscriber growth, but McAdam wasn’t. ‘It wasn’t what I hoped it would be,’ he said.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: That’s funny because in an article headlined “Verizon: iPhone Expectations Didn’t Dent Smartphone Sales” that was posted about an hour before the one above Cheng claimed, “Anticipation over Verizon Wireless getting the Apple Inc. iPhone didn’t keep consumers from snapping up a smartphone during the holidays.” So which is it, Roger? The answer is in Cheng’s latest article: The promise of iPhone held back Verizon sales.) Looks like Roger wised up in the last hour. Now, how about a little consistency, WSJ?
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dominick P.” for the heads up.]
Nice. By the time I decide to upgrade my 3GS to a new iPhone on AT&T, competitive pressure will mean the $30 unlimited plan I’m currently grandfathered in for will have returned to AT&T’s options.
Next question: Is that $30/month with no cap, and tethering?
They should have kept the $15 plan as well.
Nobody seems to notice that many US tariffs are growing higher than in Europe, and it’s getting worse.
Hey, that’s the same deal I get on my iPad.
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And conversely, I just lowered my iPhone plan to the 200mb option, because I’m not even using 100mb per month since I got it in September. I’m nearly to the point where I upload more than I download on my phone. Most everything is done on the iPad.
The one thing I am waiting to see is if Verizon will remove the 20 megabyte restriction. If so, then I am definitely switching providers.
@follower
If you had the $30 unlimited plan with AT&T you will only lose it if you leave or remove the service.
It just means no new unlimited plans for AT&T, but you never know… They may bring it back now that verizon is doing it.
Well, it seems like everyone is trying to paint this as a great thing, which I’m sure it will be, for the 3% of the population that actually gobbles all that 3G data on their phone. The remaining 97% of the iPhone owners will likely use less than 200MB per month (AT&T’s limit for the $15 per month), and a majority of those would have likely been fine with Verizon’s old 150MB plan (for $15). So, now, if you want an iPhone, you will HAVE to pay through the nose, regardless of how much data you actually use.
At least with AT&T, you can get an iPhone even if you can’t afford the monthly $80 (with taxes, fees, surcharges and other); it is still the cheapest way to get a phone with a data plan, at less than $60 (if we exclude the ridiculously cheap Virgin Mobile, for $25 per month with unlimited data and text, plus 400 minutes, no contract).
Way to go Verison. This 2gb plans is acid for real users. Sure puts some pressure on ATT.
I still have unlimited with ATT.
Not having the $15 plan is a deal breaker for me. An extra $360 a year on top of what I already pay for internet service is too much. Maybe Sprint will have a better deal in a few months. What I want is an IPod Touch in the same package as a cell phone. That should not be too much to ask.
That’s the ticket, Al! iPhone with no data plan at all, right? Is that what you mean by, “…an iPod touch in the same package as a cell phone.”? At least, that’s what I take it to mean, and if so, that is what I want – iPhone with no data plan at all, at least not mandatory. In other words, an iPod touch I can use as a cell phone. I simply do not need to have internet access on the lake, riding in car, etc. I think many people do not see the data plan as what it is – paying for internet access from anywhere they can get a cell signal – all for $15 – $30 per month!! No thank you! For my usages anyway.
I want unlimited data (or a very high limit that would not be reached 99% of the time) and hotspot for about $30 a month. Whoever can give me that and keep simultaneous voice and data that CDMA currently provides, they win my business.
I suspect that we won’t see this until the iPhone is offered by t-Mobile, or by some miracle AT&T wizens up to the looming loss of business, or Verizon solves the voice and data issue on GSM.
ATT will definitely make some changes to their pricing soon.
Some of us are still grandfathered with the unlimited $30 with AT&T. If AT&T doesn’t change their rate for the new users, they will jump ship.
Why are people like Predrag assuming that Verizon’s $30 unlimited plan means they won’t still have their $15 150MB plan? That’s simply not the case. Both plans will be available to iPhone users.
If Verizon goes with a $30 unlimited plus $20 MiFi plan, that will probably drive me to ATT, or to wait and see what their tiered plan looks like. Unlimited is not sustainable, and it is not fair for low volume data users to be subsidizing those who use large amounts of data. I have only used all my data allowance on my $15 iPad plan once.
Verizon, I have waited, but you may loose me soon. I want an iPhone but I will not pay into a communistic system (Each According to His Need) of data pricing. I want to pay fairly for what I use!
@NCIceman – at what point does VZW CDMA offer simultaneously Voice & Data ? I have a VZW smartphone and that is non-existent. So when did it change, as this is a HUGE sticking point for would be ATT jumpers.
@ Tony – “The strategy will also be a way of raising the average revenue per person at the network. Leaks have shown the carrier is about to drop its $15, 150MB plan. While criticized for being too small, it would also have lowered the price for very casual data use.“
…”Why are people like Predrag assuming that Verizon’s $30 unlimited plan means they won’t still have their $15 150MB plan? That’s simply not the case. Both plans will be available to iPhone users.”
Not true. Verizon killed off the old $15 data package yesterday. Apparently, not everyone saw the news about that.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/24/verizon-tweaking-low-end-data-plans-using-3g-distinction-to-u/
@ ET – I think you meant to write your name “AT&T”
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I hear that AT&T is offering an iPhone with no battery for an even cheaper price. It doesn’t work at all, but hey—who cares about that? The only thing a real cheapskate cares about is saving money, right?
I could live with Verizon’s $30 per month data plan if they would throw in hotspot for free. $50 a month for these two is a crapload of money to lay out every month on top of everything else.
The only reason I did NOT get an iPhone was the mandatory $30 plan. The $15 plan provides 200MB, which is more than I (or anyone I know) end up using. I don’t do Pandora, I don’t watch streaming video; I google a lot, I check maps occasionally, in addition to the usual stuff (e-mail, etc).
I am just not so excited by spending $180 per year, so that somebody else can watch YouTube all day on their 3G. Call me a cheapskate if you wish, but are you sure you’d be happy to pay for a full tank of gas every week, if all you drove was 10 miles to work and back?
I do plenty of data usage on my iPhone using the 2GB for $25 plan and can barely crest 1GB a month. Though, some would prefer an unlimited plan, I don’t see me wanting to pay extra for an unlimited plan anytime.
Soapbox moment:
Why does it have to be [insert data amount here] per month? Why can these providers charge us for the data we want? When we need more, we buy more. It’s like gas in your car. If you don’t use all the gas in your tank at the end of the week, do you lose it and have to refill? It’s nonsense!
I should be able to buy 5GB and use it as slowly or quickly as I want (just like gas in my tank). I want rollover data!
@ El Guapo – AMEN to that for sure !! I am ALL OVER THAT, if only they would do it !! Absolute BS raping us every month for all this nonsense !!