Confirmed: Verizon Heading into Tiered Pricing
Tiered pricing coming to Verizon within the next four to six months.
Bad news for those of us locked into Verizon's 2-year contract--the days of "unlimited" data for $29.99 are coming to a close. After months of rumors, Verizon Communications Inc.'s Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg officially announced that tiered plans will be rolled out soon.
While speaking during an investor conference Thursday, Seidenberg said that the new tiered plans will be introduced in the next four to six months, however they will be different than AT&T's tiered structure. "We're not sure we agree yet with how they valued the data," he said without detailing the new tiered plans.
Currently AT&T provides two data services: a basic $15 plan that offers up to 200 MB of data per month, and a $25 plan that offers up to 2 GB of data per month. Those who exceed their plan's data cap are charged an additional fee. By comparison, Verizon customers are (for now) served up unlimited data for a flat $29.99 monthly fee--tethering and hot-spot not included.
Verizon's new tiered plans are expected to be launched in conjunction with the launch of its 4G wireless services and other new products and services. Seidenberg added that Apple would "get with the program" at some point, although he would not provide additional details.
So how will tiered plans affect streaming video and audio? In a recent test, a 31:36 television show streamed from Netflix over a 3G wireless connection totaled 143.2 MB of data--3.2 MB sent and 140 MB received. That's equal to just under 14 episodes of Seinfeld per month--if the testing proved accurate.
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ugg....
Well, at least for $25 you're getting more than Rogers offers in Canada...
I just hope Verizon keeps their word, no tiered 3G data plans and tiered 4G family data plan options.
Move to T-Mobile, Clear Stream, or even MetroPCS (God help us).
I'm on verizon. Shame on these idiots. I hear Sprint's network and service isn't that great, but at least they offer better prices, unlimited data, and they don't GIMP THEIR PHONES (i.e. tethering for their 4G Android phones). My droid is going to get traded in for an Epic 4G soon.
My plans were already in motion before any of this but I'm switching (from verizon) to a prepaid dumbphone (commoncents) and when they finally release a good tablet picking one up. It may not be for everyone but I'm not a facebooking talkaholic and these data plans are just too expensive.
I purchased a Droid X a few weeks ago and have been very impressed with the phone and service as it is today. Hopefully they will not impose the new plans on existing customers, otherwise I'll regret being a Verizon customer.
I switched to virgin mobile with unlimited text and data for blackberry at 35 a month. It gives me time to see how these chips fall and stay off a contract. These big companies get you hooked then pull it away, upping the price if you go over your very limited amount. ATT towers are supplying service to Comcast's new data card that you can add to your current cable internet. So who is Verizon sharing their wireless data with? Service with vergin mobile has it's price of terible blackberry issues (they can't get text to work with receiving text from ATT and LG Rumor Touch MMS gets sent to the SMS folder of the blackberry so you can't view it and so on but I have unlimited data)
Actually, when they change the plan rates like this, the consumer has a certain period of time (I think it is 30 or 60 days after the change) to cancel your service at no penalty. I will be considering this once they implement this change.
Cellphone companies (and by extension, most communication companies) are proving themselves up to be criminal organizations; even in as simply not notifying their customers when they come close to reaching their allocated monthly subscription, only to then roll out the additional fee once exceeded. Not to mention the "minute" allocation: a call of 1min1sec = 2minutes air-time... and with Verizon, it's "Send to end", meaning a ring-time of 45 seconds + 14 seconds of automated recording = a 1'01" call-time (2 minutes) - even if just to say "call me back".
Verizon has charged me $45 over the past two months because I came close to BUT DIDN'T ACTUALLY EXCEED my 450 minutes' "plan"... (437 + 445 respectively)
2 different supervisors have both said they can not identify where the "Overage" had occurred, however they said they can not remove the charges. And of course, should I choose to not pay their extortion fees, they'll be escallated to some collections agency whom would eventually issue a comment to my credit.
A "good" business model in their industry heavily obviously involves dishonesty.
2GB of data a month is still seriously lacking. If the numbers are right, then for your average commuter who might view a television show while traveling to/from work on the bus or train would go through that 2GB limit within two weeks if not sooner. On the one hand, the phone companies know they never build in the infrastructure to handle so much data, but on the other hand the streaming media companies are looking at loss of business because of the limitations being placed.
For me, it doesn't matter as I'm one of those historical throwbacks who use a cellphone as just a phone. No streaming media, no text messaging, no web browsing, just call someone when I feel like it. Radical idea, I know, but the cellphone companies lose enough on people like me that they have to make it up in other areas.
I didn't expect Verizon to copy everything ATT do... This was their advantage over ATT. I had planned on getting off crappy ATT and move on over to Verizon. Looks like its either Sprint or T-Mobile for me... T_T
My plans were already in motion before any of this but I'm switching (from verizon) to a prepaid dumbphone (commoncents) and when they finally release a good tablet picking one up. It may not be for everyone but I'm not a facebooking talkaholic and these data plans are just too expensive.
I'm the same, I have the original enV on prepaid with Verizon, 15$ a month and I don't use all the time, no contract, perfect for me. I use a cell for emergencies mostly, I have a house phone and computers at home if I need to find people.
Me and the wife's contract is about up with t-mobile.We are looking at switching providers, but Verizon just took themselves out of consideration...thanks for narrowing the choices I guess??
So much for Verizon's LTE network, you'll get the speed, and use it up in a week or less. As we see more phones released with mini-hdmi and the ability to stream HD video, Verizon's going to find that this just isn't going to work. The world is moving toward bigger, faster ways to move multimedia and entertainment, and business practices like these are putting a huge road block on their development.
I'm with sprint, I'll be staying a sprint customer as long as they don't pull anything like this but hopefully they never will. i am however pissed off at thier 4g 10 a month charge. i almos tupgraded my pre but 10 bucks a month for a service that won't be in my area in the forseeable future is just not somethign i'm willing to pay