Verizon unsure on 4G LTE smartphone pricing

We could see Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphones as early as February but the company is still trying to decide on how to price it, according to the parent company.

“The trick is not to price too high that you scare people off the service, but price high enough that as applications and services start to fill in people will use it and see the value,” Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference.

The carrier just launched its 4G LTE service with USB dongles for laptops and computers. The pricing is actually similar to what it charges for 3G mobile data service and this may be an indication of what the smartphone plans will run.

On or off contract, you can get Verizon 4G LTE service for $50 a month for 5 GB or $80 a month for 10 GB of data with a $10/1 GB overage fee. If you opt to not sign a long-term contract, you’ll have to pay for the hardware outright.

The nation’s largest carrier offers 3G service for $15 a month and $30 for unlimited data. Couple this with the required voice and text plan (about $40 a month for the cheapest) and you’re looking at paying at least $55 a month for service before taxes and fees.

So, what will a Verizon 4G LTE device like the HTC Mecha cost? We can assume the voice and text plan requirement will stay the same and the company may put a slight premium on its next-generation mobile data service.

Sprint requires its EVO and Epic users to pay an extra $10 a month for 4G access and I could see Verizon doing something similar. We have heard that Big Red will be using “buckets” of data when it comes to 4G LTE, so it’s unclear if there will be an unlimited option.

We’ll know soon enough though and I can’t wait to have this on my phone, no matter the price.

[Via Fierce Wireless]