We know that the Verizon iPhone 4 will land in a couple weeks and will come with a $30 unlimited plan, but Big Red has also shed some light on how much the mobile hotspot feature will cost. It looks like the Verizon iPhone hotspot will cost $20 per month for 2 GB of data on top of your normal voice and data plans.
The Verizon iPhone is essentially the same as the latest Apple smartphone for AT&T with a few, minor differences. The first is a redesigned antenna to work on the CDMA network and there’s also the ability to turn the device into a mobile hotspot which can connect up to five devices to a WiFi network.
The $20 a month for 2 GB is about the standard price which Big Red charges for many of its hotspot features in devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab and other Android devices. When you factor in the $30 unlimited data plan with the $40 minimum voice plan, you’ll probably be looking at about $100 a month for your Verizon iPhone if you include mobile hotspot and the taxes and fees. It also looks like it each additional gigabyte of data over the 2 GB cap will cost an additional $20.
The AT&T Apple smartphone can also tether but only to a single device via USB or Bluetooth. This costs $20 a month for 2 GB of data but it only includes the ability to connect one device at a time.
The mobile hotspot feature should be an exclusive feature of the Verizon iPhone to begin with but there are signs that this will be a standard platform feature with iOS 4.3. Of course, even if it’s part of the basic OS, tethering and mobile hotspot options will be beholden to the carriers’ interests.
Does this feature make you want to jump ship? Would you pay $20 a month for 2 GB?
[Via MacWorld]