Well, we knew this day was coming. Verizon confirmed that it will be rolling out tiered data plans and it will be ditching unlimited data starting July 7.
Verizon told Fierce Wireless that it will be offering four different options for mobile data starting in a few days: $10 for 75 MB per month, $30 for 2 GB, $50 for 5 GB or $80 for 10 GB and you can look for an overage charge of $10 per GB. By comparison, AT&T also killed its unlimited plans and offers 2 GB of data for $25 or 200 MB for $15.
The Verizon tiered data plans will still have an option for existing customers to retain unlimited data but it looks like it will be quite limited. If you’re on an unlimited plan, you can keep it and if you upgrade to a new phone before July 7, you can also keep your unlimited plan. It looks like your next upgrade after that date won’t allow you to be grandfathered in, though. Still waiting for complete clarification on that point though.
If you’re using a 4G LTE phone like the LG Revolution, HTC Thunderbolt or the Droid Charge, you can get unlimited mobile hotspot data for $30 a month. This service had been free for the last few months but we knew that wasn’t going to remain the case.
So, it’s looking like the end of the road for unlimited data, as the two largest carriers in the United States are ditching this option. You can still go to Sprint for unlimited data with your smartphone but it may just be a matter of time before it is forced to adjust.
While these tiers are a bit cheaper than the $30 a month for unlimited, it does mean that many users will start having to pay more attention to how much data you use. I expect this will mean many more users will switch over to WiFi when it’s available.
[Via Fiercewireless]