Verizon is rolling out tiered data plans July 7 and new users won’t be able to get an unlimited data plan. Instead, users will get to choose four different plans for their mobile data needs and this could be a good or bad thing depending on your usage. We’ll lay out what the IntoMobile team thinks but we definitely want to hear your thoughts.
Marc:
Tiered or limited data packages are often a sticky situation. On one hand, the cost for customers seems like it is always going up, and so users feel like they’re being shafted by the carriers. On the other hand, carriers need to remain competitive with each other and deliver solid and reliable data experiences. Despite all the reasons carriers can give about limited data usage and increased prices, I still have to side with the consumers.
What good is 4G LTE speed if you can’t even stream online radio for more than a few hours? Or if you’ll hit your data cap after three or four TV episodes or movies via Netflix? Those of us who have grandfathered unlimited plans are lucky, but I do wonder how long it will be before carriers try to strip those from us or force us to “upgrade” to tiered plans.
Welcome to a Canadian’s world, America. Tiered data is the standard up here and our rates are a lot rougher than what Verizon’s asking. 2 GB for $30? We get half as much data for the same amount on Rogers. That extends to the lower tiers to an extent; Verizon wants $15 for 200 MB, while up here Telus only gives 100 MB for $10. Yeah, they’re different markets, yeah, losing unlimited plans is going to suck, and if you use that much data, you’ll basically have to marry Verizon with your grandfathered unlimited plan. My point is, it’s not that bad in the grand scheme of things.
Even though I have no intention of switching to Verizon anytime soon, it seems like tiered data is going to become the norm going forward. Do I like it? No. But it’s if not tiered, there’s likely a data cap and the carriers that remain unlimited may soon follow suit in the future.
I honestly don’t care about having tiered data. Give me internet access and don’t rape me while doing it, that’s all I ask.
No me gusta. I understand that this isn’t the end of the world. The majority of users use less than 2 GB of data a month and will likely save money over the course of their contracts. Times are tough and saving money will always be appealing to people. Additionally, it’s not that tough for a lot of users to switch to WiFi at home, at the office or at a Starbucks to save on their mobile data.
I just don’t like what this does for innovation with smartphones. These things are computers in our pockets but the true potential can only be reached with a robust Internet connection. Web services really took off once broadband became widespread and once the meter went away. I’m not that concerned about companies like Pandora and Netflix today but I’m worried that these caps will limit these companies in the future, as well as companies that haven’t been created yet.
Luckily, I can be grandfathered in with unlimited plans.
You’ve heard our opinions, now let us know what you think in the comments. Are you going to switch to Sprint for unlimited or are these plans good enough?