Verizon, one of the major US carriers and the second to adopt Apple’s iPhone, is scheduled to move all customers who have retained their unlimited data plans to limited shared plans when they make the switch from 3G to LTE in the near future.
Upon the launch of the Verizon iPhone early last year, the carrier offered unlimited data plans to their customers. However, like AT&T, the load on the carrier became too much to bear and thus marked the end of unlimited data plans for new smartphone owners.
But what of the customers who were promised unlimited plans when they signed up? They became grandfathered in and and have been allowed to keep their unlimited data if they so chose – that is until the upcoming birth of shared data plans later this year.
According to Fierce Wireless, who cites Verizon’s Chief Financial Officer (Fran Shammo), the carrier will start the transition process by mid-summer:
As these 3G unlimited data plan customers migrate to 4G LTE, they will have to purchase the company’s data-share plan (which Verizon plans to launch in mid-summer) and move off the $30 per month unlimited data plan. “Everyone will be on data share,” Shammo said.
Shared data plans will offer a set amount of account-wide data that will be accessible to all lines on said account. As reported last month, Verizon is set to rollout the new plans this summer – matching up with the vague timeframe that will inevitably commence the demise of unlimited data plans on Verizon.
With AT&T’s CEO publically voicing his disdain towards unlimited data, could AT&T be next to follow suit after Verizon? Stay tuned for full coverage regarding AT&T, Verizon and the carriers’ future actions to find out.
