Verizon to offer unlimited voice, data, and messaging packages
By Ryan Block 
posted Feb 17th 2008 8:29PM
posted Feb 17th 2008 8:29PM
We've gotten a flood of tips that the notoriously miserly Verizon is lining things up to offer unlimited calling plans. Starting Tuesday the 19th (of this month) should see the following plans sprout up:- $100 - Nationwide Unlimited (voice)
- $120 - Nationwide Select Unlimited (voice, SMS, MMS)
- $140 - Nationwide Premium (voice, SMS, MMS, VZNav, VCAST, email)
- $150 - Nationwide Email and Messaging (voice, SMS, MMS, and data)
- $170 - Nationwide Global Email and Messaging (voice, SMS, MMS, and international data)
- $200 - Family plan with two lines, $100 per additional line.
- 5GB cap on data is out
- No contract extension for current customers
- Available on one or two year agreements
- All plans include Mobile Web 2.0 portal access (skip it)
- No roaming or long distance
Can it be? Is Verizon really gearing to become the mobile network that the people really want? Will we really see this open network they were promising last year, making them the nations biggest wireless ISP and freeing America to stay connected all the time? Can it really be, they are trying to not suck?
Well, we'll see. One can stay optimistic, right?
Now if they'll only get some good phones to use these services..
Fingers ready to the cross position
At 3 figures? N.
I have not been following the 700Mhz auction to closely. Could this be a knee jerk reaction to losing it? Or could this be because of winning the spectrum to offer all that data?
They do something better and raise the bill 20 bucks each time. So we act happy but really that was all part of their evil plan.
They still do so many bad things.
yet i am still a customer. ugh... damn contracts
hello verizon goodbye att
did any one ever hear of metro pcs
http://www.metropcs.com
Jesus Christ...Am I dreaming?
Nice! I was almost ready to switch to Sprint because they're offering the same thing in my neck of the woods...
However, when will Verizon finally unlock the GPS on the 8830?!?!?!
Hurray! We're back to the 50's when owning a phone was a luxury.
Wait...What?
The 1850's?
goodbuy sprint hello verizon
Alot of people have Verizon HORROR STORIES but I've been with them since the beggining - phone service, DSL and I just got FIOS last week.
I'm averaging 16,000Kbps downloads and 4000kbps uploads according to Speakeasy.
The only dissapointment I've had is FIOS TV won't be available till Summer this year.
Verizon routinely ranks in the top of customer service polls, and their network can't be beat.
You want horror stories? Talk to Sprint customers.
Yup. Toward the end of the time that my wife was using Verizon, they were _TRIPLE_ billing her every month. And she had to fight with their customer service to get them to reverse it every month. Plus, in our area, their coverage was incredibly spotty.
She switched to Sprint early, because it was worth the $200 ETF to get out from under Verizon's thumb. Cheaper, better customer service, and better coverage. That was 3 years ago.
Now we've both switched to MetroPCS. Cheaper yet, and the Samsung SCH-R410 is a nice enough phone. And customer service is decent.
Landline phone, DSL, FiOS: Verizon.
Wireless: Verizon Wireless.
@John
That's why I never sign up for the auto-bill plans. They don't get paid until I SAY they get paid. If there's a dispute about a bill, I'd rather they try to get the money from me instead of me try to get my money back from them. And, curious enough, Verizon and I have had disputes in the past. I won.
@John:
I guess those stories are universal for carriers because your Verizon hell is the same hell we went through with Cingular before moving to Verizon. They would overbill us every month, we would call and get a credit to reimburse us. Then one month they decided to take that credit back and cut off our phones for 3 days until they fixed the billing problem. We ended up paying the ETF to go to Verizon.
It's sad that you can always get so many horror stories about cell phone companies. The worst part is they all pull the same crap.
it seems that verizon does this the least though. almost everyone I know is either on t-mo or vzw in my area. I had sprint.. I had to call them every month to debate the original contract I signed and defend my built in texts.. it was a nightmare and I rarely got someone who spoke English as their primary language.
I had t-mo for a year with my SKII and only had to call them for activation (shame, no signal.. anywhere.)
Suncom (what att used to be in my area) screwed up my bill and never got my features correct.
verizon:
coming up on 2 years strong. 3 lines, tons of features (constantly being switched), on my 2 lines alone I've been through 6 phones trying to find a happy combination (finally settled on the voyager after a treo 700w and don't use my second line anymore). the only time I ever have to call them is to find out about a feature or order a phone. we've checked out features, reviews, phones, and prices.. and verizon (at least in my area) is bar-none the BEST option in the area. the fact that they seem to have the best CDMA (no gsm signal in my house or in certain areas near my parents) phones/signal and that my friends are all on vzw... is just a bonus.
verizon is going to do to cell phones what Dell first did with online ordering of custom computers... let's just hope vzw doesn't have a HUGE lull in their business like Dell did for a while... although I don't see that happening.
what does the family plan include, just voice?
We'll know, for sure, on Tuesday.
I just want someone else to offer a $29.99 unlimited data only plan like T-Mobile does for the Sidekick. On average I only make 4 minutes worth of calls on my Sidekick. All my use is data. Any other carrier requires a voice & data plan at $50 and up. Who needs all these minutes for $100 when there's Skype?
Yeah, I just wish T-Mobile offered that rate on their other phones.
For their "data only" plans, I'd suggest:
$30/mo for smartphones that can't tether (or for smartphones, without being allowed to tether), web/email/IM only
$40/mo for any phones that can tether, web/email/IM only
$50/mo for phones/data cards with tethering, all ports/protocols
That's essentially what they do now, except that the $30 plan is for sidekicks only (they can't tether), and the $40 plan is for winmo phones only (not non-smartphones that can tether). And the $50 plan is for data cards only. I wish they were more flexible about it, letting any device use any of the price points, based on what the device is capable of, not on arbitrary categorizations.
I also wish the current non-windows based sidekicks could do tethering. I expect that now that MS owns Danger, the next edition will do tethering, but they'll be running Windows Mobile, so I wont want to buy one anyway (don't want the current ones cuz they don't tether, wont want the new ones cuz they'll have WinMo).
Well, Verizon already does offer unlimited data for $29.99, well sorta, theres a 5GB cap. You would be hard pressed to even use 1gig on a phone. It's called the Blackberry PIS I think, unlimited web and 10 email accounts, however no enterprise email.
Check out sprint.com/sero
$30/mo for 500 mins, unlimited data, and unlimited texts.
you need an email address, try savings@sprintemi.com
Last I checked, sprint sero doesn't have a 'phone as modem' option. So, that is a good comparison to the $30/mo unlimited text and data only plan for t-mobile (adds in a few minutes). But it doesn't give you a comparison for the $40/mo "unlimited text+data+tethering" plan.
I sell T-Mobile, the trick is sign up with a voice plan then go to their website and set your phone to a Sidekick. Then choose the Sidekick data plan and get your unlimited internet and sms/mms messaging :)
You can do the same over the phone except they want an IMEI if you do it that way.
It's how I got the $19.99 BlackBerry data plan with SmartAccess, only way to get data for my Wing.
Verizon Wireless offers 34.99 unlimited data on the blackberries without having to sign up for a voice plan.
Thanks for the info on Verzion's data only plan. Now that Microsoft has bought Danger, I may be looking for a new provider when my contract is up with T-Mobile if Microsoft screws things up with the Danger servers/services.
@John "Last I checked, sprint sero doesn't have a 'phone as modem' option. So, that is a good comparison to the $30/mo unlimited text and data only plan for t-mobile (adds in a few minutes). But it doesn't give you a comparison for the $40/mo "unlimited text+data+tethering" plan."
Although you're right and the plan stipulations don't allow tethering, the hack required to make any WM/BB phone tether (undetectably, I might add) are so trivial your average toddler could do it in under 5 minutes flat. Then you're free to do whatever you want, Ev-wise.
Oh, and BTW, you can force-roam on Alltel, Verizon, e.t.c. and use their EvDo as well. I pick and choose whenever and wherever I want, and pay less.
Are they Gonna unlock the GPS on my Blackberry or what?
I doubt it. They want you to use their VZ Navigator service.
What about tethering?
The prices are a little high compared to what Sprint is offering (everything for $120; everything + tethering for $150)... but both are way too high. IMO: the attractive price point is at half that number ($75/mo for unlimited everything including tethering).
Is it just me or is this insanely expensive?
Yeah... this is way too expensive.
Yup. IMO, both Sprint and Verizon need to cut their unlimited rates in half.
$50/mo for unlimited everything* minus tethering
$75/mo for unlimited everything* plus tethering
(* everything in this context means local voice, domestic long distance voice, SMS, MMS, and generic internet data (email, IM, web, random protocols); things like specialty services like mobile TV and such would be ala carte on top of those numbers)
Yea, this is a bit expensive imho.
Hell, Helio has a deal right now for $99 Unlimited Voice/Data/Text, etc. I couldn't see paying more for less - at least with the prices VZW are offering above.
Hopefully the choices above and beyond the unlimited voice will be a la carte. I have NO need for SMS/MMS, but data is a necessity and the nav and vcast would be nice. Hope they don't force the full messaging package just to get data.
As for the family plan, if it just includes voice, then what's the point? It's $100 per line regardless...
i remember when i was first shopping for cell phone providers years ago (circa 2001), the one thing that made me decline on verizon was their handsets. they had hands down the best coverage at the time, but being locked into only the handsets that they carry (being unable to import another phone) wasn't something that i was too fond of. though t-mobes coverage isn't as good, and atts data plans are more pricey...i'll stick to the ability to unlock just about any handset i want anyday...
I'll stick with being able to make calls.... who has 600 bucks a pop for the latest nokia-gsm phone every couple of months anyway? I pick up my verizon feature/smart phones for 200-300 every 6 months or so. my voyager cost 300.. the treo before it cost 280 (used with 2 batts, 2 wall chargers, a car charger, 2 sync cables, a dock to always charge the second batt...).
ebay can be a fun place.. and verizon users (most don't know this) can change their phones just as fast as GSM with no card to lose or have the metal contacts go bad on. ;)
@prokanda
being able to make calls? umm...ok, i dont know if thats a swipe at other carries. if so, doesn't bother me @ all. all i know is i have better service than any of my friends who has verizon, t-mobile, or sprint. i'm not sure if thats a fair representation of all coverages throughout the country...but in the greater LA metropolitan area, when i travel up to SF or SD...AT&T has proved to be more than enough for me. as far as people losing sim cards...you'd have to be either really careless, or really stupid to do so. and metal contacts going bad...haven't heard of that either.
T-Mobile has $20/month unlimited data.
"T-Mobile Total Internet Add-On" ... tell t-mobile.com your phone is the aircard and you'll see the add-on option - I use it for my iPhone =]
And, since it's for a data card, tethering is obviously allowed..
I've heard that the 5gig limit has been dropped for everyone with the unlimited data plan.
switch to Sprint????
Are you INSANE?
Sprint's about to go the direction of HDDVD.
Very well put. :D
As for unlimited, the only thing I need unlimited is data. I use the $19.99 unlimited data plan, though it's only supposed to be used on dumbphones (I have a Blackjack), AT&T doesn't know a thing about it and I refuse to pay $40 a month for data.
Sprint has over 50 million users, I don't think they are going anywhere anytime soon.
i don't really care about the package, i'm just stoked to see the milk and cheese comic art.
+5 points. Finally!
Finally, someone says something about M&C! The rest of you oughta be ashamed! I'll be collecting your geek cards, NOW.
Dorkin's the dude.
My head is spinning a little here. Is this THE Verizon we are talking about here? Can it be? Is this a real life portrayal of the "We must be more nimble! What would those guys at Hornstein do?" commercial?!
Those "perks" don't exactly seem perky to me...
You've obviously never had a $500 overage bill for minutes my friend. One flat rate is HUGE. Although I bethca the pricing is really geared towards higher end housholds and businesses ...
I meant the second list... the list of free roaming and what not, which doesn't sound all that new to me.
The 5 gig limit is the huge deal. Now you can do an OS update or d/l a few distros no problem. Just make sure to read those terms and conditions before you get too happy ...
Wait, a global package? Isn't Verizon CDMA? GSM is everywhere but who else uses CDMA?
China, Korea, most of Africa...
excuse me but yall do know that this is PER MONTH right? thats incredibly expensive
Oh come on, it's only anywhere from $1200 to $2400 per year. ;)
Oh boy! Milk and Cheese!
You've got to be kidding me right? 100 a month for unlimited voice? Even Metro PCS has a cheaper plan than that.
i can't stand verizon, but i can say it would cost them A LOT MORE MONEY than metro pcs for unlimited. metro pcs works it what like 5 cities. verizon is a nationwide company and they a much larger network to maintain.
No its not just you. Anyone would be a FOOL to pay that much for a cell phone company! Hell thats what landlines are for.
So why do $200 for a Family Share?
Just do two $99 Single lines. That way they can both get NE2 credit.
Something doesn't sound right.
Apparently I need to find some more friends, because I only use 100 minutes per month.
Not until you switch to GSM and use SIM cards will I bother with Verizon Wireless.
i dont feel like inputting 300+ contacts if i lose my phone. verizon automatically backs up my contacts.
They're gonna use LTE for their 4G network. That's as close to GSM as they're ever gonna get.
Don't expect LTE until 2010.
Oh yes, they're totally going to move to an older and technologically lesser format.
why would you do this where you can get all of this from Helio for like $60??
You mean for $99.
Helio Unlimited is $99/mo, not $60/mo.
Yeah true, I was thinking of the unlimited but with 500 minutes. Sorry I didn't think that through. Helio's $100 plan is still better than Verizons because Helio includes data, text and all the other stuff for the same price. Well, this is all under the assumption that Verizon is going to follow through with this deal.
Is this the start of there transition to LTE & there thing about anything on there network ?
Too expensive.
I'll get a 2 yr contract with T-mobile this summer for a blackberry curve with unlimited data and myFaves for $60/mo, and wait until Verizon comes to their senses with those prices (assuming they're the real deal.)
Other than being expensive, what is this International Package? Canada & Korea? Most countries use GSM so you would have to have a seperate phone unless they plan on releasing LTE extremely soon.
You know Verizon has phones that are cdma & gsm right there just not 850mhz
last i checked, verizon disabled the ability to tether and use your phone as a 3g modem, unless you want to pay an additional $65 a month. maybe that's changed too?
Shit why not just makes all you can eat $500 a month. Dear god those rates are insane.
I recently added unlimited data to my Alltel phone on a leash-- OK, granted, it's not EV-DO--for $25 a month.
Am I missing something here??
Now if only they would expand their network coverage a few miles, I would be happy to stay with them when my contract is up. Unfortunately after 4yrs and no coverage expansion, being stuck with no EVDO coverage for ~30mi in any direction (makes most of the phone's features useless), using a third party network (iirc Alltel in this neck of the woods), having a phone with most of its Bluetooth locked out so only a microphone can be used, and no sim card, I will say goodbye to Verizon and look for a company with better data coverage at my location and still have nationwide coverage.
I mean is it just me or are THOSE PRICES INSANELY EXPENSIVE. I know Verizon ( or rather Exploit-rizon), have always been expensive,but common now, how can the Average Man shed that amount of money every month in the name of LIMITED UNLIMITED by Verizon's definition.Common people,this exorbitant.....
Well if you think its too high... dont buy it. Verizon can charge whatever the hell they want for the plans. Again, if you think its too high, dont buy it. By the way, Exploit-rizon? That is just seriously lame! lol you should be ashamed.
As for International CDMA use,I was just in China, and my Verizon phone worked great. China Unicom has CDMA service in China. I've used my Verizon phone in Argentina and in Peru. However, in most cases, it's always cheaper to rent or borrow a phone and use pre-paid cards on a local carrier. So, an all-in-one price that includes International use for voice, data, and SMS would be beneficial. The rates quoted are still much too high, but it's a start.
Just to let you guys know boost mobile has this:
unlimited min $50 a month.
unlimited min&text $55
unlimited min/text&web $60
you only pay sales tax. my bill every month is $59.17. i could care less about shitty slow ass cellular web.
the only catch is there is only two handsets to choose from and only one is decent, but if you just want to use your phone for, you know, a phone it's fine with me.
if you roam its 15 cents a min but your local calling area is huge, it's all of west texas in my case. for 5 bucks more you can extend your calling area to cover the whole state and then some. even if you roam sometimes and pay 150 bucks once or twice a year it is STILL cheaper than anything else offered.
OH and did i mention there is NO CONTRACT!!!!
I went to all the major carriers and asked them why the hell i should sign a contract with them and pay more money for less minuets when boost is offering this. The blank stares i got sealed the deal for me.
www.boostmobile.com
I forgo to mention that they dont offer this deal every where. If it's not in you area it sucks for you!!!!
I would NEVER sign a contract with a phone company.
Or any other utility or tv company for that matter....
wake up people, the cell phone companies are raping you! 25 cents for a text message?!?! I mean come on!!!!!!
yeah, and Boost's phone selection sucks ass (the unlimited plan has, what, 2 crappy phones to choose among?).
And they don't have a tethering option.
MetroPCS is cheaper, has a better phone selection, and, if I recall correctly, is available in more cities than Boost.
Oh, and, MetroPCS doesn't have the lamest marketing orientation ever. (2nd lamest, maybe, but it's still better than Boost's)
as I said:
the only catch is there is only two handsets to choose from and only one is decent, but if you just want to use your phone for, you know, a phone it's fine with me.
I gotta give you the lame marketing thing tho. Those hip hop commercials are awful..... It's like they only want people to use them are those that listen to rap
too bad it really isn't worth getting til verizons network is fully 3g. right now their mobile web sucks.
I just signed up for a family plan (2 lines) with Sprint $95 for unlimited minutes $10 for 300 texts per line ( I think there's a $15/20 option for unlimited texts but I don't need more than 300 texts a month) $30 unlimited date = total $135... for pretty much unlimited everything (for mine and my wife's needs. The sprint service rep cam accross it and didn't know it was around - took him a while to set it up but after 20 minutes it was done. I don't have any cell phone loyaty and Sprint service has sucked in the past for me - but their prices seem to always beat Verizon. Just my observations. I know the Sprint store I went to is advertising an individual unlimited plan for $119 for everything including....ROAMING - I thought that was cool. and for $30 extra you can get an unlimited data card for you computer - not bad deals! VZ or Sprint - blowing ATT and Tmobile away - Better EVDO coverage too -(sans the rest of the world).
Verizon is the best for coverage north to south, coast to coast in the US. I speak from my own experience. That said, I am currently with ATT because I switched to match what the rest of my family has (cell to cell unlimited when on the same service). I had a first gen Razr and it was total pants. I was going to switch back but then the iPhone came around and I had. to. have. it. I still say that Verizon has the best coverage all over but ATT is probably second. Regardless, all services have drop outs and you have to choose what works best where you use it most and that can in fact mean that Verizon or ATT is not the best for you. What I'm getting at is that the packages are not all the same in actual value depending on how and where you use your phone. Select wisely for the best value to suit your needs where and how you use your phone.
Verizon is the best for coverage north to south, coast to coast in the US. I speak from my own experience. That said, I am currently with ATT because I switched to match what the rest of my family has (cell to cell unlimited when on the same service). I had a first gen Razr and it was total pants. I was going to switch back but then the iPhone came around and I had. to. have. it. I still say that Verizon has the best coverage all over but ATT is probably second. Regardless, all services have drop outs and you have to choose what works best where you use it most and that can in fact mean that Verizon or ATT is not the best for you. What I'm getting at is that the packages are not all the same in actual value depending on how and where you use your phone. Select wisely for the best value to suit your needs where and how you use your phone.
Well just to let people know, Sprint may not have great customer service, but their SERO plans are a smoking deal. $30 a month for 500 Any Time minutes, unlimited data and messaging. $50 gets you 1250 minutes and there is another plan that is higher.
Honestly, Verizon is charging you for the unlimited data. People with unlimited Minutes are merely subsidizing those with the unlimited data (not that it is exactly cheap).
its all bs any way, in japan they are on what, the 7g? 8? 9? network, their phone service craps all over ours
still, cricket beats verizon
Now where are those $30/month unlimited data plans for laptops? Don't see why I should pay $40/month for good, fast cable at home and $60/month on the road...
Just a quick note of respect for the Milk and Cheese pic.
/Tag! You're Nipsey Russell!
I have MetroPCS and for $55/mo I get unlimited minutes, text, and internet. I will definitely not be switching to Verizon for twice the money...
Uh, oh! You're punk is showing!
AYCE, What Happens Next, Conquest for Death!
+2 points to those that caught the Milk and Cheese ref.
Good golly...that's expensive!
I'm paying AT&T $98 after taxes & discounts for 2 lines w/ unlimited data, 100's of SMS/MMS (not sure how many exactly) and 700 shared mintues....not sure if paying an extra $152 to verizon is worth the unlimited voice and text messages.
Also, I'm not sure how Verizon remains competitive when their prices tend to be higher than the other major providers on every single feature.