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.
That's not all though. There are even more perks and benefits in store for premium-paying unlimited users:
- 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
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
YourTechSupport @ Feb 17th 2008 8:35PM
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?
David Clark @ Feb 17th 2008 9:34PM
Now if they'll only get some good phones to use these services..
Fingers ready to the cross position
Jon Doe. @ Feb 17th 2008 9:48PM
At 3 figures? N.
TimmytheTooth @ Feb 17th 2008 10:03PM
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?
Keith @ Feb 18th 2008 2:03AM
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
lyndon @ Feb 18th 2008 1:46PM
hello verizon goodbye att
spiderman092 @ Feb 18th 2008 5:59PM
did any one ever hear of metro pcs
http://www.metropcs.com
Killer @ Feb 17th 2008 8:37PM
Jesus Christ...Am I dreaming?
audioeric @ Feb 17th 2008 8:40PM
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?!?!?!
bdkennedy1 @ Feb 17th 2008 8:44PM
Hurray! We're back to the 50's when owning a phone was a luxury.
Shane @ Feb 17th 2008 8:52PM
Wait...What?
flYY @ Feb 17th 2008 10:49PM
The 1850's?
CUBSWILLWIN @ Feb 17th 2008 8:45PM
goodbuy sprint hello verizon
Flashpoint @ Feb 17th 2008 8:45PM
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.
Nate @ Feb 17th 2008 8:48PM
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.
john @ Feb 17th 2008 8:57PM
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.
AndrewNeo @ Feb 17th 2008 9:04PM
Landline phone, DSL, FiOS: Verizon.
Wireless: Verizon Wireless.
yoshi @ Feb 17th 2008 9:07PM
@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.
Darkest Daze @ Feb 17th 2008 10:04PM
@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.
Prokanda @ Feb 18th 2008 4:06AM
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.
David C @ Feb 17th 2008 8:48PM
what does the family plan include, just voice?
Nate @ Feb 17th 2008 8:49PM
We'll know, for sure, on Tuesday.
Jim Nichols @ Feb 17th 2008 8:50PM
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?
john @ Feb 17th 2008 9:07PM
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).
Jkswiss @ Feb 17th 2008 9:22PM
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.
thethirdmoose @ Feb 17th 2008 9:24PM
Check out sprint.com/sero
$30/mo for 500 mins, unlimited data, and unlimited texts.
you need an email address, try savings@sprintemi.com
john @ Feb 17th 2008 9:43PM
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.
Patrick2.0 @ Feb 18th 2008 12:51AM
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.
Joe baldwin @ Feb 18th 2008 2:57AM
Verizon Wireless offers 34.99 unlimited data on the blackberries without having to sign up for a voice plan.
Jim Nichols @ Feb 18th 2008 3:04AM
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.
nerdtalker @ Feb 18th 2008 5:52PM
@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.
Joe M. @ Feb 17th 2008 8:52PM
Are they Gonna unlock the GPS on my Blackberry or what?
RC @ Feb 17th 2008 11:29PM
I doubt it. They want you to use their VZ Navigator service.
john @ Feb 17th 2008 8:53PM
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).
Bobby D @ Feb 17th 2008 8:58PM
Is it just me or is this insanely expensive?
Spire_walk @ Feb 17th 2008 9:40PM
Yeah... this is way too expensive.
john @ Feb 17th 2008 10:02PM
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)
djuan @ Feb 18th 2008 2:07PM
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.
Paul @ Feb 17th 2008 8:58PM
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...
SimbaDogg @ Feb 17th 2008 9:02PM
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...
Prokanda @ Feb 18th 2008 4:13AM
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. ;)
SimbaDogg @ Feb 18th 2008 4:34AM
@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.
Gary Sparkes Jr. @ Feb 18th 2008 1:22PM
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..
Jesse S @ Feb 17th 2008 9:11PM
I've heard that the 5gig limit has been dropped for everyone with the unlimited data plan.
Flashpoint @ Feb 17th 2008 9:14PM
switch to Sprint????
Are you INSANE?
Sprint's about to go the direction of HDDVD.
RC @ Feb 17th 2008 11:25PM
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.
Daniel @ Feb 18th 2008 1:08PM
Sprint has over 50 million users, I don't think they are going anywhere anytime soon.
sepirioth @ Feb 17th 2008 9:15PM
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?!
CB17 @ Feb 17th 2008 9:16PM
Those "perks" don't exactly seem perky to me...
lyd @ Feb 17th 2008 9:25PM
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 ...