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Verizon adds 250MB Share Everything plan for the extra-thrifty
Verizon's Share Everything plans may be convenient for multi-phone households, but they're not cheap -- even the 500MB tier can be pricey for those who don't need much data. To that end, the carrier is introducing a $20, 250MB shared data plan on January 21st. The new offering shaves about $20 off the base rate, and lets a single smartphone owner pay as little as $60 per month for full service; a customer with a basic phone pays $50 per month. With that said, the plan isn't exactly the bargain of the century. AT&T offers a slightly better 300MB for the same money, and 250MB is likely to run out quickly if there's at least one smartphone in the mix. It may be worth investigating what Sprint and T-Mobile have to offer if you want more data without paying a lot more for the privilege.
Verizon Wireless lowers the bar with 500MB Share Everything plan
Ah, the wonderful world of wireless carriers. You can almost guarantee that if one makes a move, the others will soon follow. We're still hoping that AT&T and Verizon will succumb to peer pressure and resume offering unlimited data plans, but until that day comes, you can look forward to lots of fine tuning of their tiered share plans. The latest move comes from Verizon, which has introduced its lowest cost offering yet: a 500MB shared plan that runs $40 per month. This rings in at $10 less than its 1GB shared data plan, but when combined with a single smartphone, you're looking at paying $80 per month for unlimited talk, text and 500MB of data that's subject to overage fees. Compare this to AT&T, which just announced a 300MB share plan that costs $70 once bundled with a smartphone. Either way, this presents a cheaper option for some, but it won't be fun keeping such a close eye on the meager data allotment. Update: This article previously drew a comparison that was based on the price of a feature phone at Verizon, which costs $30 per month. We've updated the article to reflect Verizon's $40 monthly charge for smartphones.
Verizon announces Share Everything Plans for Small Business are arriving Jan 24th
Verizon is widening the scope of its Share Everything plans to accommodate small businesses from January 24th. Companies can purchase a single plan with up to 25 lines with unlimited minutes, texts, picture and video messages -- with the tiered pricing dependent on if you want data limits of 30GB ($225), 40GB ($300) or 50GB ($375), plus line rental. Enterprise customers can also plump for plans with tailored minutes to Canada or Mexico if they do the bulk of their business with our neighbors. Use of mobile hotspots is built into the pricing, and will let subscribers know when they're close to hitting their cap. Interested in learning more? Head down to the source links for detailed information on pricing. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Verizon CFO buries his head in the sand, claims unlimited data is 'going by the wayside'
"La la la la. I can't hear you." Verizon's CFO, Fran Shammo, might've just as well made those comments with his hands firmly cupped over his ears, as the firm's chief number cruncher told attendees at today's Goldman Sachs investor conference, "Unlimited is just a word, it doesn't really mean anything." While Sprint and T-Mobile would certainly take issue with that statement, Shammo then dug the hole deeper by saying, "That whole unlimited thing, I think, is going by the wayside." These comments were made in the context of Shammo playing up the carrier's shared data plans, wherein he explained his belief that consumers "think they consume a lot more data than they really do." Shammo also revealed that Verizon has converted more subscribers and devices over to the new scheme than it'd initially anticipated. Naturally, change within any industry takes time, but now that Sprint is in a position to offer unlimited data at a meaningful speed and T-Mobile has climbed aboard the bandwagon, Verizon may have to change its tune if a significant number of consumers decide that unlimited isn't dead after all. You can view the entire transcript at the source link below, but consider this: would you take unlimited plans into consideration when shopping between carriers, or is Mr. Shammo right that consumers really don't use that much data? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.
Verizon's 'secret menu' Share Everything plans offer 20GB for $150 (update)
Like Starbucks' Short Latté, Fatburger's Hypocrite and Wendy's Meat Cube, Verizon is offering its own not-so-secret menu on its Share Everything data plans. Big V's Brenda Raney told Computerworld that there are five more tiers beyond the 10GB top-limit shown on the company's website -- that are only available if you ask on the phone or in stores. The options run from 12GB for $110 all the way to 20GB for $150, but only as long as you've agreed the limit in advance of blowing all that data. If not, then you'll be spending another $150 in penalty charges for your overage. There's no official word if you need to offer a secret password or handshake, but we'd do it anyway -- if only to feel a bit like James Bond. Update: Verizon's confirmed the pricing tiers and let us know that you can now grab the bigger data plans without ever having to wink at a sales rep. Simply add a handset to your cart and push through to "Plans" on Big V's website and you can scroll to the right to access the 12GB - 20GB offerings.
AT&T and Verizon shared data plans compared
With the introduction of AT&T's Mobile Share this morning, the two largest mobile operators in the US (the other one, of course, being Verizon) have officially embraced the idea of pooled data plans. The concept is simple: bundle talk, text and data together in the same family plan, instead of forcing each individual member to pay a separate fee if they want internet access. With the announcement of these plans, we were instantly curious to find out if these new options will save customers money on a monthly basis -- and which company offers the best value. Determined to get some answers, we've broken down AT&T and Verizon's plans and will highlight the pros and cons for you after the break.
Verizon's Share Everything data plans go live June 28th, let you add family (or a tablet) for a little extra
Verizon has been promising shared data plans for awhile, so it's with some relief (and trepidation) we can say they're here. Share Everything, as it's called, starts off with the assumption you'll want unlimited voice and messages and then bolts on shared data along with a maximum of 10 individual devices: a core plan starts at $50 per month for 1GB of data and requires that you tack on $40 a month for every smartphone, $30 for basic phones, $20 for hotspots and $10 for tablets. Of course, Verizon will gladly let you pay for more data if your family loves to stream Netflix on 4G all day, up to $100 for a common pool of 10GB. A stiff price, but it also includes tethering or hotspot creation support on any device in the mix. The new plans will be ready to tempt you away from your unlimited data on June 28th.
