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Verizon gets official with Wireless Fivespot mobile hotspot, touts awful global roaming plans

Darren Murph
Updated ·4 min read

Really, Verizon? Play up the global roaming features of your new-but-not-unexpected Wireless Fivespot, only to strangle it with GlobalAccess plans that top out with 200MB of international data? Thanks, but no thanks. For those still interested in the new WWAN modem for domestic use (psst... the MiFi 2200 is a better deal), this ZTE-built device is the first in VZW's stable to offer global data access. That's due to having both a SIM card slot (for GSM roaming) and a CDMA radio inside, and as with the aforesaid MiFi, it'll handle up to five simultaneous WiFi connections. The unit itself will run $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year agreement, and Verizon's providing both postpaid and prepaid domestic data plan options: $39.99 per month gets you 250MB with a $0.10 overage, while $59.99 nets you 5GB and a $0.05/MB overage (the prepaid details reside after the break). Where it really gets ludicrous is GlobalAccess -- customers traveling abroad have the choice of two plans, a $129.99/month option with 5GB in the US / Canada and 100MB elsewhere, or a $219.99/month alternative that simply adds an extra 100MB on the international end. That's $90 for an extra 100MB. We'll spare you the chore of stressing over all of this and point you to Xcom Global -- trust us, if you're touching down in a foreign land for over an hour, you'll need close to 100MB just to digest the inbox explosion from being in the air 14 hours.

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Wi-Fi Access Around the Globe With the Verizon Wireless Fivespot, the First Global Ready Mobile HotSpot

Five Wi-Fi® Connections, Four LED Status Lights, One Ultra Portable Device

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Be your own 3G Mobile HotSpot whether traveling around the block or around the world with the new Verizon Wireless Fivespot™. Developed by ZTE USA, Inc., the Fivespot™ is the first Global Ready™ 3G Mobile HotSpot. Allowing customers to connect and share their data connection with up to five Wi-Fi®-enabled devices including, netbooks, tablets and gaming devices within the United States and around the globe, the Verizon Wireless Fivespot™ comes with a pre-installed SIM card and provides global data service in more than 200 countries, more than 120 of those with 3G speeds when subscribing to a GlobalAccess plan.

Key features:

* The Fivespot™ supports:
o CDMA 1xEV-DO Rev. A/Rev. 0: 800/1900 MHz
o WCDMA/HSDPA/HSUPA: 850/1900/2100 MHz
o GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
* VPN support
* One-click to power on/off
* Instructive LED indicators
* Small, stylish form factor measuring 3.92 x 2.11 x 0.55 inches
* 2.82 ounces

Price and availability:

* The Fivespot™ will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com on Oct. 7 for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

Mobile Broadband pricing:

* Customers will need to choose from one of the various price plans to connect to Verizon Wireless' Mobile Broadband network, which also gives them access to thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots at no additional charge and allows them to move easily from the nation's most reliable 3G wireless network to those hotspots:
o $39.99 monthly access for 250 MB monthly allowance and $0.10/MB overage
o $59.99 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance and $0.05/MB overage
o Prepaid Mobile Broadband plans are also available:
+ $15 for 100 MB (one day of use)
+ $30 for 300 MB (one week of use)
+ $50 for 1 GB (30 days of use)
+ $80 for 5 GB (30 days of use)


GlobalAccess pricing:

* Customers traveling abroad can sign up for one of the following plans:
o $129.99 monthly access (5 GB allowance for the United States and Canada, $0.05/MB overage), 100 MB allowance in select countries ($0.005/KB after allowance)
o $219.99 monthly access (5 GB allowance for the United States and Canada, $0.05/MB overage), 200 MB allowance in select countries ($0.005/KB after allowance)
o GlobalAccess Pay Per Use for occasional use must be purchased with a $59.99 Mobile Broadband service plan in the United States. The Pay Per Use rate is $0.002/KB in Canada, $0.005/KB in Mexico, and $0.02/KB in more than 200 other destinations.

For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.