Verizon Wireless has launched an unlimited data plan starting Monday, February 13. New or existing customers can get unlimited LTE data for $80 per month per line, or for $45 per month if they activate the plan across four or more lines.
The move signals a sharp reversal for the carrier that leads the pack in terms of subscribers. Verizon didn’t blink when Sprint and T-Mobile US launched unlimited plans last year, or when AT&T Mobility offered unlimited data to customers who signed up for wireless service along with DirecTV. Even when Verizon lost customers to Sprint and T-Mobile, the carrier didn’t follow their lead in offering unlimited data.
So why now? Verizon gained subscribers during the fourth quarter of last year, and it continues to dominate in terms of network coverage. But the carrier’s new management team thinks Verizon has a better chance of staying ahead with the new plan. EVP Ronan Dunne said that both Verizon’s customers and its network are ready for unlimited data.
“Our network investment and innovation have put us in a great position to meet customers’ increasing demand,” said Dunne in a weekend video news release. Dunne became EVP and group president at Verizon Wireless in September. He said that “power users” of data are currently forced to choose “an inferior so-called unlimited plan on a discounted carrier” or run the risk of data overage charges or running out of data. Dunne said Verizon is coming to the rescue with “the unlimited plan you want on the wireless network you deserve.”
“We’ve been working tirelessly, but quietly, behind the scenes, to deliver exactly what you’ve asked for,” Dunne said. He then introduced Verizon Wireless network head Nicola Palmer to detail Verizon’s network investments and innovations. She listed spectrum assets, LTE-Advanced, network software, advanced antenna technology, small cells, and nationwide fiber as reasons the Verizon network is now ready for this plan.
Data may be unlimited on the new plan, but high-speed data is not. Verizon said that any line that uses 22 gigabytes of data during one billing cycle may be served “behind other customers in the event of network congestion.”
All of Verizon’s existing data plans are remaining in place along with the new option. The carrier still has a some customers who enjoy unlimited plans that they purchased more than five years ago, which was the last time the carrier offered unlimited data. But the heaviest data users among those “grandfathered” customers are being forced to switch plans. Last month Verizon reportedly told those customers who are averaging 200 gigabytes of data or more per month that they would be disconnected if they did not switch to a new Verizon plan. Now those customers will have a new option, but they won’t be able to get enormous amounts of high-speed data for a set price.
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