Verizon Unlimited launches tomorrow; $45 a line for family of four, streaming HD video
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Starting tomorrow, February 13th, you can sign up for Verizon Unlimited which will offer unlimited data for smartphones and tablets. The price of the service is $80 per line. However, those with four lines will be able to take advantage of the new plan by paying $45 per month (you must agree to auto pay). This is a huge change in direction for the nation's largest carrier, and is no doubt a response to T-Mobile and Sprint's constant advertising of their unlimited plans.
While Verizon's new plan is priced at $5 more per line than T-Mobile for that family of four, it will offer HD (720p) video streaming rather than the DVD (480p) streaming that T-Mobile provides. Of course, you could pay $15 more a month for T-Mobile One Plus to receive unlimited HD day passes for your streaming video, but that would remove T-Mobile's price advantage over Verizon. A connected smartwatch (think the LG Watch Sport, Verizon's own Wear24 or the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier) can be added for just $5 a month.
The new plan also features unlimited mobile hotspot usage, although only the first 10GB is at 4G LTE speeds. After that, you will be connected at 3G speeds. If you are a Verizon customer, this could be the plan that you've wanted regardless of CFO Fran Shammo's comments last year. The executive said back in September that its customers don't need unlimited data. Perhaps Verizon finally realized that the business has changed and that its customers generally want unlimited data. Now, it is up to Verizon customers to show that the carrier did the right thing by signing up for the service.
Anyone using more than 22GB of data in a month could find themselves waiting at the back of the line during periods of heavy traffic. As Verizon says, it "may prioritize usage behind other customers in the event of network congestion." And the good ol' 5GB, S, M, and L Verizon plans are still available.
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