Verizon Confirms the Obvious: No Plans to Bring Back Unlimited Data

[dgstorm]

AT&T recently brought back a version of their unlimited wireless data plans for smartphones. Because of this, there was some industry speculation that Verizon might consider doing the same thing to remain competitive with their large rival. Of course, most of our members know better; Verizon has always hated unlimited data, and it is unlikely to ever come back.

Just in case that wasn't clear, Fran Shammo, Verizon's Chief Financial Officer recently re-confirmed this during the company's fourth quarter earnings call. Shammo specifically said, "At this point, we are not going to entertain unlimited." It doesn't really get much more definitive than that. Shammo pretty much squashed any hopes with a comment that was probably not meant to be snarky, but almost comes across that way.

Source: CNET

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

So their current business model is:

- They don't care if they lose existing customers (by jacking the unlimited price up $20/month per data plan).
- They don't care if they lose potential new customers (who will go to AT&T, T-mobile, and Sprint in order to get some flavor of unlimited data).

They can preach how much better their network is all they want. But this is analogous to two restaurants that serve crab legs. One serves inferior, but all you can eat crab legs. The other serves higher quality crab legs but it is pay (a higher price) by the lb.

Sure some will opt for the latter but the masses will go for the former. I don't see how Big Red plans to continue this strategy long-term.

 

[kodiak799]

You can really only get unlimited at AT&T bundling with Uverse/DirectTV....thinking VZW cable footprint is not nearly as large and so probably aren't interested in matching that deal.

Everyone keeps talking about how they will leave VZW and how VZW is going to lose all these customers....and it NEVER happens - TMo has hurt Sprint and AT&T but not VZW.

If you want to compare to the phones, VZW is IPhone and they do whatever they want while the others are Android and cutting each other off at the knees.

 

[nguyenlm]

So their current business model is:

- They don't care if they lose existing customers (by jacking the unlimited price up $20/month per data plan).
- They don't care if they lose potential new customers (who will go to AT&T, T-mobile, and Sprint in order to get some flavor of unlimited data).

They can preach how much better their network is all they want. But this is analogous to two restaurants that serve crab legs. One serves inferior, but all you can eat crab legs. The other serves higher quality crab legs but it is pay (a higher price) by the lb.

Sure some will opt for the latter but the masses will go for the former. I don't see how Big Red plans to continue this strategy long-term.

Your analogy only applies to a small subset of people who live in an area with two crab selling restaurants and NEVER leave the area.

Back to the real world most people who havent jump ship are either in an area where other carriers have terrible coverage or frequent places where they need decent (actual functional networks).

I'd gladly go to T-mobile if it worked half decent in my area but it doesnt.

 

[dgstorm]

Although he sometimes sounds like a Verizon corporate shill (we still love ya brutha ), @kodiak799 is dead accurate on this one. Last year and last quarter, Verizon did very well. They added quite a few new customers and didn't have high churn on existing customers. Whatever koolaid Big Red is selling is being lapped up by the public in droves.

AT&T and Sprint were the carriers hurt the most by T-Mobile's Uncarrier shenanigans. I don't even think Verizon noticed a bump in the road.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

I've actually started to lightly consider switching to Straight Talk, but only if I can get a plan that uses the VZW network, which I believe is the case, because I gave my cousin my old VZW gNex and he was able to use it on that service.

$45/mo for unlimited everything...up to 5GB of data at 4G speeds. I can't remember the last time I went over 5GB with the quality I get on my home wifi, so the fact that it bumps down to 2G after that wouldn't really bother me. At least I could still Google things for the last couple days of the month without paying more. And I'd be paying about half of what I pay now for the same network.

There has to be some catch that I haven't thought of, which is the big thing keeping me from doing it.

AT&T's service isn't as good in my area and when I travel between here and my hometown, around 1,000 miles. I have SOME coverage on VZW almost all the way between, where I had many dark zones on T-Mobile years ago, even with free roaming on AT&T. That AT&T coverage may have changed, but given that VZW's has been better longer, I see no point in going over to them and I like having actual cable since I refuse to get DSL for broadband at home.

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

Your analogy only applies to a small subset of people who live in an area with two crab selling restaurants and NEVER leave the area.

Back to the real world most people who havent jump ship are either in an area where other carriers have terrible coverage or frequent places where they need decent (actual functional networks).

I'd gladly go to T-mobile if it worked half decent in my area but it doesnt.

Doesn't mean they won't try. Had a guy i worked with a few years ago went to the Sprint store and got himself, his wife, and two kids all on new phones with unlimited everything plans for almost half what he had been paying. Got them home and couldn't even get a signal in his house to make a phone call. Took them all back to the Sprint store and stuck with Big Red. But still this anti-customer attitude will eventually catch up to VZW.

 

[mountainbikermark]

I've actually started to lightly consider switching to Straight Talk, but only if I can get a plan that uses the VZW network, which I believe is the case, because I gave my cousin my old VZW gNex and he was able to use it on that service.

$45/mo for unlimited everything...up to 5GB of data at 4G speeds. I can't remember the last time I went over 5GB with the quality I get on my home wifi, so the fact that it bumps down to 2G after that wouldn't really bother me. At least I could still Google things for the last couple days of the month without paying more. And I'd be paying about half of what I pay now for the same network.

There has to be some catch that I haven't thought of, which is the big thing keeping me from doing it.

AT&T's service isn't as good in my area and when I travel between here and my hometown, around 1,000 miles. I have SOME coverage on VZW almost all the way between, where I had many dark zones on T-Mobile years ago, even with free roaming on AT&T. That AT&T coverage may have changed, but given that VZW's has been better longer, I see no point in going over to them and I like having actual cable since I refuse to get DSL for broadband at home.

A lot of folks in my world have started leaving Verizon for T-Mobile. Don't know when you looked at a T-Mobile coverage map last but in Virginia it's pretty much totally covered now vs just summer of 14 having huge holes, such as the entire western region and most of it also is the lower frequency 4g that promises better building penetration. Where my daughter lives, Bowling Green Kentucky, you've got a choice of AT&T, T-Mobile or Kentucky Wireless (no Verizon at all for about 2 hours prior when we drove there plus huge Verizon gaps in other areas as well but I had good signal with AT&T) and AT&T is partnering in much of the area on the T-Mobile network.
The game is changing and Verizon is still resting on its laurels while losing a customer here or there that'll eventually grow in numbers if they continue their ways.

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[Jonny Kansas]

A lot of folks in my world have started leaving Verizon for T-Mobile. Don't know when you looked at a T-Mobile coverage map last but in Virginia it's pretty much totally covered now vs just summer of 14 having huge holes, such as the entire western region and most of it also is the lower frequency 4g that promises better building penetration. Where my daughter lives, Bowling Green Kentucky, you've got a choice of AT&T, T-Mobile or Kentucky Wireless (no Verizon at all for about 2 hours prior when we drove there plus huge Verizon gaps in other areas as well but I had good signal with AT&T) and AT&T is partnering in much of the area on the T-Mobile network.
The game is changing and Verizon is still resting on its laurels while losing a customer here or there that'll eventually grow in numbers if they continue their ways.

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Yeah. I'm in the middle of a HUGE gray area which means that I'd be on a partner's towers, IE AT&T. Not sure if it's still the case, but I know when my parents last had T-mobile (can't remember if they still do) and came up here, there was an issue with data roaming on AT&T and they couldn't get coverage. That's actually why I dropped T-Mobile back in 2009 when I moved up here. Something happened and you couldn't get data while roaming and as far as I know, that hasn't changed.

Either way, I'd still be relying on AT&T's lesser coverage up here and hoping that the roaming worked reliably. No thanks...

I do miss having T-mo. I've said that before many times on this forum. But it's hard to beat all of the red on the coverage map of my area and a VERY large surrounding area.

 

[Miller6386]

With home Internet I have no need for unlimited data. I bumped us to 18gb and we used less than 5 and that was with streaming Sirius all I wanted.

I had a T mobile device coming to test their network but they made mistake after mistake getting me the device so I took it as a sign of how they did business and just cancelled it.

I would still like to try the T-Mobile network and see how it works where I go. Maybe again this summer.

Sent from my SM-P550 using Tapatalk

 

[PereDroid]

I've said it before and will continue to say it: the day my job doesn't pay my bill, I jump ship from VZW.
They day they kill Grand Fathered Unlimited (or raise the price again) my wife leaves VZW.
(Depending)
We don't stay with VZW because of the network. Network, schmetwork. CLE is well covered by ATT and TMoby.
(I don't know about Sprint).

I even did talk to Tmobile about switching the company over.
Talk about an excited sales guy! "How many lines!?!?!"
But the logistics of moving 30 phones all at different stages of contracts kept us on VZW.
But it was a tempting offer....

 

[Mustang02]

I've said it before and will continue to say it: the day my job doesn't pay my bill, I jump ship from VZW.
They day they kill Grand Fathered Unlimited (or raise the price again) my wife leaves VZW.
(Depending)
We don't stay with VZW because of the network. Network, schmetwork. CLE is well covered by ATT and TMoby.
(I don't know about Sprint).

I even did talk to Tmobile about switching the company over.
Talk about an excited sales guy! "How many lines!?!?!"
But the logistics of moving 30 phones all at different stages of contracts kept us on VZW.
But it was a tempting offer....

77 south near Richfield is where tmo stops working. Att is spotty in cvnp too. Ill have service and my friends won't. The coverage is why I stay with vzw. Once tmo gets better coverage, I'm gone.

 

[kinfolk248]

The main reason VZW has this hardnose attitude is because a LOT of their busine$$ is from businesses/corporate entities. So no they dont really care about subscribers b/c it's not like a business can just up and jump ship, they will simply pass the cost to their clientele. that my friend(s) is what VZW is doing with its subscribers, just pass the cost to them and keep it moving. And yes they did see a bump in the road b/c they have adjusted the plans and cost structure, some for the better some for the worst but they have adjusted.

Oh yea theres also a LOTTT of ppl stuck with a carrier b/c that's all they have access to. Sort of like TV conglomerates Comcast and DirecTV smh smh...

 

[mountainbikermark]

With home Internet I have no need for unlimited data. I bumped us to 18gb and we used less than 5 and that was with streaming Sirius all I wanted.

I had a T mobile device coming to test their network but they made mistake after mistake getting me the device so I took it as a sign of how they did business and just cancelled it.

I would still like to try the T-Mobile network and see how it works where I go. Maybe again this summer.

Sent from my SM-P550 using Tapatalk

You can get a SIM card for $10 to try in your current phone and if you're not satisfied worn the coverage area they'll refund the $10 of you return it within 30 days. You won't be able to test speeds because it won't do LTE but you can test the signal strength. Just go by a local store and they'll hook you up and set up your phone to accept the T-Mobile SIM card as well as your Verizon one. Takes about 5 minutes.

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[Miller6386]

You can get a SIM card for $10 to try in your current phone and if you're not satisfied worn the coverage area they'll refund the $10 of you return it within 30 days. You won't be able to test speeds because it won't do LTE but you can test the signal strength. Just go by a local store and they'll hook you up and set up your phone to accept the T-Mobile SIM card as well as your Verizon one. Takes about 5 minutes.

Support Our Troops!!!
Beast Mode 4
<><

The closest t-mobile store is 2 hours away. When I called that's what they offered but I didn't want to make that trip. I appreciate the thought though.

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