Verizon to drop Unlimited Data on 7/29, tiered pricing to follow?

[pc747]

This thread is ridiculous since nothing has been announced.

For those who are freaking because they are rooted and have been free tethering well I hope you pay more.

For the others use wi-fi, it's free and takes less battery.

I have never tethered and I agree, they should make people that are consuming large data amounts while tethered pay for it.

I don't tether though, and I use my phone. It's a droid, a data/smartphone. I prob avg 4-7 GB a month easy. web, email, text, we have flash now (well some of us, all will soon) and I stream music alot. I like to listen while I work, clean around the house, going to bed...etc. 128kb/s streaming music adds up fast. plus app downloads and all that stuff add up. oh and gmaps of course.

I don't have a problem with people who don't use their phone paying for just a few hundred MB or a GB or two, but I hate being painted like a bad guy because I actually use my phone to it's potential. I don't see how you can be using a phone like the droid and NOT use over 1GB a month min at least. unless you use it like a dumb phone (basically voice calls only). or only send text messages.

Do we know if this is even for all data networks or just the upcoming 4g / lte data plans? for all I've heard 3g could still be the same anyways.

If they truly wish to screw everyone and themselves, I mean the future is data and mobile computers that can make calls (aka smart phones)... doing this just hurts it I think. I want to hear from them what they think they would like to get out of this moving into the future. Do they want people to use wifi everywhere possible and only use their network when necessary? If that's the case I'm cool with that, but they better cough up a nice free wifi ap.

ahh well Grandfathered in ftw? Even upgrading phones just extends your already agreed contract time afaik. so just don't change plans I guess.

Tethering does not necessarily cause you to use more data. If you go to the same sights your droid goes to then you are not gonna burn that much more data. Its those that use tethering to download movies, music, constantly playing xbox........pretty much treating it like a home internet connection.
I tether and probably use the same or less dat then those that do not.

 

[christim]

Jumping to the end after skimming a couple of pages.

If 3% are using 40% and they now will pay for what they consume will the rest of us not have to pay for that which we didn't consume? If they truly are using almost half of all the bandwidth and are using 5 to 13 times more than the rest of us I should see my bill go down at least by half, right? hmmph. Didn't think so.

A cool model would be businesses picking up the tab. big business is all excited about mobile content and the advertising they can do to expand their markets. More folks on mobile devices means more ads and those must work or else Google wouldn't be in business, right? So, free content for us, paid for by advertisers makes sense to me. However, I'm not holding my breath on that one either.

 

[sos567656765]

This thread is ridiculous since nothing has been announced.

For those who are freaking because they are rooted and have been free tethering well I hope you pay more.

For the others use wi-fi, it's free and takes less battery.

Like others you are assumeing that everyone has access to wifi or a internet connected pc. I for one don't.

 

[JCo352]

This thread is ridiculous since nothing has been announced.

For those who are freaking because they are rooted and have been free tethering well I hope you pay more.

For the others use wi-fi, it's free and takes less battery.

I'm rooted and don't tether, and I'm still mad about this. And as far as the wifi comment, in case you haven't realized this is a mobile phone, meaning you don't have wifi all the time. Not everyone here is retired, and stays at home all the time.

 

[jsh1120]

This thread is ridiculous since nothing has been announced.

For those who are freaking because they are rooted and have been free tethering well I hope you pay more.

For the others use wi-fi, it's free and takes less battery.

Like others you are assumeing that everyone has access to wifi or a internet connected pc. I for one don't.

That's a shame. Seriously. But I fail to see that it's relevant. You want to treat Verizon as your ISP since you apparently have no other choice. OK. That's fine. But you're going to pay for that service which is decidedly different from those of us who pay for a separate ISP connection to use the internet.

You have a legitimate complaint assuming you live somewhere that broadband access is not available. On that score, you should perhaps direct your energy toward a national strategy for expanding broadband access. Complaining that Verizon won't provide that for you, however, strikes me as misplaced.

 

[Scotty9678]

This reminds me SOOOOO much of when Verizon and other providers started removing newsgroups and putting d'l caps on month to month service...they said the same crap about <5% of subscribers using over 90% of the bandwidth and blah blah...and excuse to charge more.

Two ideas...How about my data rolls over? I don't use 500mb of my 2gb can it rollover to the next?
Because I've only had my phone 2 months, first month I managed 1.7gb and the other 1.9gb so it seems that 2gb is my range...but what if I go a little nuts one month? (I know rollover is a dirty word to Verizon, but just an idea)

We'd all get pissed off...but perhaps live if they have 3-4 tiers or so...200mb - 1gb - 2gb - True Unlimited...if True Unlimited was $50 a month we'd complain for now but at least it'd be an option.

 

[pc747]

This thread is ridiculous since nothing has been announced.

For those who are freaking because they are rooted and have been free tethering well I hope you pay more.

For the others use wi-fi, it's free and takes less battery.

Like others you are assumeing that everyone has access to wifi or a internet connected pc. I for one don't.

That's a shame. Seriously. But I fail to see that it's relevant. You want to treat Verizon as your ISP since you apparently have no other choice. OK. That's fine. But you're going to pay for that service which is decidedly different from those of us who pay for a separate ISP connection to use the internet.

You have a legitimate complaint assuming you live somewhere that broadband access is not available. On that score, you should perhaps direct your energy toward a national strategy for expanding broadband access. Complaining that Verizon won't provide that for you, however, strikes me as misplaced.

good point. They should make it tiered in that instance. Like I said I tether and I do not even hit 2gigs. But I tether maybe 30 mins a week, and its just to check mail and basic manuals that is saved in my gmail that I would benefit more from by having a bigger screen. When I am at my house I use my isp unless there is a power outtage. Point being that I can not complain about not having an unlimited plan if I am abusing it and busting 5gigs constantly.
I just think that for those who are not data hogs, they should not have to pay the same amount as those who are.

 

[clucernoni]

This thread is ridiculous since nothing has been announced.

For those who are freaking because they are rooted and have been free tethering well I hope you pay more.

For the others use wi-fi, it's free and takes less battery.

Like others you are assumeing that everyone has access to wifi or a internet connected pc. I for one don't.

That's a shame. Seriously. But I fail to see that it's relevant. You want to treat Verizon as your ISP since you apparently have no other choice. OK. That's fine. But you're going to pay for that service which is decidedly different from those of us who pay for a separate ISP connection to use the internet.

You have a legitimate complaint assuming you live somewhere that broadband access is not available. On that score, you should perhaps direct your energy toward a national strategy for expanding broadband access. Complaining that Verizon won't provide that for you, however, strikes me as misplaced.

Comparing this to an ISP though is a bad analogy. Hell, I get more from my ISP: Faster internet, unlimited bandwidth, and HDTV...all for the same price. So how is it that Comcast can charge me 79.99 for all of this, but i'm paying over 80 for slower service and limited access...

It seems to me that mobile data and calling plans are in general way over priced. And if they are going to start tiering plans, saying that some of us are using more than our share, shouldn't I be allowed to drop my voice plan on my droid? I NEVER use a single minute...I use google voice to call everyone, yet I have to pay some 30 to 40 bucks for a voice plan? If they want to give people more flexibility to only pay for what they use, then let us drop the voice and ill gladly foot the bill for more data.

 

[DoubleTapp89]

I contacted Verizon Tech Support and asked them about this issue. They told me that they are currently not making any changes of the Data plans. But I know that this will not solve this speculation. This is what I hope, They keep the unlimited Data plan, and offer the tier plans at a lower price. That would be most understandable. I believe that Verizon would increase their customers count if they abide by this. My Opinion...

 

[shaneo40]

This thread is ridiculous since nothing has been announced.

For those who are freaking because they are rooted and have been free tethering well I hope you pay more.

For the others use wi-fi, it's free and takes less battery.

Please don't assume wi-fi is an option for everyone. I happen to be one of the 14-24 million American people that does not have access to broadband, other than my phone. This is not a joke to me. My wife has a verizon netbook and I have a droid. I don't have options like the "many". I don't have an option to switch carriers. Nothing like living in a monopoly.

 

[jsh1120]

Comparing this to an ISP though is a bad analogy. Hell, I get more from my ISP: Faster internet, unlimited bandwidth, and HDTV...all for the same price. So how is it that Comcast can charge me 79.99 for all of this, but i'm paying over 80 for slower service and limited access...

It seems to me that mobile data and calling plans are in general way over priced. And if they are going to start tiering plans, saying that some of us are using more than our share, shouldn't I be allowed to drop my voice plan on my droid? I NEVER use a single minute...I use google voice to call everyone, yet I have to pay some 30 to 40 bucks for a voice plan? If they want to give people more flexibility to only pay for what they use, then let us drop the voice and ill gladly foot the bill for more data.

The reason you're paying "over $80 for slower service and limited access" is that is what Verizon is selling. You're not required to buy it. Likewise, VZW is selling cell phone service with an option for data services (and they'll subsidize your purchase of a phone as an incentive to boot. Your "30 to 40 bucks" a month helps pay off that loan they gave you.)

Frankly, as a left-wing liberal, I find it puzzling that so many people don't seem to understand how capitalism works and seem to believe that socialism (at least as far as phone service goes) is far preferable.

 

[hookbill]

My first visit to this thread. I thought "What in the world can these people be talking about for so long?"

If they go to teared like everyone says they will then I figure I'll save money. I can probably get by with just a couple of gigs a month. I know I don't go over 5.

 

[zMd113]

$80 for 5gigs - engadget.com
Insane!

 

[liquidzoo]

$80 for 5gigs - engadget.com
Insane!

That's for mobile broadband (MiFi, netbooks, etc), not Smartphones.

 

[jsh1120]

$80 for 5gigs - engadget.com
Insane!

That's for mobile broadband (MiFi, netbooks, etc), not Smartphones.

It's also for a non-contract one-time monthly charge, a plan that isn't available now.

Reading is such a useful skill.