The folks over at Android Central have dropped some information about Verizon and their 3G grandfathered unlimited data plans. Right now, it may not mean a whole lot to BlackBerry users as the changes are only limited to those on 3G plans who are going to 4G plans when upgrading their devices. It is worth noting though, due to the fact that 4G LTE equipped BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBooks are on their way.
Verizon has plans to kill the current unlimited data add-on and force users to a shared pool of tiered data. Speaking at today's 40th annual J.P. Morgan Technology, Media, and Telecom conference, Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo stated that all customers will be migrated off of current unlimited data plans and on to a new data-share plan to launch this summer. "Everyone will be on data share", according to Shammo. As people renew contracts and move to new 4G LTE smartphones and other devices, their current data plan will no longer be available. There was no mention what would happen to current LTE subscribers, but we imagine they too will be pushed towards the new sharing plans.
Again, if you're making use of a BlackBerry right now and looking to upgrade to a new one, you should be ok and not be affected by these changes. However, if Verizon picks up a 4G LTE BlackBerry sometime in the near future, you'll have some choices to make.
Source: Android Central
Reader comments
Verizon killing off grandfathered unlimited data plans
Okay, I don't know if anyone knows. But if you want to keep your unlimited data, you CAN keep it. The only way to keep your unlimited data is to pay for a new phone in retail price. Not upgrade price. Because there are differences between upgrade and paying retail price. If you upgrade, you're required to sign the contract for two more years with new plans they offer. But if you pay for new phone in retail price, there is no need to sign for two more year, requiring you to have new plans. So... I find this more worth it. I kept mine and I have 4G LTE. No, I don't have blackberry anymore. I have Galaxy Nexus. 4G will use A LOT of data. So, I recommend you to pay in retail price so you can keep unlimited data for 4G service. Even though you have Blackberry and it doesn't use a lot of data, I still recommend you to keep unlimited data. Never know, one day, you'll decide to get iPhone or Android.
The crooks at the Verizon store or at VZW.com won't tell you that guaranteed!!!
For those that ask does it matter and where will you go, look at what verizon charges for data plans per mb. then you see what matters stay with them and be slaughtered like lambs if thats what you want. the majority should protest, and I am a customer of 25 years. why is it they can alter a contract when it suits them but a customer can not. if verizon equals themselves to the others leave and go elsewhere as we should. stand together and protest. maybe ill look into sat. phone and piss off cellular altogether. there are options always, let verizon know your dislike maybe if the loose millions of customers some big shot will be fired, and about time. stop ripping your customers off.
I will hold off on my reservations. Hopefully RIM will take this as an oportunity to market their devices aimed at those concerned about data usage...
Or work out a deal with carriers to sell cheaper plans to people on BlackBerry phones (which to an extent they're doing).
We'll see come the BB10 phones.
I use the Bold 9930 on Verizon bridged to my PlayBook. I use an average of 14GB of data of month. Hey, I pay for "unlimited" why not use it? But now I'm looking elsewhere.
I have another line that's grandfathered to the 150mb plan. It went over the limited and got hit with a $30 overcharge. I can't imagine what my costs will be when my unlimited data plan is removed! At least T-Mobile throttles instead of penalizing. Sprint, well, they just don't work for me in LA. AT&T has a great selection of phones, but I hate their service.
T-Mo it is.
The complaints are hilarious!!! Are you all aware that unlimited really isn't unlimited. Its pretty tough to burn 2GB of data on your smartphone, unless you tether and stream through your carrier network. Think about it, there's darn near a Wifi Hotspot every where you go. Connect to it, and you're not using your carrier data plan. Too easy. VZW won't tell you this but 2GB = Unlimited to them, in the past they just didn't charge extra for going over that amount.
My question is, if they're gonna force everyone to go to a 4G tiered plan, are they gonna force a crappy :-P 4G phone in my hand too! (I say crappy because there aren't any 4G Berry's yet) This is only a problem if it makes our current Blackberry's obsolete. Tell me I have to have a 4G plan, and I'll tell them they NEED to GIVE me a 4G Blackberry!!! :)
I agree to an extent, but that's because we're likely both in areas where "hotspots" are everywhere. This is not the case for everyone though, so to them, it's not so funny.
I've bever come close to 1GB of data, but I was looking forward to an unlimited data LTE BlackBerry. From what I understand so far, it is going to be consuming far more data than out current phones.
Still lots to see, but i'm on both AT&T 9810 4G* and Verizon 9550 3G. I have to say that I drop far less calls on Verizon than on AT&T.
I blame the iPhone. They are data hogs.
ADD another 5 lines VERIZON will lose!!! CROOKS
They have to make up the revenue from the loses on phone subs. Some genius in a back room ran some numbers and said look, ditch the unlimited completely before the iPhone 5 comes out (4G) and you can make up all the difference on the sub. costs because users are stupid at least once.
As if these BILLION dollar companies don't already have enough MONEY......WOW
And you can bet BLACKBERRY 10 will use more data. My Android I used 6-9GB a month. BlackBerry 10 with the live tiles will use data like Android widgets do.
I doubt BB10 will use data like Android or IOS due to data compression. That will be a great selling feature for BB if all carriers follow suit. I just hope AT&T doesn't follow Big Red. But if it does, I won't have to get as big a plan as my son. We use our phones about the same, but I use only about half the data that he does (if I remember correctly).
I'm not sure whether the live tiles will affect data usage, but once BlackBerry goes 4G will be when BlackBerry10 is available. And this is problably when we can finally be able to use streaming services like Skype & Netflix. Damn, just when it was gonna really get good, we have to get screwed.
This isn't cool. I tether so I use about 4GB a month. I also use gps and stream slacker. I'll just have to keep my 3G a little longer.
This is just another reason to go prepaid and not get locked into a plan.Verizon has definitely lost me as a customer when my contract is up. I have 5 lines with VERIZON over 10 years and they are getting worse by the day. They use to stand out but not anymore!
Not a problem for me, unless BB10 uses far more data.
I'm currently using about 400MB/mo on my unlimited plan, still < 25% of the 2Gb allowance if I had the tiered plan.
Overall I'm still satisfied with Verizon service and voice coverage. As I have no land line, voice quality is a key consideration for me.
FYI the last time I renewed my contract, it was impossible to keep the unlimited plan if I renewed online. But I was able to keep it when I went into a Verizon store and renewed in person.
ATTENTION VERIZON CUSTOMERS!! A couple of days ago I spoke to Verizon customer service and they offered me a promotional $10/mo discount off my data plan for 12 months. When I asked is this a trick to get me off my grandfathered unlimited plan, they said no, I could have $10/mo off and keep the unlimited plan. So anyone with Verizon: go ahead and request that. I just hope they weren't lying to me.
Whatever I'm on mine all day never even used 1 gig.
There is more bad news than just killing off grandfathered unlimited data. Price hikes onm the way for Verizon customers too.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57435906-94/verizon-plans-price-hikes-f...
BlackBerry is the best smartphone for efficient data consumption so I hope it helps. As the "all you can eat" plans go away, data consumption will get more attention.
It is looking like the stars are aligning for BlackBerry in 2012.
I don't know why people would switch to Sprint. I use them and I wish I didn't. They are slower than molasses in the arctic, and I live in a major city. I can't wait to get off their service and switch to a GSM MVNO.
I'll stay with Verizon regardless. Why? They are the only ones who get decent service at my job. I wouldn't be able to use my BB AT ALL if I switched. I'll weather the storm.
I currently am gouging rogers with data and other things. If they decided to take, change or limit aspects of my plan I would jump ship to bell. for those that are effected by this in the states- bail on em.
Give windmobile, mobilicity a try instead.
Unlimited. Everything. For $45/month.
Maybe it really is time to move to an MVNO like Ting.
Some text is in bold from some commenters...
Is this really bad? I have a 9930 and use only 40 Megs per month and an express card and use less than 100 Megs per month, often zero. They're both on an old Alltel unlimited plans and keep paying for them because they are unlimited, just in case I have a heavy use month.
My plan is to wait to see what my $30 and $50 per month gets me with the new pricing. If 5+ Gigs costs $50 on my card and MUCH less when I don't use it, this might not be so bad.
If this means billing turns to something more truly usage based, this might not be so bad.
Besides, I haven't had any issue with Verizon and really have never needed their customer support. I'm not really motivated to switch.
Now if Verizon don't carry a BlackBerry OS 10 model to the 9930 that I so thoroughly enjoy, that will be another story!
What would happen if you buy a phone elsewhere? Would they notice you have a 4g phone?
Good question. Just buy one somewhere else and pop in the old sim
VZW is a cdma network, theirs sim cards are only for roaming and 4G if you currently have 3G you cant use 4G without a 4G sim
And what really pisses me off is that I will most likely upgrade long before we see 4g in my area. So just because I want the newest phone even though i could care less about 4g because it will be useless anyway without the coverage, I get screwed with no benefit and tiered data.
just don't upgrade to a 4G plan. Stay on the 3G plan and disable LTE on your phone so it stays 3G. Then when LTE becomes available in your area call up verizon and upgrade to 4G and lose the unlimited Data...
But I thought that was part of the deal? If you get a 4G device, don't you have to go to a 4G plan even thought there is no 4G? I'm sure they will use this mentality to shut us completely out of grandfathered 3G.
This is collusion of the highest order.
I never use very much data, but I will leave Verizon when that time comes. It may not be for a while but I guess its coming.
Rape you with outrageous overages.
I don't get the problem? If you leave Verizon, where will you go -- 1990?
www ntelos com/
I've stayed with Big Red for over 11 years. I've seen the changes. This is what kept me there the few years. With this off the table, the field is open and everyone looks the same to me again.
I too will be leaving! While I am very happy with their coverage, as I have used all of the other providers, and nothing in my opinion comes close to Verizon, this will be the last straw for me. They are the last to get updates for any phone, and with the amount of time testing the various o/s they are still buggy when they come out. I don't think they take care of their customers as much as they would like us to think they do! If the BB 10's hit AT & T when they come out, I will switch back again. At least you dont have to wait until 9 p.m to make a call, and if I am not mistaken you still have the ability to carry over your unused minutes. That is a lot more then I can say for BIG RED
I'm a new smartphone user through my job. we just got an unlimited 3g data plan a few months ago; I don't understand how they can make changes to a contract.
btw, like is said, I'm new, but I couldn't help but snicker when I saw that the article was source was android central.
There is a stipulation in the contract that basically says they can not grandfather unlimited if they want.
so is this why the MyVerizon app was recently updated to 7.0 ..?. Cause in it there's this calculator for data plans
I have a grandfathered plan. I went to inquire about changing it because sometimes with changes in structures you can get it lower and ended up leaving it alone.
However, the dude told me that most bb users don't have issues with going over their limited data plans because of the way email is structured. He said even with the Playbook it shouldn't be an issue.
Have those who are concerned checked your average data use?
Switching to tmo once this starts.
Actually i'll probably switch before it starts.. XD
Some will leave Verizon and likely head to Sprint if unlimited is that important to them. But the day Sprint drops unlimited, those that will leave them I think will be way more of a loss.
I been with Verizon for about 8 yrs now n ways had the unlimited plan , I would leave n not think twice
The day Verizon takes me off my unlimted plan is the day I leave Verizon .
What's the alternative though? Sprint and t mobile won't hold out unlimited forever and even if they do, the coverage isn't there, plus Tmo throttles. Hell, i paid the early out fee to drop sprint because of piss poor service and coverage 3 years ago. And let's not even go there with all of AT&T s issues. I'm no fan boy of big red but no one else has anything better unless I'm missing something. I'm pissed about this but I guess I knew the day would come. Cell phone companies at geniuses. They got us addicted to smart phones and now they start holding back on the thing they need to run: data. Kind of reminds me of cars and gas prices. Either way, we loose.
This at least frees me from Verizon. Before this I felt trapped in order to keep my unlimited plan. With this decision by Verizon, I feel zero loyalty to them and any other cell phone company out there. I will definitely be price shopping next time around.
Verizon, you have potentially lost a customer unless you decide to compete price-wise.
Agreed. Sometimes when you're competing, being like everyone else is the wrong way to go. If I want a different device, Verizon won't be holding an ace up their sleeve to keep me from seriously considering a different carrier.
Like it matters, I used like 100mb of data on my Bold 9930 last month.
So keep your Bold - don't upgrade, and you'll avoid the $30 upgrade fee in addition to a tiered data plan.
Rather harsh. Re-read the article, "EVERYONE WILL BE MOVED TO A TIERED PLAN"
I stopped reading at "jp morgan" - why? Because that outfit is crooked, shady, and metarded. I HATE the fact jp morgan holds an event for verizon to anounce a new method of "consumer wealth extraction" in the form of tiered data sharing. This is absolutely EFFING wack. Don't people realize how jp morgan is literally a spawn of satan? outright dirty crooks ----------
WOW.
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Um... It is Verizon who is doing this, not JP Morgan. All they are doing is holding a conference at which Verizon decided to announce that they are put the screws to their customers again. I was even toying with the idea of moving a line to them, well, not now.
Get used to it. The days of unlimited anything are over. With 4G LTE devices coming, it's a whole new ballgame.
Agreed. I'll probably stick with Verizon anyway. They're the most reliable network in my area.
Most things get cheaper and less limited but for some reason, cell phone service keeps getting more expensive and more limited. Why do we stand for this crap?
The problem is limited bandwidth. If the fcc could free up more of the less used bandwidth it wouldn't be so limited.
CDMA is not 4G LTE. Data or voice, not data and voice at the same time simultaneously.
I will be leaving Verizon as well. I have been a customer for the past 8 years and I am fed up customer service and now this.
Won't this help blackberry? BB10 phones will be 4G LTE. And if everybody who has a 4g phone needs to watch how much data they consume, wouldn't this benefit blackberry with their data compression?
If most people knew it would be good but this is not common knowledge.
You can't even use data and voice at the same time on CDMA phones unless it's possibly EVDO Rev. B or Rev. C.
LTE is GSM based. It only uses CDMA for voice atm so as long as you have 4G LTE connection while chatting you can download data at the same time.
People aren't going to pick a phone based on data efficiency. So no....this won't help RIM.
Data efficiency kind of does play a role in customers decisions. A blackberry is much more data efficient than most other smart phones, for me is a little cheaper than any other smart phones plans. I pay $10 extra for blackberry data... unlimited.
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First! Boy verizon is sodomizing its customers huh? Wow!
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No I'm first. No wait.....
With the recent problems I've been having due to an overloaded 3G network and now this. It is confirmed that they will lose this 7+ years customers.
In the US your options are going to be either choose another similar carrier that will undoubtedly do the same thing (AT&T) or pick from one of the lower carriers and sacrifice network coverage (Sprint, who probably won't have the unlimited data much longer either, & T-Mobile).
This is going to be the new world order. Unlimited data is going to be a thing of the past.
I don't know why this bothers me so much since I thought I would lose my unlimited data plan with my most recent upgrade. Oh well, it will be awhile before my next upgrade, so I will enjoy my unlimited plan while it lasts (and use as much data as possible)!
By the way, are they going to offer family data plans? I recall a previous CB post about that possibility.
Ya, family shared data plans that will be tiered.
Verizon isn't killing off grandfathered data plans, they are going to offer a family shared data plan so multiple phones on a family plan can share data for a lower price.....If ur with Verizon jus call 611