Verizon iPhone

[Maxmosbey]

I don't know about ATT, but my house is a Verizon DEAD ZONE.. T- mobile i works fine. Dave

I wonder why that is? I don't pay much attention to whether I am getting service or not. I don't use my phone enough. But I do know that I get Verizon service in Sayulita Mexico because my son called me there a couple of weeks ago. Man, I would think that if you can get service in Sayulita, you could get service everywhere. My wife, she has Verison as well, got a call while on the road between San Pancho Mexico and Los Ayala. That is the middle of nowhere and in a mountainous area as well. Interesting that you can't get it in Washington.

 

[wsuffa]

Well, that didn't take long:

http://www.macrumors.com/2011/03/01...ted-iphone-data-plans-as-soon-as-this-summer/

Bloomberg briefly reports on comments from Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo revealing that the carrier is planning to discontinue its unlimited data plan for the iPhone as soon as this summer.
​

This is no surprise at all. Look at what they've done in other areas (such as dropping the int'l blackberry unlimited plan & replacing it with access as high as $20/megabyte) and the pattern is obvious.

All the carriers are doing it. Even the Virgin prepaid data has dumped unlimited. And they're all doing it with essentially NO advance notice.

One thing it will do is boost retention because anyone that's grandfathered will not likely move somewhere else if they lose the unlimited data.

 

[Maxmosbey]

This is no surprise at all. Look at what they've done in other areas (such as dropping the int'l blackberry unlimited plan & replacing it with access as high as $20/megabyte) and the pattern is obvious.

All the carriers are doing it. Even the Virgin prepaid data has dumped unlimited. And they're all doing it with essentially NO advance notice.

One thing it will do is boost retention because anyone that's grandfathered will not likely move somewhere else if they lose the unlimited data.

For what reason would they with the iPhone and not with everything else?

 

[woodstock]

This is no surprise at all. Look at what they've done in other areas (such as dropping the int'l blackberry unlimited plan & replacing it with access as high as $20/megabyte) and the pattern is obvious.

All the carriers are doing it. Even the Virgin prepaid data has dumped unlimited. And they're all doing it with essentially NO advance notice.

One thing it will do is boost retention because anyone that's grandfathered will not likely move somewhere else if they lose the unlimited data.

I am currently gritting my teeth and spending an extra 40 bucks a month, month in and month out, for international unlimited coverage. I am not sure if it is cost effective at 480 bucks a year, BUT, if you consider I make 3-5 trips to Europe a year of varying lengths then maybe it's not a bad idea. Once I dump this plan, I am paying a buttload for data - pay as you use it. I cannot go back, hence why I am keeping it on.

If it saves me just one trip and an OH **** when I get my bill the following month, maybe it is worth it.

 

[rpadula]

For what reason would they with the iPhone and not with everything else?

Engadget is reporting it as restructuring the data plans for all devices:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/01/verizon-targeting-mid-summer-for-tiered-data-plans-doesnt-yet/

Speaking of the iPhone, Shammo notes that the unlimited data plan was kept around to draw users into the iPhone fold -- iPhone users tend to consume a lot of data, after all -- so it'd seem that they might comfortable with that one-time conquest before parting ways with unlimited for good.​

Guess that means we can count on an LTE iPhone 5 this summer???

 

[SkyHog]

The problem with everyone's theory is that Android uses a lot of data too (possibly more than the iPhone), and had been the most popular device Verizon had to offer until the iPhone (might still be, I dunno how many retards have Verizon).

That didn't cause them to change. I think this may be unrelated.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

The problem with everyone's theory is that Android uses a lot of data too (possibly more than the iPhone), and had been the most popular device Verizon had to offer until the iPhone (might still be, I dunno how many retards have Verizon).

That didn't cause them to change. I think this may be unrelated.

Naah, they're trying to attract the iPhone crowd away from AT&T, who did away with unlimited data about 9 months ago. AT&T is trying to hang on to iPhone users by offering selected people new unlimited data plans, a thousand extra rollover minutes, free microcells, and a few other things.

It's not about how much data is actually used, it's about subscribers.

And I'm not a "retard."

 

[SkyHog]

Naah, they're trying to attract the iPhone crowd away from AT&T, who did away with unlimited data about 9 months ago. AT&T is trying to hang on to iPhone users by offering selected people new unlimited data plans, a thousand extra rollover minutes, free microcells, and a few other things.

It's not about how much data is actually used, it's about subscribers.

And I'm not a "retard."

The retard thing was a joke. Plus, you don't count, you're a stockholder. That makes you "special."

Is it really an attempt to draw them away when they didn't change anything to try to attract them?

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Plus, you don't count, you're a stockholder. That makes you "special."

Not any more. Sold it a few weeks ago at $353. Not bad, when my average buy-in cost was ~$145!

Is it really an attempt to draw them away when they didn't change anything to try to attract them?

Well, one thing they changed to try to attract them was to actually carry the iPhone. But yes, I think hanging on to the unlimited plans after AT&T went to limited was a move to suck a bunch of customers away from AT&T after they got the iPhone.

That said, I don't think VZ's "unlimited" has ever truly been unlimited, so some people are probably in for a nasty surprise if they actually use it that way...