In July, Verizon put an end to their $30 unlimited data plan. This, as it sounds, provided subscribers with all the data usage through their mobile phone without a data cap. For some users, this likely extended internet access to a computer through a mobil hotspot solution. However, existing unlimited plan subscribers were allowed to hold onto the heavenly feature – provided they did not make changes to their data plans thereafter.
Understandably, Verizon realized the unlimited plan was a mistake and offered users far too much access for the low monthly fee. Since they weren’t legally allowed to remove the feature from existing customer plans through binding contracts, there wasn’t much the company could do. They counted on such customers to alter data packages or upgrade phones thus ending the grandfathered unlimited feature.
It seems as though Verizon has finally found a loophole that will force users into submission. As new devices are released and the mobile phone world is evolving, so is the speed and technology of the networks they operate on. For Verizon, this is the fairly new LTE 4G network. LTE offers speeds that are far improved over the previous 3G technologies. It is safe to assume that emerging devices will support LTE (and 4G networks with other carriers.) Therefore, upgrading to a new smartphone will require a switch to LTE – also meaning an update to the account’s “Data Share Plan”.
This seems a bit sneaky on Verizon’s part, though it appears to be their only way out of the mistake they made offering unlimited data. How will the affect these customers? It is an interesting business strategy on Verizon’s part and we are likely to see similar things with other carriers
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