VERIZON TO LAUNCH FAMILY SHARE DATA PLANS NEXT YEAR

Speaking during a recent UBS conference in New York City, Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam said that Verizon Wireless may rollout shared data plans next year. Currently, a family of five must have a different data plan for each member of the household; however, the new plans could potentially allow all five family members to share a pool of data, much like a family would share voice minutes. The same benefits could apply to a single customer who has separate data plans for a tablet, a smartphone and a USB modem. “I think in 2012 we will see it,” McAdam said. “We have been working on this for a couple of years. Getting to one bill and getting to account-level pricing is our goal.”

VERIZON 3G CUSTOMERS CAN UPGRADE TO 4G AND KEEP UNLIMITED DATA PLAN

Great news for everyone on one of Verizon Wireless' unlimited data plans: if you're rocking a 3G smartphone, you can eventually upgrade to an LTE handset, keep the unlimited plan, and have access to a $30 / month 4G tethering plan. That's according to VZW's official Support account on Twitter, and it's decidedly lovely news for those who were concerned that they'd be locked into EV-DO forever.

RUMOR: VERIZON WIRELESS TIERED DATA PLANS COMING JULY 7TH

Verizon Wireless will finally be shifting to the usage-based data plan structure we all knew was coming. Android enthusiast blog Droid Life on Monday reports that future Verizon subscribers will no longer have an unlimited smartphone data option starting July 7th. Instead, they will be forced to choose one of three tiered data options: 2GB for $30 per month, 5GB for $50 per month or 10GB for $80 per month. Those looking for tethering will have to add $20 to each of those plans, which works out to 4GB for $50 per month, 7GB for $70 per month or 12GB for $100 per month. Overages on any plan will run $10 per gigabyte.

According to the report, Verizon will charge the same rates for 3G and 4G LTE data plans, so subscribers interested in newer 4G smartphones will not have to worry about paying a premium for data, as they might elsewhere — which is a good thing, considering these plans are already a bit pricey. Current Verizon customers will not be forced to switch to a new plan.

While Verizon has not confirmed the new plans or exact timing, a Verizon Wireless spokesperson did have this to say: “As we have stated previously, Verizon Wireless is making some minor changes to data plans including those for new smartphone customers. We will move to a more usage based model in July.”

RUMOR: SPRINT REVAMPING MOBILE BROADBAND AND EMBEDDED DEVICE DATA PLANS

According to Brief Mobile, Sprint may be revamping its mobile broadband data pricing schema. The report indicates that Sprint mobile broadband devices, including embedded devices like tablets, may get several additional data options starting May 8th.

The company will offer a 3GB monthly data bucket for $34.99, a 5GB data bucket for $49.99 and a 10GB data bucket for $79.99. Currently, Sprint offers a 5GB monthly data plan for $59.99 per month — available to both embedded and mobile broadband devices — and a 2GB tablet-only data plan for $29.99 per month; both plans include unlimited 4G connectivity. Sprint has declined comment.

T-MOBILE UPDATES DATA PLANS

It is no secret T-Mobile was going to update its data plans. We now know, thanks to TmoNews, what that update includes. T-Mobile's new monthly plans include 200MB, 5GB and 10GB options for $29.99, $49.99 and $79.99 respectively. The new webConnect plans, which will take affect March 13th, will also allow users to bundle existing voice line plans with webConnect plans for additional savings. When bundled, the prices drop to $23.99 for the 200MB plan, $39.99 for 5GB plan, and $63.99 for 10GB plan. The new plans will go into effect on March 13th.

What is interesting is the 5GB and 10GB plans have no overage fee, however T-Mobile will throttle your speed when you go over your limit. The 200MB plan has a $0.10/MB overage charge with no throttling.

AT&T TO ALLOW GRANDFATHERED DATA PLANS ON iPAD 2

Good news, iPad 3G owners. If you were lucky enough to snag one of those coveted unlimited data plans with your original AT&T iPad, you won't have to toss it when upgrading next week. The carrier has confirmed to us that those who currently have the aforementioned plan will be able to keep it on their account when upgrading to the iPad 2.

When the original iPad was launched last year AT&T's data plans were $15/250MB or $30/Unlimited. AT&T has revised those plans and offers 250MB and 2GB for $15 and $25 respectively.

AT&T TO ALTER DATA PLANS FOR LAPTOPCONNECT

According to a well placed source of ours, AT&T will be altering its data plan offerings for LaptopConnect devices this Sunday. Devices that utilize LaptopConnect data plans include data sticks, MiFis, and connected netbooks. Currently, AT&T offers a 200MB monthly plan for $35 or a 5GB monthly plan for $60… not all that savory. After this weekend, however, the company will bring its offerings more inline with those its cnemesis, Verizon Wireless. Ma’ Bell will begin offering a 3GB monthly data plan for $30 and a 5GB monthly plan for $50. Much more savory. We should see an announcement either Sunday or Monday.

VERIZON CRIPPLES WIFI ON XOOM TABLET UNLESS YOU BUY A DATA PLAN

According to a leaked Best Buy advertising circular, Verizon is crippling the WiFi capabilites of the Motorola Xoom tablets it subsidies unless a data plan is added. The circular states

To activate WiFi functionality on this device, a minimum of one month data subscription is required."

This is reminiscent of when Verizon crippled Bluetooth on its handsets fearing people wouldn't buy ringtones from them. It is highly doubtful this is a Best Buy policy, but one being forced on them by Verizon.

RUMOR: VERIZON 4G LTE DATA PRICING TO RETAIN UNLIMITED PLAN

Droid Life is reporting Verizon will stick with the $30 unlimited data plans, currently available, for their 4G LTE devices. This does not include the additional $15/month Verizon is tacking on for using a LTE device, bringing the total data plan cost up to $45/month. The good news, if the rumor is true, is that this will be "unlimited".

Since Verizon has no 4G LTE devices, currently, the data plans may change in the future as more devices come online.

AT&T LAUNCHES NEW DATA PLANS

Now that AT&T has starting selling 4G Android devices with hotspot capabilities and is "working with Apple to bring it to iPhone", they have unveiled a new set of data plans. The new plan for hotspot gives you 4GB of data for only $45/month, which is only slightly better than the MiFi type device's plans of 5GB for $60/month.

AT&T's plan breaks down to $11.25 per gigabyte of data, with overage at only $10 per gigabyte. The plan applies to users with either the tethering plan or hotspot.

AT&T RELAUNCHES UNLIMITED DATA PLANS

Facing Verizon having the iPhone and the recent announcement Verizon would be offering an unlimited data plan for $30/month, AT&T has quietly been shifting some of their iPhone subscribers back to the unlimited data plan AT&T dropped last summer.

The thinking is that some AT&T subscribers may flee to the Big Red rival to get the unlimited data plan back. The offer seems to be limited to those customers contacting AT&T customer services. Officially, AT&T has only stated they are looking at these on a case-by-case basis.

VERIZON iPHONE DATA PLAN & HOTSPOT PRICING ANNOUNCED; $200 FOR AT&T USERS

When Verizon announced they would be carrying Apple's iPhone, they also stated the purchase price. The last piece of the puzzle has now been put in place with the announcement of data plan costs. As expected Verizon is keeping their existing plan in place for now. The current plan, required for all smartphones, is the $30/month unlimited data plan.

The key words of Verizon's statement are "for now". When a customer purchases an iPhone (or any smartphone) with the associated data plan they will be able to keep that plan during their contract period. Once the contract ends AND the customer purchases a new device, the customer will need to subscribe to a data plan available during that time. With the launch of their LTE 4G phones coming soon, it is highly expected Verizon will move away from the all you can eat for one price model and shift to tiered data plans.

The cost of using the Verizon iPhone as a hotspot for up to 5 devices will be $20/month which gets you 2GB of data allowance. This is on top of the $30/month unlimited data plan. The hotspot plan is optional, while the data plan is not

In addition to the data plan announcement, Verizon also stated that any AT&T customer turning in their i Phone will get $200 for it which can be applied to a Verizon phone.

LEAKED: VERIZON DROPS $15 DATA PLAN

Verizon is killing off its $15 150MB data plan for smartphones altogether, instead corralling folks into the $30 unlimited option. Of course, with the proliferation of data-hungry smartphone apps on Android (and soon, the iPhone), 250MB per month of usage is becoming less and less reasonable by the day, so we can't say we're terribly surprised. Meanwhile, the $9.99 25MB feature phone data option is getting a bump up to 75MB with $10 per 75MB overage, a slight drop from the 20 cent / MB overage that those customers deal with currently. Finally, you'll notice that the $30 unlimited plan is now qualified as applying to "feature phones and 3G smartphones," not merely "smartphones" as they were before -- a nod to the fact that Verizon's upcoming LTE handsets won't be eligible for the same pricing.

RUMOR: SPEED AND DATA TIERS COMING TO AT&T 4G LTE SERVICE

BGR is reporting that AT&T may be bring not only data plan tiers when they launch their 4G LTE service in 2011, but also speed tiers as well.

Just like broadband internet, AT&T plans on delivering varying speeds to users depending on the tier they subscribe to.

Data tiers are nothing new and have recently been implemented by most major carriers. AT&T will let users subscribe to "data buckets" of varying sizes similar to AT&T's current data plans.

In addition, the plans will afford users the opportunity to boost services temporarily for a fee. The documents BGR obtained refer to "Top Up Sessions", which allow users to increase their data allotment for the remainder of a billing cycle, and “Speed Up Sessions,” which will allow subscribers on lower-tier plans to speed up their service for a specific duration.

It is not known what the tiers will look like or the associated price of them, but we do know the trials will begin in May of this year.

MORE INFORMATION ON SPRINT'S NEW $10 FEE

According to a memo Sprint has sent to third-party sellers, the $10 "Premium Data Fee" will be applied on all lines that upgrade to or activate a new smartphone after January 30th. The $10 tariff will apply to all individual lines and all family plan lines. So if a family has 3 lines on their family plan they will be socked for an additional $30 per month. The memo states that the move will allow Sprint to “offer simple and affordable unlimited data plans” while “maintaining a wireless network able to meet the growing appetite for mobile data.” The only customers exempt from the new fee will be those customers tied to select corporate accounts.

The full memo is below.

Premium Data Add-on Charge for All Smartphones

Effective 1/30/11, all current and future 3G and 3G/4G smartphone activations will require the $10/month Premium Data Add-on charge. This allows Sprint to continue to offer simple and affordable unlimited data plans for our smartphone customers, while maintaining a wireless network able to meet the growing appetite for mobile data.

Complete details are included in the Premium Data Add-on Charge Launch Guide found on ISC > Quick Links > Premium Data Add-on Charge.

Details:

The Premium Data Add-on charge applies to:

All smartphones operating on the CDMA, iDEN and 4G networks.
A smartphone is defined as a device that supports a robust operating system including: Android, BlackBerry, Instinct, Palm and Windows Mobile.
All customers activating a new line or upgrading/swapping existing lines (consumer, IL, and most CL customers).
The Premium Data Add-on charge does NOT apply to:

S&R exchanges (warranty or insurance events)
30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee devices exchanges for handsets activated 1/1/11 to 1/29/11
Existing smartphone customers will remain on their current rate plan, until they upgrade, perform an ESN swap or activate a new smartphone
Existing Seasonal Standby customers prior to 1/30/11
Special priced CL customers tied to a Corp ID

SPRINT ADDING NEW ADD-ON DATA CHARGE TO ALL SMARTPHONES ACTIVATED AFTER JANUARY 30

In a vaguely worded press release, Sprint announced that it would “increase its postpaid rates by applying a $10 per month Premium Data add-on charge to activations of smartphones beginning Jan. 30.” The company notes that smartphone users, on average, use “10 times more data than users of traditional feature phones.” As the press release reads:

Sprint defines smartphones as devices with robust operating systems that deliver a rich wireless experience by bringing the full function of mobile applications and programs to life, including Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile, Palm, and the Instinct family of devices. The Premium Data add-on charge previously applied to HTC EVO 4G, HTC EVO Shift 4G and Samsung Epic 4G devices.

Sprint,who until recently has been bleeding subscribers, will not be making many friends with this move.

VERIZON iPHONE TO USE EXISTING DATA PLANS

According to a report by Reuters, Verizon will not be rolling out their tiered data plans for the upcoming iPhone. Verizon will use the existing plans, which more expensive at $30 versus AT&T's $25, Verizon doesn't cap the data plan while AT&T has a 2GB limit.

Verizon is banking on people willing to spend an additional $5 per month for an unlimited plan.

WINDOWS PHONE 7 GOBBLING DATA, EVEN WHEN IDLE

Complaints seem to be growing among some users that Windows Phone 7 is consuming an abnormally plump quantity of data when you're not doing anything. Granted, there's lots of stuff on the platform that might need data continuously -- email accounts and live tiles, for example -- but folks are reporting consumption measuring in multiple megabytes per hour, which can add up pretty quickly: 2MB per hour over a month is nearly 1.5GB, which can be a bummer for anyone with a 2GB data plan. The real issue, though, is that at least some of the data seems to be ignoring available WiFi networks and choosing 3G instead, so there's no great way to definitively avoid the leak even when you're in the comfortable confines of your own home. Our money -- our hopeful money, that is -- is on this being fixed in Microsoft's first big update that should be coming any day now, but in the meantime, users look to be getting at least some relief by setting mail accounts to manual update and turning off location services. [Engadget]

FREE iPAD 3G WITH 2-YEAR DATA CONTRACT

Since the iPad has emerged we have gotten use to seeing them discounted by mobile carriers provided you sign up for a data plan for a number of years. Now, Japanese carrier SoftBank has heavily discounted the Apple tablet all the way down to zero. If you sign up for a 2-year data plan, you get the 16GB iPad for free. Want the 32GB unit, it will costs you $115 and the 64GB will set you back $230, both still well under buying the unit outright.

Of course, Apple could care less. SoftBank still buys the iPad for the same price and Apple still makes money off every app sold. Apple probably really likes this since it will help to get more and more iPads out in the market.

The offer from SoftBank only lasts until February so if you are in Japan and want/need an iPad, head on over and snatch one up. Wonder if AT&T or Verizon are watching this promotion?

VERIZON UNVEILS NEW FAMILY SHARE PLAN

Verizon Wireless announced today a new Family Share plan. Previously, Verizon charged $9.99 for each additional line. Now, for each additional line that subscribes to a $29.99 data plan, it will be credited $9.99 back. The main phone line must subscribe to the 700 minute plan at $69.,99, at a minimum, and each additional line, up to 5, must subscribe to a $29.99 data plan, making the extra lines free after the credit.

Verizon stated in their press release "To take advantage of the Smartphones Talk Free promotion, customers will need a Nationwide Family SharePlan starting at $69.99 monthly access for 700 Anytime Minutes and add a $29.99 data plan for each additional smartphone. Customers currently on a Nationwide Family SharePlan may have a total of up to five lines, and receive the promotional credit on each new line that uses a new smartphone."

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