AT&T DROPS MESSAGING PLAN OPTIONS FROM TWO TO ONE

Confirmed by multiple sources and just recently AT&T, the wireless carrier is trimming its individual messaging packages from two to one on August 21st. The Messaging Unlimited plan for $20, which means the $10 bundle that offers 1000 messages is being retired.

If you aren't keen to do much communicating within 160 characters, you'll be left with no other choice besides the pay-per-message option at twenty cents each (thirty cents for MMS). Fortunately, the Family Unlimited Messaging is left unscathed, continuing to offer all-you-can-eat texts for $30.

ORANGE UK OFFERS 3MB ROAMING OPTION FOR TRAVLERS

No longer are Orange UK subscribers chained to absurd per-MB roaming charges or unnecessary monthly plans. Instead, they can shell out £3-a-day (about $5) for 30MB of data -- which is plenty for checking e-mail and doing some light browsing. If you don't use any data then you don't get charged, but go over that limit and you're back to the normal £3.07-per-MB rate.

It's a perfect option for the traveler who only spends a week or two abroad at a time, and it closes the gap with fellow UK provider Vodafone, which offers a £2-per-day, 25MB option. Now, if only others (especially our friends here in the US) would offer sensible roaming plans of their own.

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.”

FCC LAUNCHES EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM FOR MOBILE DEVICES

The city of New York has teamed up with the FCC and wireless carriers to unveil a new emergency alert system called PLAN (Personalized Localized Alerting Network). PLAN can notify mobile users in a specific geographic location of a hazardous or potentially life threatening situations. The new system was announced a few days ago at an event at the still-under-construction World Trade Center site, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg commented:

One of the many lessons that were reinforced on 9/11 is the importance of getting clear and accurate information to the public–that’s why we’ve made improving our emergency public communications a top priority. As part of this effort, we’re harnessing tech in innovative new ways, which is something I found to be effective in both business and government for improving service delivery.

The system taps into the existing Emergency Alert System that notifies the public of an emergency by radio or TV, though PLAN, takes emergency alerts into the modern age with a pretty smart system. With a compatible phone, your mobile device will be able to receive an emergency alert based on your geographical location. For instance, if there was an alert about an imminent threat to public safety for New Jersey (nobody likes New Jersey) and you were not in New Jersey at the time, you would not get the alert.

PLAN consists of three alerts: those issues by the President, alerts warning of imminent threats, and Amber Alerts. The last two can be blocked by an individual but not an alert from the President. The system will be available in New York and Washington, D.C. by the end of the year, and will roll out nationally by April of 2012.

VERIZON LAUNCHES $50 PRE-PAID UNLIMITED PLAN

Verizon Wireless officially launched “Unleashed,” the carrier’s own unlimited prepaid service. Customers can choose between four different plans — including daily and by-the-minute — but the most attractive offering is a $50 monthly option that provides unlimited calling, texting, and web browsing. There are only three feature phones available from Unleashed right now, including the LG Accolade ($39.99), the LG Cosmos ($99.99), and the Pantech Caper ($79.99). By contrast, Boost Mobile, which offers a similar $50 monthly unlimited plan, has 18 different phones including a few that are powered by Android. If you’re looking to save some cold hard cash without sacrificing cell phone minutes or text messages — or Verizon’s coverage — then Unleashed should do the trick.

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

VERIZON TO OFFER A SLING BUNDLE ON LTE PLANS

Verizon and Sling have announced a package deal that pairs the SlingBox to an LTE/4G Mobile Phone. Customers who subscribe to LTE broadcand can get a Slingbox Media Streamer and a copy of Slingplayer bundled right in. The app itself is a $39.99 value and will be available for select 4G smartphones from Sansung and HTC, as well as being coupled with the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

There’s no word on how much the extra service will run, but it is expected to be a separate tiered service and will add to the already over $100 monthly cellphone bill subscribers are used to. [Coolest-Gadgets]

VERIZON TESTING SPRINT-LIKE UNLIMITED DATA PLAN WITH 450 MINUTES

Verizon is in the process of testing a data plan that will offer 450 minutes of talk time, unlimited data, unlimited messaging and unlimited Verizon mobile-to-mobile. All this for the incredibly low price of $69.99 with a 1-year contract extension. A family plan (for 2 lines) for $139.99 will be offered bumping the talk minutes to 1400 shared. Additional lines can be added for $9.99 each.

If you add them up separately it would come to over $90, $39.99 for 450 minutes, $19.99 for unlimited text messaging, and $29.99 for smartphone data.

To take advantage of the plan call the number listed in the advertisement below. [BGR]