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.”

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]

LEAKED: VERIZON LAUNCHING TIERED DATA

We reported about a month ago that Verizon was going to introduce tiered data plans for their 3G smartphones.  Those plans are set to launch on October 28th.  There will be two tiers with the lower tier costing $15 for 150MB/month and 0.10/MB overage charge.  The second tier is Verizon's standard unlimited plan for $29.99.  For those people that don't use a lot of data with their smartphones this may be a good thing.

Other data plans include tablets and the MiFi and FiveSpot customers.  For tablets, Verizon is offering:

• $20/1GB
• $35/3GB
• $50/5GB
• $80/10GB
• Overage will be $10/1GB

The MiFi and FiveSpot plans include:

• $50/5GB
• $80/8GB

The new smartphone data tiers only include 3G at this time, but it is expected Verizon will have different tiers for their 4G network once they get that up and running by years end. [Gizmodo]

LEAKED: T-MOBILE $10 DATA PLAN

T-Mobile, known for shaking up the mobile pricing market, will be adding a new data tier for infrequent users of data according TMoNews.  The new $10/month plan will get you 200MB of data for your smartphone, which for some users may be more than adequate.  The $30 unlimited plan will remain and supposedly you will be able to upgrade from the lower plan to the higher plan on the fly.  The new plan is set to launch in November. [TMoNews]