Skatter Tech

Verizon finally confirmed with FierceWireless that beginning July 7, the carrier will ditch its current unlimited data plan for smart phones and commence the new tiered packages. Normally, Verizon and AT&T tend to have similar plans and pricing to keep competition at a minimum. This time, the former is taking a completely different approach. AT&T currently has two data plans available to smart phone customers. The first is $15 per month for 200 MB and the next is $25 per month for 2 GB.

On the contrary, Verizon plans are starting at 2 GB for a higher $30. Then there is a $50 plan for 5 GB and $80 for 10 GB. Going over results in a $10 charge for each additional gigabyte of data. When AT&T began capping their data options last year, the company released a statement clarifying their decision. It says “Currently, 98 percent of AT&T smart phone customers use less than 2 GB of data a month on average.” Because of this, I have to assume that Verizon Wireless subscribers use significantly more data on their mobile phones per month.

In addition to the new smart phone plans Verizon is unveiling, there is also a new option for feature phone users that want some access to the World Wide Web on the go as well. These folks get 75 MB per month for just $10 — short, sweet, and to the point.

I own an iPhone 4 with AT&T’s 2GB data package for $25 per month. Personally, I have never used more than a single gigabyte of data in any given billing cycle. Granted, I am connected to WiFi often, but I still use the 3G connection whenever out and about. It will be interesting to see if Verizon ever reports any statistics on data usage. I find it pretty hard to believe that any single person is going to use 10 GB of data on such a small device. That said, no one should be disappointed with the new options since they provide virtually unlimited internet usage.