
Verizon to Offer iPhone Users "Unlimited" Data - sandipc
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703667904576072110862862244.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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jcr
I doubt the Verizon "unlimited" claim is sincere. Let me explain why.

When Verizon rolled out its 3G data plan (EVDO Rev.0) in 2005, they
_initially_ sold an "unlimited" plan. Very few smart phones could do EVDO, so
it was mostly the sale of USB dongles for use with laptops and similar.

In 2006, Verizon started terminating "abusive" users for downloading too much
on their supposed "unlimited" plan, and after much wrangling, Verizon finally
declared that using more than 5GByte/Month of network traffic is their line in
the sand for "abuse."

The above resulted in a class action suit for false advertising. The way
Verizon resolved the dispute is not very well known. They simply changed the
terms for new customers so new customers would pay per KB fees for everything
in excess of 5GByte, and the new accounts were no longer advertised as
"unlimited."

The old customers were allowed to keep their "unlimited" status and use the
connection as much as they want, but if transfers got too far past 5GByte, the
connection would be throttled back to a slower speed. As the saying goes, the
old customers were "grandfathered in" with basically the old terms. --The
reason, of course, after a few years is most people would make changes to
their account, like accepting a "free" new phone/dongle offer, and create a
new contract under the new LIMITED terms.

Since I was an early adopter, I have an old "unlimited" account. I refuse to
change the account, so it remains unlimited. Only on very rare occasion do I
see it get throttled for a few days until the billing cycle ends.

With the new iPhone offering, Verizon might be using the same "unlimited"
tricks to get early adopters. It will be interesting to see how this works
out...

EDIT: precafinated typos

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brown9-2
If you try to buy a new smartphone from verizonwireless.com and you select the
"Unlimited Email & Web for Smartphones" service, this [1] is the page they
give you for the terms and conditions of the deal. I don't see any mention of
a 5GB soft cap or any walking-back of the "unlimited" term.

[1] <http://support.vzw.com/terms/products/vz_email.html>

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aditya
That's because every single data plan (that you can _buy_ ) from VZW now comes
with a monthly data allowance of some sort:
[http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=pla...](http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=plans)

~~~
detst
Not true. I'm not sure why it's not on that page but you can get a $30
unlimited plan that should be under "For Smartphones & Feature Phones".

It's only for phones and can't be used for tethering. Otherwise, there isn't
any sort of 5GB cap like mentioned above.

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w1ntermute
Is this plan actually unlimited, or is there a soft cap? I'm guessing the
latter.

I know some people are going to say its absurd to suggest Verizon should offer
a truly unlimited plan, but in that case, they shouldn't be advertising their
plan as such either.

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tolmasky
I don't know if I'll switch immediately, but come any catalyst - be it a new
iPhone model or my AT&T contract running out - you can bet I won't be sticking
around.

~~~
kordless
This is why I'm running an old beat up 3GS. My contract is up and I'm ready
for a new phone.

~~~
joezydeco
It's amusing that something can now be considered "old" and "beat up" in less
than 18 months.

~~~
derefr
I'm slightly more amused: I have a 3G in my pocket whose headphone jack has
literally caved in on itself from overwear (from a big 1/4" -> 1/8" adapter
dongle that bore into it over time) and now needs to be held tilted to one
side for sound to work—and yet I still consider this to be a pretty damn nice
piece of technology: I mean, the (unprotected) screen still doesn't even have
any scratches!

~~~
joezydeco
I just take it as a sign that the Singularity is still coming.

It's like when the rumors were going around about AT&T offering $0 iPhone 3G
units this past Christmas and the cry went up near and far: "OMG! Why would
_anyone_ want to buy something _so useless_?!?"

 _Really?_

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code_duck
I supposedly have unlimited data from Verizon on the Android phone I have. I'm
actually surprised at how little I've been able to use in a month (my max has
been 2-3 GB). I don't watch a lot of videos, but I stream a fair bit of music
and browse the web frequently, making use of wifi when possible.

I think this works like shared hosting. Many people think they need unlimited
bandwidth, and it sounds great, but they end up using far less than expected.
This more than makes up for the people who use excessive amounts.

~~~
michaelbuckbee
To a great extent I think it's just the "no surprises" aspect of having
unlimited bandwidth as well as the not having to pay the cost of your time in
monitoring, worrying am I using too much and all that.

I only recently did the math with my phone and figured out that I could save a
chunk every month by downgrading from the unlimited plan and actually using
the WiFi in my house.

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cletus
I'm really glad that in Australia we have a strong government consumer rights
body, being the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commmission).

Several years ago they banned the use of the word "unlimited" on ADSL (or any
Internet) accounts unless it truly was no unlimited. If the account had "fair
use" limits, traffic shaping or overage fees.

The result? You buy the quota you want. Outside of Australia people seem to
dislike the idea of quotas but the result is practices like surreptitious
shaping. Quotas really are fairer and (IMHO) have the best end result.

As for Verizon, I have a DroidX and live in NYC. My iPhone is useless in a lot
of places. My Droid isn't. I can't help but think the net result of the
Verizon iPhone will be that my DroidX will become equally useless.

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soult
We have one carrier offering an unlimited 3G plan here in Austria. They don't
limit you or shape you traffic when you use too much (I had 80 GB traffic last
month). The bad thing is that their network is often an order of magnitude
slower than the networks of their competitors that don't offer an unlimited
plan. During the late afternoon/evening it is unusable, even for surfing or
checking your mails.

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markbao
This is like kicking current iPhone users like me when they're already down
with the announcement of the Verizon iPhone.

Haunting.

~~~
kacy
I'm going to keep my phone until July when the iPhone 5 comes out. I'm betting
that's going to be the LTE phone. Besides, Verizon's network is a bit slower
than AT&T in my area. I'll have to wait until the announcement though. :-)

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cmelbye
I don't think I'll be switching to Verizon, but this competition is great.
Hopefully it will wake AT&T up and this current nightmare will end.

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danilocampos
What I want to know about is tethering terms. Do it right, Verizon, and you'll
poach many AT&T subscribers, myself included.

~~~
brown9-2
The article reads like they are merely going to continue to offer their
existing unlimited data plan which they already offer for other
phones/devices. From the article, it doesn't sound like they are changing or
introducing new services or terms.

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htsh
re: AT&T's plan, I think they mean two gigabytes, not two gigabits?

~~~
aharrison
I know this is kind of a dead horse, but it is amusing to me that the
difference in verbage there is literally a factor of 8 (almost a proverbial
order of magnitude). Geeks often know, but laymen very rarely do. Kind of a
big thing to gloss over, regardless of which side (AT&T, Verizon, WSJ) you are
on.

