Verizon to end unlimited data plans for users who move to LTE phones, will push shared data plans instead | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence

Verizon to end unlimited data plans for users who move to LTE phones, will push shared data plans instead | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence



Fierce Wireless reports on comments from Verizon Wireless CFO Fran Shammo regarding the carrier’s future LTE plans. A topic most notable for users planning on moving to the much-rumored LTE iPhone this fall is that Verizon plans to drop grandfathered-in unlimited data plans for users who move to 4G LTE handsets. This will affect iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S owners on Verizon Wireless with unlimited data plans who move to the rumored LTE iPhone. Instead of unlimited data plans, CFO Shammo says that Verizon will push their upcoming shared-data plan system:

When asked how Verizon will drive customers to this new data share plan, Shammo said that LTE will be the anchor for the new plan and that as customers upgrade from 3G to LTE, they will have to be on a data share plan, allowing the company to sunset its unlimited 3G data plan. “A lot of our 3G base is on unlimited,” Shammo said. “When they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share. That is beneficial to us.”

Verizon Wireless says that shared data plans will begin rolling in mid-summer, but the company is yet to release any details regarding pricing or shared data plan usage packages. The company says that shared data plans will not only benefit the company in the long-term, but will also benefit families with multiple devices on their account. The current Verizon unlimited data plan costs individual users $30 per month on top of their normal calling bill charges.


 This part is probably the 'answer' that most of you suspect... @ why this is happening.. 

 "LTE is our anchor point for data share. So, as you come through an upgrade cycle and you upgrade in the future, you will have to go on to the data share plan. And moving away from, if you will, the unlimited world and moving everyone into a tiered structure data share plan."

However, Shammo said that with the launch of this new data share plan, the industry will have to change a key metric--average revenue per user. Shammo said that Verizon will move to a "revenue per account" metric that will more accurately measure the company's business.
When asked how Verizon will drive customers to this new data share plan, Shammo said that LTE will be the anchor for the new plan and that as customers upgrade from 3G to LTE, they will have to be on a data share plan, allowing the company to sunset its unlimited 3G data plan. "A lot of our 3G base is on unlimited," Shammo said. "When they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share. That is beneficial to us."
In an unrelated note, Shammo also said that the company will launch Voice over LTE technology at year end, but will not push the technology until mid-2013 when it has a bigger LTE footprint. In fact, Shammo noted that by the end of 2013 Verizon's LTE footprint will be equal to or even bigger than its existing 3G footprint.

TRANSLATION:


"Buy the old cheap most Pre LTE ready device available; NOW.  TO KEEP YOUR UNLIMITED. 

Another possible option using this scenario would be... (Which I doubt will work 'cause they are gonna shut that down REAL QUICK...) When the new LTE iPhone device comes out, you get to keep your unlimited data for the new iPhone"
Of course, this is only a solution if the unlimited LTE plans will be honored if switching to new iphone. Which I think they are gonna block...




That's how I read this... Am I wrong? Someone help me out..

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Good one! @Verizon Confirmed: Verizon Charging $2 Fee for Paying Bills Online

Confirmed: Verizon Charging $2 Fee for Paying Bills Online




Go paperless. Save the environment. Save money. Oh wait, we are gonna charge you a 'measly'$2 for that. You can afford that right. $24 dollars a year to pay your bill on your phone OR ONLINE... Now you have to ask yourself the critical question:


Do I walk to the Verizon store (IF IT IS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE) to avoid this $2 charge (which lets face it...eventually they are gonna charge you for that TOO.) OR do I just bite the bullet and pay online to avoid using up $2 worth of gas to do it?


Pretty slick Verizon! (Sarcasm) You have been paying attention to your banking counterparts eh?


Verizon customers who make single payments by phone or online will be charged a $2 fee per payment starting January 15. The new fee is intended to offset the cost of processing these payments.

“The fee will help allow us to continue to support these single bill payment options in these channels,” Verizon said in a statement to Mashable.

Other Verizon payment options such as electronic check, AutoPay and payment kiosks are still free.

Customer representatives for Sprint and AT&T said that those companies charge no similar additional fee for paying by phone or online. The AT&T representative said there is, however, a fee for paying a bill through a customer service representative by phone.

Will Verizon’s $2 fee affect you? If so, will it motivate you to choose an alternate payment option, or do you find single payments by phone or Internet worth the extra couple of bucks? Let us know in the comments.

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Okay so the Verizon Thunderbolt Android phone appears to be ready for launch at Best Buy...

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Okay..Samsung has entered the fray..with a no name phone...lol

I am assuming they will eventually name this phone but in the meantime..

• Android 2.2
• Google Mobile services, including Google Search
  Google Maps and Gmail, YouTube
• Brilliant 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus touch screen display
• 1GHz application processor
• Rear-facing 8-megapixel camera with LED flash
• Front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera to support video chat capabilities
• Samsung Social Hub and Media Hub.

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Speaking of the Thunderbolt....Here is a video of it..

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(Yawns) Here we go again..iPhone to be sold on Verizon...TAKE 20...AND...ACTION!!!

One of these times it will be true though so...Supposed to happen in January. We will see...Funny thing is, I would STILL probably get a 'Droid if this happened.

Link here..


Verizon Wireless will start selling the iPhone in January of next year, according to a report from Bloomberg. While this is hardly the first Verizon iPhone rumor, Bloomberg is citing two people familiar with the matter.

In the wake of the successful launch of the iPhone 4 (you know, besides that whole antenna thing), a Verizon iPhone would solve the number one complaint US users have about the phone: the carrier.

In the U.S., the iPhone has been under an exclusive contract with AT&T since its launch, and although the carrier originally agreed to a five-year agreement with Apple, the actual specifics of that agreement and what leg-room may exist for bringing the phone to other carriers has never been made public.

Aside from exclusivity contracts, the other big hurdle with bringing the iPhone to Verizon is that the phone would need to be built to be compatible with Verizon’s cellular system. This in turn would require Apple to have two production lines, one for the Verizon phone and one for every other phone.

While having two manufacturing lines may not be the most efficient process, it may become a necessity for Apple, especially as Android sales on the Verizon network continue to rise. With an estimated 53% of Verizon customers saying that they are interested in buying an iPhone with the carrier, the userbase to support such a move certainly exists.

Despite frequent customer complaints over network call quality and call drops, Apple re-teamed with AT&T when offering its 3G data plans for the iPad. However, it is important to note that those plans do not require a contract.

AT&T, meanwhile, has been working hard to update its network and has partnered with companies like McDonald’s and Starbucks to offer free Wi-Fi at those locations, but the problems are still not over. The latest attempt to curb data usage has come in the way of new data pricing plans that put a 2GB limit on iPhone or iPad data (each additional gigabyte of data is another $10 a month).

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Top 25 Android Apps...

For the people I know who have an Android and don't know what apps to get, here are a few for you..

Source:

Top 25 Android Applications

25. Opera Mini Beta 5 – FREE (Communication) 4 Stars

Fast web browser that compresses 90% of data before loading pages on your phone. Sync data between your phone and PC.

24. GPS Status 3.0.4 – FREE (Travel) 4.5 Stars

Check your position, GPS accuracy, speed, acceleration and bearing. Mark your location & navigate back to it later.

23. Sogou Input 1.45 – FREE (Tools) 4.5 Stars

Chinese input keyboard, which supports English, numeric and simplified Chinese language. Two layouts & supports QWERTY.

22. FxCamera 0.5.5 – FREE (Multimedia) 4.5 Stars

Take pictures & add effects such as ToyCam, Polandroid, Fisheye & more.

21. Documents To Go Main App 2.0 – FREE (Productivity) 4 Stars

Too lets you view Microsoft Word & Excel files and attachments.

20. Advanced Task Killer Free 1.7.0 – FREE (Productivity) 4.5 Stars

Provides the ability to quickly access and kill any applications running in your background.

19. ES File Explorer 1.3.9.11 – FREE (Productivity) 4.5 Stars

Made By www.DiyChart.com

This tool is an all-in-one file manager, App manager & task killer, which lets you explore all files on your phone.

18. Advanced Task Manager4.0.1 – $0.99 (Tools) 4.5 Stars

Gives you the ability to terminate apps and services, auto-end apps & services, show memory info, bulk quick-uninstall & more.

17. aQQ 1.2.1 beta – Information not provided

16. Dolphin Browser 2.5.0 – FREE (Communication) 4.5 Stars

Mobile web browser, similar to Firefox. Packed with features such as gestures, multi-touch pinch and zoom, etc.

15. TTS Service Extended 2.1 – FREE (Software Libraries) 4 Stars

Text-to-speech library used by other applications.

14. Backgrounds 2.0.0 – FREE (Entertainment) 4.5 Stars

Instant access to over 10,000 background designs. New backgrounds are added each day.

13. Bluetooth File Transfer 2.60 – FREE (Communication) 4 Stars

Browse, explore & manage files of any Bluetooth ready device, using FTP and OPP. Send and receive files and even send to contacts.

12. UC Browser 7.0.3 – FREE (Tools) 4.5 Stars

Chinese mobile browser to edit your blog, surf the net, send & receive emails, download and more. English version coming soon.

11. Meridian Player Noble 0.12.1 – FREE (Multimedia) 4.5 Stars

Video and music player that searches lyrics, subtitles, gestures, ID3, ratings & more.

10. Ringdroid 2.3 – FREE (Multimedia) 4.5 Stars

Create your ringtone by editing any music track in your library or record a new one from your phone.

9. Google Translate 1.1 – FREE (Tools) 4.5 Stars

Translate text between more than 50 different languages. Dictionary results, text-to-speech, voice input & much more.

8. Facebook 1.2 – FREE (Social) 3.5 Stars

Share status updates from your home screen, check your news feed, look at your friends’ walls, upload photos, etc.

7. Compass 1.1 – FREE (Tools) 4.5 Stars

Compass with location display & geo-tagged notes. Includes GPS compass, night compass, True North, quick notes & more.

6. Places Directory 1.0.20 – FREE (Travel) 4.5 Stars

Browse nearby places in categories, write reviews, use the mini-map, select favorites, view the photo gallery and more.

5. Google Sky Map 1.3 - FREE (Reference) 4.5 Stars

Star map for your phone. Features constellation, stars, planets and more cool stuff.

4. Handcent SMS 2.9.32 – FREE (Communication) 4.5 Stars

SMS tool with full support of SMS & MMS, customization options, different style options. Send funny greetings and much more.

3. Shazam 1.3 – FREE (Multimedia) 5 Stars

Identify music tracks, store them, buy them and learn more about the artists by their MySpace page.

2. ASTRO 2.2.4 – FREE (Productivity) 4.5 Stars

Manage your files, applications and tasks. You can read zip & tgz files, use the built-in task killer, send files as attachments, etc.

1. Barcode Scanner 3.2 – FREE (Shopping)

Scan barcodes on CDs, books and other products. You can lookup prices and reviews, scan QR Codes and even use Google Shopper.

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More news on the Verizon getting the I-Phone..

I am sure you have heard that there are even MORE INDICATIONS that the IPhone is indeed coming to the 'Can You Hear Me Now?' network. Soon. As in REALLY SOON.

Well...yes and no....


The article that started it all this week AKA THE 'YES': http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/11/12/rumors-a-verizon-iphone-in-2010/



"Judging from reader comments in this space, there are a lot of cellphone owners in America locked into Verizon (VZ) contracts who would buy an iPhone in a minute if they didn't have to switch carriers to get it.

Verizon has made it pretty clear that it would cut a deal with Apple (AAPL), were it not for a couple of impediments: 1) the contract that makes AT&T (T) the iPhone's exclusive U.S. carrier, and 2) the fact that Verizon's network (based on CDMA2000 technology) is incompatible with Apple's smartphone (which uses W-CDMA (UMTS)).

The first roadblock — AT&T's contract — is set to expire next year, according to a widely cited 2008 USA Today article that included an interview with chairman Randall Stephenson. (Stephenson declined to comment on the details of the contract.)

The second barrier could also disappear were Apple to build a new iPhone that is compatible with both AT&T and Verizon's networks.

Last week, AppleInsider reported on rumors that Apple may be doing just that. Its source was a leaked OTR Global report, based on unnamed sources in Apple's Taiwanese supply chain, that said Apple was making a "worldmode" phone using a new hybrid chip from Qualcomm (QCOM).








And here is the 'no', not yet part....


"This morning, CDMA inventor Qualcomm announced official plans to release new dual-carrier chips that would enable future phones to work on both its own CDMA/EVDO carrier partners such as Verizon and Sprint, as well as rival 3GPP carriers using UMTS/HSPA+ technologies such as AT&T and T-Mobile. The new chips also provide future support for LTE, the next generation 3GPP standard that most carriers plan to begin testing for deployment globally over the next few years.

However, an analyst has cited sources within Qualcomm in stating that although the company would like to have a dual-mode handset ready in 2010, that would likely be impossible. Ashok Kumar, an analyst with Northeast Securities, told AppleInsider that a dual-mode iPhone from Apple wouldn't exist until 2011 at the earliest.

Kumar said what Qualcomm wants and what they can do are two different things. In order for a dual-mode iPhone to launch in the summer of 2010, such a device would have to be in field trial today.

"They're nowhere near that," he said.

Kumar said he believes it would be a "stretch" for Apple to introduce a dual-mode CDMA/EVDO and UMTS phone in 2010. Instead, he expects a CDMA-only phone specifically made for Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile carrier in the U.S., to debut in the second half of next year."

Source:

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