[Rumor] Rumors Indicate Verizon's 4G LTE Unlimited Data Plan Will Start at $29.99/mo.

[TriDwayne]

A 10 or 15 dollar difference is hardly more than a ten percent hike for significantly newer technology and faster speeds, which is well worth the speed increase for someone like me who uses my droid almost exclusively as a computer/mp3/gaming/streaming device

You're looking at it wrong. Imagine you have a computer you bought six years ago for $600. You want to buy a new computer today, and you buy a new one for $400 that absolutely blows your old one out of the water.

You shouldn't accept a higher price just because the speed of the data network is increasing. Instead, think of how you've been paying the same price (roughly) since Verizon's 3G network came out way back in 2003. The tech is almost seven years old already, and now they want you to pay more as it gets faster? I say no, it should be an evolutionary step... we should continue to pay the same rate and have the technology upgraded.

 

[kptphalkon]

Imagine the cost of upgrading every single tower to support LTE, and the man hours needed to get it done on a cost effective basis in 2 years max. LTE is completely seperate from cdma, the two are not compatible, new eqjipment and software is required, **** gets expensive.

Sent from the F-Zero cockpit on my D2G

 

[piquat]

A 10 or 15 dollar difference is hardly more than a ten percent hike for significantly newer technology and faster speeds, which is well worth the speed increase for someone like me who uses my droid almost exclusively as a computer/mp3/gaming/streaming device.

I'm in the same boat on my home internet. I hardly ever watch TV. But doing all that on the phone... you're a bit of an anomaly, as I am at home. Most people don't do all that on their phones and don't care about the extra speed. AND that's not most people on this forum, it's far from being a good sample of the population. We're all here because we're a little bit happier about a phone than most people are. So ya, I'd expect a bunch of people here to be happy about 4g. Most people, if they even know what it is, wouldn't know what to do with the extra speed.

If V is going to try to make money off users like you (heavy users), good luck. Your average user is lucky to load up angry birds.... Good example of this would be the Verizon salesperson not only not knowing about dual core phones, when I tried to explain what a dual core cpu was she was a deer in the headlights. THAT'S your typical user.

Oh, and a $15 increase on a $30 data plan is a 50% increase. I have to pay for voice anyway and cell is my only phone so...

 

[kptphalkon]

I was referring to my plan as a whole, and in that case its only a 13% increase for, even at the slowest 4G speed, a 33% speed up (I never get the rated 2.4 mbps, even my best was 2100 and in my area I never see rates above 800 kbps). Seems cost effective to me :/

Sent from the F-Zero cockpit on my D2G

 

[KeepInitReel]

I hope so. If not, who would be able to afford it?

Me and 90% of the other smart phone users. Seriously if someone can't afford an extra $10 a month for LTE, perhaps they shouldn't have a smartphone.

This is the typical response from a single line holder. What about people with 2-5 lines with smartphones? You're saying $10 but the article says $15 so that would be an extra $75 for 5 lines.
Not that some people can't afford it, it's that some people budget what their willing to pay for cell services.



Sent from my D1!

 

[phantom phenom]

lol take a look at this

Verizon Wireless to Throttle Data of Heavy Users Starting Today

 

[phantom phenom]

Verizon Wireless strives to provide customers the best experience when using our network, a shared resource among tens of millions of customers. To help achieve this, if you use an extraordinary amount of data and fall within the top 5% of Verizon Wireless data users we may reduce your data throughput speeds periodically for the remainder of your then current and immediately following billing cycle to ensure high quality network performance for other users at locations and times of peak demand. Our proactive management of the Verizon Wireless network is designed to ensure that the remaining 95% of data customers aren’t negatively affected by the inordinate data consumption of just a few users.

this blows

 

[KeepInitReel]

lol take a look at this

Verizon Wireless to Throttle Data of Heavy Users Starting Today

It was long overdue, for the data hogs!


Sent from my D1!

 

[youngti]

Wow that is cheap! and I thought it would be a teared plan or whatever you call it. I would't really even mind paying 50 a month for unlimited.

Shhhhhhhh not so load they are listining.

 

[TriDwayne]

Imagine the cost of upgrading every single tower to support LTE, and the man hours needed to get it done on a cost effective basis in 2 years max. LTE is completely seperate from cdma, the two are not compatible, new eqjipment and software is required, **** gets expensive.

Sent from the F-Zero cockpit on my D2G

That's Verizon's problem, not mine.

Also consider that the current 3G/CDMA equipment has probably been paid for several times over. Once the equipment is paid off, the carrier should start setting money aside to upgrade equipment in the future. This is why the upgrade to 4G equipment should not require a raise in the data plan fees. Again, my computer example. Chip manufacturers are constantly upgrading their fabrication facilities to improve their manufacturing process, but that's built into the cost of the parts, the same way the upgrade to new cell tower equipment is built into the current rates. Raising the rates just because it's 4G is nonsense. If anything, 3G should become cheaper as a result.

 

[kptphalkon]

No doubt 3G should become a cheap commodity once 4G is in widespread use, but thats not how bandwidth services work or get regulated.

When other companies were offering T1 dsl speeds AOL still charged users the same $25 access fees for dial up, because they could. Undoubtedly this is a reason which led to their downfall, but i digress.

Cell phone service, being a commodity like internet access and having practically no regulation, is not subject to what you or me or the guy next door wants. We pay the big companies what they want for our service, when new stuff comes out it gets adopted (eventually), and whether they say its going to cost them, or us, or nobody any more or less, there is nothing we can do about it.

You dont like the prices? Go to some other carrier. You do in fact get what you pay for, and big V has shown me great customer service and area coverage since i signed on mid-december.

Sent from the F-Zero cockpit on my D2G

 

[TriDwayne]

No doubt 3G should become a cheap commodity once 4G is in widespread use, but thats not how bandwidth services work or get regulated.

No, that's how economics normally work. Look at cell carriers in other countries as an example. Heck, a year ago I was paying almost twice as much as I was for DSL with AT&T as I am now. Thanks to increased competition in our area, I'm now paying less for the same speed.

When other companies were offering T1 dsl speeds AOL still charged users the same $25 access fees for dial up, because they could. Undoubtedly this is a reason which led to their downfall, but i digress.

No, you're pretty much making my point for me. Thanks.

Cell phone service, being a commodity like internet access and having practically no regulation, is not subject to what you or me or the guy next door wants. We pay the big companies what they want for our service, when new stuff comes out it gets adopted (eventually), and whether they say its going to cost them, or us, or nobody any more or less, there is nothing we can do about it.

You dont like the prices? Go to some other carrier. You do in fact get what you pay for, and big V has shown me great customer service and area coverage since i signed on mid-december.

You contradict yourself, there is something we can do about it: switch to another carrier (refer back to your AOL example above). There are enough people out there who don't care enough about their finances and just ignore an extra $15 a month. I work hard for my money and do care about being nickel-and-dimed and am willing to say something if something is unfair, or do something about it. Don't just submissively roll over on your back when a company tells you to, don't open your wallet without asking, "why?"

 

[kptphalkon]

My main point of offering an uncaring opinion is that i will not get a 4G capable phone until at least 2 years from now, and by then who knows what the pricing situation will look like. Again, about being nickel and dimed, go somewhere else and stop complaining. It's only natural to assume that they will ask for higher charges for the higher rates they are providing. What with there only being like 5 major cell providers in this country it doesnt offer much competitive advantage to the customer, and anyways i am stuck with vzw because i looovvvveeee the phones they have.

Sent from the F-Zero cockpit on my D2G

 

[kodiak799]

I was referring to my plan as a whole, and in that case its only a 13% increase for, even at the slowest 4G speed, a 33% speed up (I never get the rated 2.4 mbps, even my best was 2100 and in my area I never see rates above 800 kbps). Seems cost effective to me :/

Sent from the F-Zero cockpit on my D2G

Well my plan is $70, so $15 is over a 20% increase, or more than double "only 10%". And the correct comparison is data prices, because I do not have to upgrade to LTE nor do I truly NEED data.

There's also the question of how much "better" VZW data is in comparison to other providers. Not like voice service where you notice dropped calls and bad receptions. It will be tougher to maintain a premium on data services, although you're correct that people look at the whole package before going elsewhere, but a 20%+ increase is very steep.

 

[jayman350]

I think that it would be beneficial for VZW to keep the same pricing plan for LTE. What I don't see happening is them lowering the price of 3g data plans. 3G will (eventually, if not already happening) become an outdated method of data transfer. However they will have to keep 3G up and running to support the people who have not upgraded yet.

I think this will mimic how cell phones providers changed from analog to digital, and what they did to get people on board. They had to support the older tech, but they did it in a way that made it more beneficial for people to upgrade. They started to come out with different voice plans that were cheaper, better call quality, better phones, etc. In this case, they made the newer tech cheaper than the older stuff, if for no other reason than they could retire the analog signal and only have to support the new digital signal.