New Verizon promo plan slots in between ‘L’ and ‘XL’ options with 12 GB of shareable data, touts access to ‘LTE Advanced’ carrier aggregation update
Verizon Wireless is looking to take advantage of the buzz surrounding its recently launched LTE-Advanced capabilities with a new data bucket slotting into its “sizing” lineup.
The carrier said customers can now select 12 gigabytes of shareable data for $80 per month, which moves in between the recently updated “Large” plan of 8 GB of data for $70 per month and the “X-Large” plan of 16 GB of data for $90 per month.
The new offering includes planwide access to the carrier’s “Carryover Data” option allowing customers on any size data bucket to keep unused data for one month; the “Safety Mode” feature that curtails network speeds should customers exceed their data bucket allowance, which is now standard on all plans; and access to rate plan features while traveling in Canada and Mexico, which is standard on XL, XXL and the new offering, but a $5 upcharge for smaller data buckets.
The new data bucket will continue to have a separate per-device charge for lines accessing the shared data, which is currently at $20 for smartphones, $10 for tablets or mobile hot spots and $5 for “connected devices.” Verizon Wireless is also offering an extra 2 GB of shareable data per month for each new device added to an account using the carrier’s device payment plan.
Verizon Wireless in early July updated its rate plans, offering customers more data across buckets at higher-priced tiers, though lower per-gigabyte rates. The move witnessed the previous 12 GB XL data bucket move to 16 GB for an additional $10.
The data plan adjustments did cause some consternation for the carrier as it followed up the announcement with a statement attempting to clarify what it deemed were news reports “incorrectly reporting this as a ‘price hike,’ which couldn’t be further from the truth.”
The carrier last week announced its “LTE Advanced” network enhancements that include the combination of spectrum across its 700 MHz, 1.7/2.1 GHz and 1.9 GHz holdings in more than 450 cities using two-channel and three-channel carrier aggregation technology. The carrier claims the move allows compatible devices to access network speeds up to 225 megabits per second for 2CCA and up to 300 Mbps for 3CCA.
Sprint and T-Mobile US have since entered into the public carrier aggregation domain, with Sprint moving on live trials of 3CCA using its 2.5 GHz spectrum, and T-Mobile US this week stating it has had 2CCA on its network since 2014, and having also rolled out 3CCA on its network.
Sprint and T-Mobile US also have adjusted their focus on data plans away from tiered buckets to “unlimited” offerings. AT&T Mobility also launched an unlimited data plan offer earlier this year, although it’s tied to customers also selecting one of its digital television services.
Verizon Wireless has so far stayed away from dipping back into the unlimited data plans, which the carrier stopped offering to new customers in 2011. Earlier this year, Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo went so far as to say unlimited cellular data “does not work in an LTE environment.”
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