Verizon All Set to Conquer Market by Bringing Back Unlimited Data Plan

As the competition is soaring high, network providers are backing off from the monthly limited plans - the most hated practice of the industry. Why should Verizon stay behind? The network provider is all set to conquer the market by bringing back its unlimited data plan. If you are looking for a free government cell phone plan, here’s why Verizon’s new offering is a thing to rejoice over. 

In re-introducing an unlimited data plan, the carrier has joined the rest of industry in this offering. Last summer, T-Mobile and Sprint introduced unlimited data plans at cheaper prices, which helped them attract millions of new customers. On the other hand, Verizon made it clear that it had no interest in offering unlimited plans which consequently resulted in insignificant customer growth for its wireless subscriber base by the end of the year. So, in order to improve its customer base, the carrier is bringing back its unlimited data, starting February 13th 2017.

Some of the government assistance cellphone service providers predicted that Verizon would not offer an unlimited data as it has relatively less available spectrum per subscriber than the smaller carriers. When a customer is on an unlimited data plan, it is likely that they will use more data which will result in crowding of Verizon’s network.  But, a recent statement made by a company representative, Mr. Ronan Dunne, the president of Verizon Wireless says something else- "We’ve built our network so we can manage all the activity that customers undertake and handle the traffic.”

In January, Matthew Ellis, Verizon's chief financial officer, told analysts during an earnings call on Jan 24, "We constantly look at... what's out there. Unlimited is one of the things that some of our competition has at this point of time. That's not something we feel the need to do."

"But as I say, we continually monitor the market and we will see where we head in the future," he added.

What is Verizon Unlimited?

Under the Verizon’s unlimited plan, the customer will get unlimited access to data, text and talk just like the other two network operators. However, the download rates may be slowed down after 22GB per line per month- the limits are quite similar to the ones offered by Sprint and T-Mobile. Also, there are a few features and signs that don’t make it exactly unlimited. 

See Also: Get the Earnings Preview and Know What to Expect From Sprint

In a statement, the company representative said, “With Verizon Unlimited, cellular users would get unlimited data use on smartphones and tablets, in addition to video streaming, hotspot and calls to both Mexico and Canada. The plan, which will launch on Monday and Verizon called a ‘great value’ will cost $80 for unlimited data, calls and texting; or $45 per line for four separate lines carrying the same features.” Also, the operator has said that unlike Sprint and T-Mobile, it would not degrade the quality of streaming video for the unlimited plans. 

But, as a customer it’s your choice

As you know there are a number of service providers who offer free government cell phone plans and as a customer it’s your choice which one you want to go with. Same implies here, you should know how much your actual data usage is and if you are paying overage charges. According to a 2014 study, smartphone users in US over paid around $45 billion annually, mostly because they were not able to pick the right monthly plan.