Verizon’s CFO Fran Shammo caused quite a commotion yesterday when he said the carrier was going to be discontinuing grandfathered unlimited data plans this summer. “Everyone will be on data share.”
Folks are upset over the comments because up until this point, Verizon has allowed unlimited data users to keep the plan even though it no longer offers it. So the operator issued a clarification today…
The New York Times reports:
“Customers will not be automatically moved to new shared data plans. If a 3G or 4G smartphone customer is on an unlimited plan now and they do not want to change their plan, they will not have to do so.
When we introduce our new shared data plans, Unlimited Data will no longer be available to customers when purchasing handsets at discounted pricing.
Customers who purchase phones at full retail price and are on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan.
The same pricing and policies will be applied to all 3G and 4GLTE smartphones.”
The news has been particularly popular in the Apple community, as rumors continue to swirl that the company will be releasing an LTE-enabled handset this fall. Verizon has, by far, the largest and most reliable LTE network in the US.
That being said, Sprint is also drawing the attention of iPhone users, as it recently announced that it will continue to offer its unlimited data plan even after it deploys its LTE network — a prospect that could certainly bring in upset customers from other carriers.
What do you think about Verizon’s move? Does it make more sense now?