Verizon says yes to FaceTime, but no to unlimited data

AT&T kickstarted some controversy last month when it announced that customers would have to switch to one of its Shared data plans to utilize iOS 6’s new FaceTime over Cellular feature.

But it looks like if this is a deal-breaker for you, you can head over to Verizon. The carrier has just confirmed that FaceTime over Cellular will work with any of its available data plans…

The Wall Street Journal reports:

“Verizon Wireless is including use of Apple Inc.’s FaceTime video-calling feature over its cellular network on all of its data plans, as opposed to rival AT&T Inc.

The application has been available for use over Wi-Fi connections, but the latest version of Apple’s operating system will allow for use over cellular networks. All Verizon Wireless customers will be permitted to use the data-intensive application with no additional charges, including those remaining on unlimited data plans, according to a company spokeswoman.”

Unfortunately, there is an underlying caveat here. We’ve confirmed with Verizon that customers will not be allowed to keep their unlimited data plans when upgrading to the iPhone 5.

In fact, the only way to get an iPhone 5 and keep your unlimited plan with Verizon will be to buy one at full retail price. AT&T, for its part, has said that it will allow customers to keep their plans.

So it’s kind of a “six of one, half a dozen of the other” situation here. Both carriers have their drawbacks, and it’ll be interesting to see who fairs better this fall amidst all of the iPhone 5 frenzy.

What do you think?