Verizon

Verizon raising price of grandfathered unlimited data plans by $20 in November

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Verizon on Thursday announced that it will soon be raising the price on grandfathered unlimited data plans by $20. As noted by CNET, this will bring the monthly price tag of unlimited data to $49.99 per month, which is in addition to the standard talk and text plan, and the change is set to take place in November.

The amount of people affected by this move should be relatively small. Verizon says that less than 1% of its 100+ million subscriber base still has an unlimited plan, and those that do still have one and are currently under contract from a previous phone purchase won't likely see the price hike until the contract expires.

Breaking down the iPhone 6s model numbers and LTE band capabilities

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 13, 2015

Apple is shipping four different models of iPhone for its yearly refresh. The iPhone 6s sports two models—A1633 and A1688, while the iPhone 6s Plus feature models A1634 and A1687.

Although both iPhones in the 6s and 6s Plus lines are virtually the same, the model numbers differentiate the cellular LTE band capabilities of each phone. Thus, by familiarizing yourself with each model number, you can learn what networks each phone will support.

Why is this important? Say you wanted to order a new iPhone 6s in rose gold. As you might have heard, rose gold is proving to be very popular, and is selling out quicker than some of the other iPhone color options. Rose gold 64GB iPhones designated for T-Mobile and Verizon are now on backorder for 2-3 weeks.

But some rose gold models remain available—for example, some Sprint-designated rose gold models are still shipping on 9/25. By using our knowledge of iPhone model numbers, we might still be able to obtain a rose gold iPhone 6s to use with a provider like T-Mobile or Verizon by purchasing the Sprint model...

Verizon to start field-testing 5G wireless within 12 months, commercial deployment in 2017

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 8, 2015

Verizon Wireless, the leading U.S. wireless operator, will be kicking off field trials of a fifth-generation network which promises to bring some rather insane download speeds.

With these trials, the big red carrier should become the world's first carrier to seriously move into 5G.

As reported by CNET, field trials on 5G wireless technology are set to kick off within the next 12 months, with Verizon's chief information and technology architect Roger Gurnani confirming that “some level of commercial deployment” should begin in 2017.

Verizon eliminating smartphone subsidies for new customers beginning August 13

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 7, 2015

In the market for a new iPhone on Verizon? If so, please be advised that the big red carrier is killing device subsidies beginning next Thursday, August 13, in favor of all-new month-to-month service plans.

The company revealed four new incoming plans with varying amounts of 4G LTE data, from the basic $30 per month plan with one gigabyte of shareable data to the $80 per month plan with twelve gigabytes of cellular data.

Verizon and Sprint to pay $158 million in bill cramming settlement

Cody Lee ∙ May 12, 2015

The FCC announced on Tuesday that Verizon and Sprint have agreed to pay $158 million to settle their bill cramming investigations with the Commission. Verizon Wireless will pay $90 million and Sprint Corporation will pay $68 million, and much of that will go to consumer refunds.

"For too long, consumers have been charged on their phone bills for things they did not buy," said the oft-outspoken FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “We call these fraudulent charges ‘cramming,’ and with today’s agreements we are calling them history for Verizon and Sprint customers.”

Verizon announces buying AOL for $4.4 billion

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2015

Verizon Communications, an American broadband and telecommunications company and the largest U.S. wireless communications service provider, announced Tuesday that it is buying New York City based AOL, previously known as America Online, for $50 per share in a transaction valued approximately at $4.4 billion.

The deal is believed to reinforce Verizon's desire to enter the mobile video and advertising business, while giving them access to technology AOL has developed for selling ads and delivering high-quality web video.

Sprint will pay what it costs for you to switch carriers

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Sprint really wants your business. Not only will it cut your bill in half, but now the nation's fourth-largest carrier will pay the early termination fee and any remaining payments at its competitors for you to come over to its network.

The early termination fee is why many customers don't make the switch from one carrier to another. In many cases, the fee is required to be paid to end the two-year contract carriers like to lock you into.

Unlocking your iPhone gets a little bit easier today

Cody Lee ∙ February 11, 2015

The process of unlocking your iPhone became a little bit easier today in the United States. Today marks the deadline for wireless carriers to adopt the unlocking standards of the late-2013 agreement set forth by the CTIA.

The agreement is industry-wide, and mandates that carriers adhere to 6 rules including clearly posting their unlocking policies online, and offering to unlock postpaid handsets once the customer's contract has expired.

Verizon discounting most of its data plans by $10 per month

Jake Smith ∙ February 4, 2015

It's not often a large mobile carrier will reduce the amount you'll be paying each month, but Verizon has shocked us a little on Wednesday. Verizon announced that it's brining a nice discount to most of the data plans it offers to its customers.

A monthly shared data plan with 1 gigabyte of data will now start at $30 per month, rather than $40, with other rate plans getting a similar cut.

There’s talk Verizon wants to buy or form a joint venture with AOL

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Telecom giant Verizon has had internal talks about acquiring or forming a joint venture with AOL, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

The acquisition is said to be focused around AOL's advertising technology and its video content, in an effort to combat AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV.

My Verizon Mobile app lets you track your data usage from Notification Center

Sébastien Page ∙ December 9, 2014

Verizon customers who use the official My Verizon Mobile app can now track their data usage directly from the Today tab of Notification Center. The app was updated yesterday with this new feature that should allow users to keep their data usage in check. The widget is updated automatically based on users' plan and usage, showing the total data allocation as well as currently used data.

Sprint will cut your wireless bill in half if you switch from AT&T or Verizon

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 30, 2017

You know holidays are around the corner when greedy carriers start putting out promotions offering substantial savings and other perks if you jump ship. Announced on Tuesday, Sprint's new promotion promises to cut your wireless bill in half if you switch to Sprint from AT&T or Verizon Wireless beginning Friday, December 5, for as long as you remain on the Sprint plan.

Plus, Sprint will buy out your contract up to $350 per line. “You’ll get unlimited talk and text to anywhere in the U.S. and we’ll match your data,” the carrier teased. As an example, a Verizon customer paying $140 per month for four lines and ten gigs of data can get four lines and the same ten gigs of data on Sprint for $70 per month, or half the Verizon's price.

Jump past the fold for the full reveal and fine print.