Shared data plans will soon be a reality, if you happen to be a Verizon Wireless customer. Verizon has finally officially unveiled their shared data plans, set for a June 28th availability date. Verizon's new Share Everything plans will give each plan an unlimited amount of data and texts, with fees increasing with the amount of data you need to get through the month. When pricing a data plan, customers will be presented with the following two-step process:
Step 1: Select 1 smartphone and up to 9 other devices
- Smartphone: $40 per month
- Basic/Feature phone: $30 per month
- Jetpacks/Notebooks/Netbooks/USB hotspots: $20 per month
- Tablets: $10 per month
Step 2: Select the amount of data you need
- 1GB: $50 per month
- 2GB: $60 per month
- 4GB: $70 per month
- 6GB: $80 per month
- 8GB: $90 per month
- 10GB: $100 per month
Once you've made selections, simply add your fees together to come up with your monthly bill. For example, a two smartphone plus one tablet plan at 4GB of monthly data would be $160 per month ($40 for each smartphone, $10 for the tablet, and $70 for 4GB of shared data). All smartphones and tablets on the plan will feature the hotspot functionality at no additional charge, so long as you stay below your allotted data threshold.
The resulting prices are generally less than they would be under the current plan structure, generally falling around $10-20 per month cheaper, though the savings are potentially much greater on the high end. A plan with 5 smartphones would be about $340 per month in the old world, and comes in at around $300 for 10GB of data, or a bit less if you need less data.
I for one am looking forward to shared data plans, as they have the potential to save customers lots of money on their monthly bills. With AT&T and other carriers rumored to be working on plans of their own, shared data is likely here to stay.
