Verizon Hotspot Pricing Revealed: $20 for 2 GB

[Paul Daniel Ash]

Two weeks after they announced the iPhone, the details of Verizon's service offerings for the device are finally becoming clear. After the company's COO spilled the beans earlier today about the unlimited data plan for the device itself, Brenda Raney, the carrier's Executive Director of Corporate Communications told MacWorld that Verizon's Personal Hotspot feature will cost customers an additional $20 on top of the $30 they'll pay for their monthly data plans and come with a 2 GB cap.

The Verizon-specific tethering feature turns the iPhone into a 3G wireless hotspot for up to five devices. Data used by Personal Hotspot-tethered devices will be on a 2 GB monthly plan separate from the iPhone's unlimited plan. Customers will have to pay $20 for each gigabyte they consume beyond the cap. While the overage fee is twice what AT&T customers have to pay, Verizon customers do get to keep the unlimited plan on their phones separate, while AT&T users have to share the same 2 GB on the DataPro plan.

Though iOS 4.3 will reportedly make Personal Hotspot a feature for all iPhones, it's not yet known if AT&T or any other carrier will support it. AT&T tethering currently only supports USB or Bluetooth connections, not WiFi.

Source: MacWorld

[Rob2G]

I'm just gonna stick with mywi

[VBLUE42]

AT&T will likely match this to try and keep people that may leave for this reason. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming weeks. Regardless this good for everyone.

[JayQuint87]

Gotta love Mywi

[VBLUE42]

I'm just gonna stick with mywi

Me as well.

[Carlos]

ok verizon not bad, not bad.....

Im def gonna stick with my MyWi, im with ATT but 2GB with Tethering for $40 is not a deal at all especially since you'll go over 2gb so quick with tethering then they'll charge you the $10 for every additional Gig......

Luckily im grandfathered into the unlimited, but ATT def needs to bring back the unlimited especially since they came close to a Class Action Law Suit over it around the time the iPad came out for capping it!!

Also it seems smart for Verizon customer to just get the Unlimited Data, and just get MyWi and avoid the extra $20 and possible overage...that is when it becomes jailbroke!!

[mrbarker]

Is Verizon charging $15 to use your iphone with an exchange server?

[MikePA]

ok verizon not bad, not bad.....

You're joking, right? Verizon has almost the same prices as ATT and it's not bad?

Is Verizon charging $15 to use your iphone with an exchange server?

Verizon also charges $15/month to use the Good software on their other smartphones, so this isn't new or a surprise. The Good software allows access to corporate email, calendars and contacts.

[halo204561]

Somebody help me understand this. So you get the unlimited plan on Verizon for the iPhone and you have to get the other two? I'm confused

[Carlos]

You're joking, right? Verizon has almost the same prices as ATT and it's not bad?

I just ment them coming out with UNLIMITED, I left verizon a long time ago cuz there prices are ridonkulous...im on att with an 849 verizon exchange cuz i ported over to att

[Micara57]

My main concern is still the fact that Verizon is CDMA vs AT&T's GSM.

I'm constantly looking stuff up while on the phone and relaying information that way. Whether I'm making dinner plans or looking up movie times, it's just easier to look it up and communicate WHILE I'm on the phone.

With CDMA you can't transfer data and voice simultaneously, so therefore I'd rather pay the few extra bucks for AT&T than move over to Verizon.

[Carlos]

My main concern is still the fact that Verizon is CDMA vs AT&T's GSM.

I'm constantly looking stuff up while on the phone and relaying information that way. Whether I'm making dinner plans or looking up movie times, it's just easier to look it up and communicate WHILE I'm on the phone.

With CDMA you can't transfer data and voice simultaneously, so therefore I'd rather pay the few extra bucks for AT&T than move over to Verizon.

i agree 110% me to...im just glad they came out with unlimited so hopefully it will force att to do the same...thus making att even more attractive......win win for att

[halo204561]

Yeah but that Personal Hotspot feature, does anyone know if it's optional or mandatory

[z6joker9]

Okay let me make sure I understand that correctly. If you add an exchange account to your iPhone through the mail app, it will charge you an extra $15? If so, this will affect anyone that uses gmail or google apps and sets their account up via exchange, not to mention tons of business users! I hope I'm misunderstanding

[[email protected]]

im guess all of us reading this use my so this isn't a good reason to switch. im grandfathered unlimited with att and i am looking for a reason beyond signal strength to move over with this isn't helping at all. i was hoping for free tethering.... well anyway, what other reason besides coverage area is there to make the switch to verizon?

[Hunchkey]

MyWI ALL THE WAY!!!!!!! SCREW VERIZON UP THE A$&!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rimshak]

Sonofa.. I didn't expect the Exchange fee. I was a Verizon customer long ago before exchange email was even a concern of mine. Now I have my gmail set up as exchange on my iPhone and I'm gonna have to pay $15 more to keep it.... this really threw a wrench in the plan for me. When I would choose Gmail as my primary set up instead of Exchange the emails were really bad delayed. :/ Plus I have my work email as Exchange. I wonder if a jailbreak will cure this problem in the near future without having to pay the fee... hmmm

[Tfost]

F that! Who would be that stupid to pay for the tethering. And besides, when tethering on say your laptop you would use up 2 gigs so quickly! Thank goodness for mywi and my grandfathered unlimited plan :-)

[halo204561]

I'm just trying to get a better understanding. Let's say hypothetically:

-I get the $40 plan
-I get the $20 for unlimited text
-I get the $30 unlimited data

and then I have to pay one or both of those other charges for tethering? Or are those two optional?

[jhtapia]

I'm just gonna stick with mywi

I strongly agree.