Mobile Broadband users have long desired an all-inclusive plan.
Yesterday, Verizon made the first splash in the data pool with their Share Everything plans.
Verizon Wireless today announced Share Everything Plans that will forever change the way customers purchase wireless services. Share Everything Plans include unlimited voice minutes, unlimited text, video and picture messaging and a single data allowance for up to 10 Verizon Wireless devices. In addition, the Mobile Hotspot service on all the devices is included in the Share Everything Plans at no additional charge. The groundbreaking Share Everything Plans debut on June 28 and will be available to new, as well as existing, customers who may wish to move to the new plans.
The following matrix shows pricing for an account with several different devices, such as a smartphone, a tablet and a basic phone, billed to the same individual.
Confusing?
You’re not alone.
In their defense, Verizon does provide a Share Everything Tool that allows you to plug in multiple scenarios to see what your monthly bill will look like. I’ve run through 3 scenarios to show what that might look like. If you’re looking to maximize data, skip the first two:
Note that changing the minutes and messages do not affect the price. The only factors in price are the amount of data and type/number of connected devices.
Smartphone
0-1500 minutes, 0-2000 messages, 0-2 GB
Smartphone + Tablet
0 mins, 0 messages, 0-2 GB
Smartphone + Mobile Hotspot
0 mins, 0 messages, 10 GB
If using a smartphone and mobile hotspot, there’s a good chance you’ll be needing either 6 GB or 10 GB if you’re using it as a primary connection for your phone and laptop. If you’re not sure, try double-checking your usage with Verizon’s Data Calculator here.
How To Get 12 GB Instead of 10 GB
Prioritize 4G Data Over Voice & Text
If you’re like most readers, you use mobile broadband on both your smartphone and laptop. If that’s the case, you can save by cutting back on the latter and spending more on the former.
To see how that could work, take a look at Verizon’s plans for individual smartphones and mobile broadband devices:
If we choose 450 anytime minutes, 1000 text messages and 2 GB for data (lowest possible with a smartphone), and throw in a mobile hotspot for 10 GB in the mix, we’ve got $160 total. At first glance this may seem to be an identical value in data but you get a tiny bit more:
By sacrificing unlimited talk and text, you can squeeze data out of Verizon’s pipes. The only caveat here is that the extra 2 GB is smartphone only.
What are your thoughts? Are Verizon’s shared plans a good deal or would you stick with individual plans? Let me know in the comments after the press release.
Verizon Wireless Unveils New Share Everything Plans For Basic Phones, Smartphones, Tablets And More
Share Data with up to 10 Verizon Wireless Devices; Unlimited Minutes, Unlimited Messages and Mobile Hotspot Included in All Smartphone Plans
News Release
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – June 12, 2012 –
Verizon Wireless today announced Share Everything Plans that will forever change the way customers purchase wireless services. Share Everything Plans include unlimited voice minutes, unlimited text, video and picture messaging and a single data allowance for up to 10 Verizon Wireless devices. In addition, the Mobile Hotspot service on all the devices is included in the Share Everything Plans at no additional charge. The groundbreaking Share Everything Plans debut on June 28 and will be available to new, as well as existing, customers who may wish to move to the new plans.
“Customers asked, and today Verizon Wireless delivered an industry first,” said Tami Erwin, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Share Everything Plans are the new standard for wireless service. They are simple; customers no longer have to think about their voice and message plans, because both are unlimited. Share Everything Plans are convenient; customers purchase one data plan and they share it with up to 10 mobile devices. And, they are worry-free; customers can connect their 3G or 4G devices wherever and whenever they want on America’s most reliable network.”
How Share Everything Plans Work
To get started on a Share Everything Plan, customers first select the devices they want on their accounts. The next step is to choose a plan that includes unlimited minutes, unlimited messages and a shared data allowance that begins at 1 GB for $50. Customers adding a tablet on their Share Everything Plans can do so for an additional $10, with no long-term contract requirement. The following matrix shows pricing for an account with several different devices, such as a smartphone, a tablet and a basic phone, billed to the same individual.
Step 1 Step 2 Monthly Line Access
(per device)Shared Minutes Shared Messages Shared Data Monthly Account Access (shared with up to 10 devices) Smartphones – $40
Basic Phones – $30
Jetpacks/USBs/ Notebooks/Netbooks – $20
Tablets – $10Unlimited Unlimited 1 GB $50 Unlimited Unlimited 2 GB $60 Unlimited Unlimited 4 GB $70 Unlimited Unlimited 6 GB $80 Unlimited Unlimited 8 GB $90 Unlimited Unlimited 10 GB $100 There are separate plans for accounts with only basic phones, or data only devices such as USB modems or Jetpack Mobile Hotspots at www.verizonwireless.com/ShareEverything.
“When developing these plans, we first asked customers what they wanted in a wireless service plan. We also looked at the technology and how customers were using it to manage their lives. And last, we took into consideration the evolution of the technology and how customers would use wireless in the future,” Erwin added. “Share Everything Plans are the outcome of that research. They cover every device Verizon Wireless offers, from basic phones to smartphones, from tablets to Jetpacks and more. Share Everything Plans represent a tremendous shift in how customers think about wireless service.”
Switch to a Share Everything Plan
Customers are free to keep their existing plans, but there is no fee or contract extension to move to the new Share Everything Plans. To help customers determine the best Share Everything Plan option, Verizon Wireless has created an easy to use online tool at www.verizonwireless.com/ShareEverything.
TechHustler says:
I’m thinking it could work.
The carriers know usage is shifting. While their new offerings will always look good for their own revenue bottom line, they wouldn’t push this to us unless they thought we could envision some kind of value in it (maybe not the best value possible, but some value).
A comparison to my current AT&T smartphone situation, with a “bright side” approach.
– I pay $40 for 450 minutes voice; their cheapest voice plan. Used to be much more than enough, but now that I have a chatty young lady calling me regularly I have to watch usage or get hit with a $100 overage.
– I pay $15 for 1500 text messages. I come close to this limit nowadays: 1200 to 1300 on average. Still, this is enough and I wouldn’t mind using apps+data for messaging instead.
– Then I pay $30 for (grandfathered) unlimited data. I know they throttle after 2 or 3 GB now, and when I get a new device the price structure will change. $30 will then get me 3GB. If I want tethering/hotspot capability, I must pay $50 for 5GB. Currently, my usage on my smartphone is on average 1.1GB monthly, though I don’t use as much data as I really could and I’ve seen two months where I used 1.9GB
So $40 + $15 = $55 for voice and messaging on one phone that just about covers my needs but could use room for growth; then + $30 for enough data to cover my phone usage = $85.
Now I plan to buy a tablet in the coming months. Though I expect usage to be mainly Wi-Fi, I envision that I’ll need to tether or share data for those occasional moments when I’m out and about. Also, as I move to a new phone with LTE, I expect data use to go up. On AT&T I must pay +$50 to enable this scenario. So now we’re at $135
Now let’s see what I get from Verizon: For $40 my phone gets unlimited voice and messaging, which is already savings. #win. For an additional $50 I get only 1GB to share with my tablet, which by the way I’m paying $10 or $20 for. #lose: The AT&T option would be 5GB and I don’t have to pay for the tablet.
On Verizon, to cover my needs I can expect to be paying $130 in all per month. (4GB shared, phone + notebook)
On AT&T, I would pay $110 per month with current voice plan (including $20 for unlimited messaging which is now the only option): but $130 per month if I go up a voice tier.
In this case AT&T wins since I get 5GB to tether instead of 4GB shared, for the same price. This is assuming I care more about an extra 1GB of data vs having unlimited voice (as opposed to 950 minutes). If voice is more important than data, Verizon wins.
Mike says:
My bill is $125 a month for 1 smartphone and 2 basic phones with 1000 minutes, 10 my circle numbers and unlimited data with a grandfathered Alltel plan and my company’s 19% discount.
I can’t even come close with Verizon’s new plan.
Unfortunately though, in order to get the hotspot I will have to root my phone. Kind of a troublesome and risky as it may be, It’s useful for using my tablet at work. It may be bending the rules, but I don’t think its really cheating because I do pay for that little bit of data that does go to the tablet for an ebook here, and a small webpage there.