Following last year’s forced data plan debacle and removal of unlimited data on high-end featurephones, Verizon will be modifying its current forced data plan policy to add more phones and will bring back unlimited on device data.
The following phones will fall under the new 3G Multimedia category which will require the new $9.99 25MB data package with included Mobile Email add-on and reduced $0.20/MB overage charge, while customers on the older $9.99 option will stay at the higher overage rate without Mobile Email:
- LG Chocolate Touch
- LG enV3
- LG enV Touch
- LG VX8360
- Motorola Entice
- Motorola Rival
- Samsung Rogue
- Samsung Alias2
- Nokia Twist
Instead of the $19.99 75 MB monthly rate, Verizon will reintroduce unlimited on device data for $29.99 and will include Mobile Emaill access. The current lineup of Push to Talk devices will be excluded from the requirement and will go into effect on January 18th.
I see this list gowng up too, surprised they didn’t increase the smart data pack while at it
This is so rediculous. Verizon is starting to implement charges for every single thing the user does now. I was lucky enough to get my enV touch before this data plan requirement was forced onto it. Thanks to Verizon, customers won’t be able to get the phones that they really want without paying extra charges for data that some people won’t even use. Great job Verizon.
Nickle here, dime there, the tradition continues…………..
This, combined with $350 termination fees — people really need to think twice before drinking this koolade
Yeah. Verizon is getting a little to high and mighty for their own good. They might be the biggest and have the most signal coverage but their prices keep going up more and more.
The good news about this is that this makes sprint look better and better. Sprint might be taking away things like “support” for tethering and raising a 20cent rate to 40cents but they still have the best plans around. They might force android and webos on the everything plans but the iphone and android phones from verizon require the same type of plan and sprint plans kill all other plans.
I think verizon is raising their prices to get customers thinking ” I just need to pay a little extra and I can get a smartphone”. Its either going to either work very well for them or backfire. This is a chance for sprint to come out with something awesome and get even closer into this competition.
The scary thing about ,verizon is their power sets the bar for the other carriers to follow. They started the 59.99 5 Gig cap, .20 sms charge, and all the other charges and caps. $350 ETF? Now google’s got it on their Nexus too. 9.99 for 25 Meg on “feature” phone? 39.99 for 250 Meg ona data card? What kind of crappy value is that for the consumer?
Where’s the outrage? When new Sprint (SMART)phones come out with an Everything requirement you all cried foul, vzw mandates data for pretty much the whole lineup and nothing.
It doesn’t outrage me… it actually makes me happy that I still have sprint!
Everything rings in a whole way now, even the fam plans.
I think the main reason that there’s little outrage… and I’ve said this before, is that 90% of PhoneNews.com readers have smartphones. They already have a mandatory data plan requirement.
When we covered Verizon dropping pay-per-use data plans on new smartphones, there was significant outrage.
Vote with your $, switch to another carrier as soon as you can!
Verizon took it a step further by emulating the Everything Messaging plans, they messed up by not keeping the Connect and Premium options.
This is screwy as people who with Visual impairments who don’t want a smart phone but want features such as their TXT messages read to them or having the ability to know their missed calls are now being forced to pay $10.00 for a service that they cant even use. This is on top of providing a smart phone with Talks (Screen Reading Software) and forcing a $30.00 add on just to have the privilege to fully operate their phones without sighted assistance. I called VZW and was informed that there is no exception for these prices. At least AT&T and T-Mobile do make acceptions on the data pricing and Sprint for several people I know have allowed for blind customers to receive further discounting of smart phones to help offset the cost of purchasing the WinMo accessibility software directly from the software maker. Verizon once again sinks to a new low.
[…] previously reported, Verizon Wireless 3G multimedia phones activations will now require a 25MB data plan for $10 per […]
I wanted to get an enV3 for my daughter to match what I had gotten for my other two children a few months back, but now they require the data plan. May not sound like much at $10/month, but for a two year contract, that is $240 for something I will be locking out anyway. I’m looking at Sprint/AT&T
I went into VZ last night to upgrade 4 out of my 5 family plan phones. I was going to get the ENV3 for my wife, my parents, and myself. I was told of the $9.99 requirement for data and immediately stated it didn’t make any sense b/c I am the only one who uses data. After some discussion the sales person said he agreed that it is completely a bonehead move and most VZ people are scratching their heads on why VZ corporate decided this.
So instead of me upgrading to the ENV3 on 4 out of 5 phones and continuing to pay my roughly $170 monthly bill as is with VZ…I will be switching to AT&T (since my 2-contract is up for all 5 of my phones). Thank you VZ for making the switch a no-brainer. No-brainer…just like the Executive at VZ who pushed for this requirement.
At&T is doing the same exact thing, It is going to be rolling out very soon. THis is lame!!!
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I found out about this policy when I went to upgrade our phones with “new every 2” the problem is we have unlimited messaging (text, video, picture), I searched for phones with qwerty keyboard and video messaging, since I am paying for messaging I should be able to get at least those 2 features. Only 1 phone comes up and 9 out of 10 reviews say that it falls apart in a short time. I cannot even use the “new every 2” that I have earned with the 2 basic messaging features without the data plan. We have contacted verizon and been told that we have a texting plan and to video message I need a data plan. I have told their rep that is not true, I AM PAYING FOR TEXT, PICTURE, and VIDEO! I should be able to get phones to accomadate what I am paying for, they said I can the 1 garbage phone. We are leaving as soon as our contract is done!
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[…] should be noted that select 3G Featurephones were restored the option for unlimited data in 2010, with this latest realignment once again allowing all featurephones on […]