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Verizon Set to Switch to Tiered Data Pricing?

Wednesday July 21, 2010 11:26 am PDT by Eric Slivka

For all those people who have been waiting for a Verizon iPhone to make an appearance and hoping to get in on an unlimited data plan when it does launch on that carrier, it looks like that option may not be a possibility. Engadget is reporting that Verizon next week will follow in AT&T's footsteps and switch to tiered pricing for its cellular data packages.

AT&T and Verizon tend to follow each others' moves pretty closely -- the two carriers regard each other as their nearest competitors, after all -- and we're hearing that Big Red intends to move to some sort of tiered bucket strategy on July 29. We don't have details on whether the pricing will be identical to AT&T's ($25 for 2GB, $15 for 200MB), but we imagine it'll be within shouting distance if not.

AT&T revised its data plan packages at the time of the iPhone 4 introduction early last month, doing away with its standard $30/month unlimited data package for the iPhone in favor of limited plans offering cheaper price points. Existing customers on unlimited data plans were grandfathered in, however, and can continue to take advantage of the previous unlimited data plan.

With Verizon's new plans reportedly set to take effect in the very near future and a Verizon iPhone not rumored for introduction until November at the earliest but more likely early next year, it looks like unlimited iPhone data plans won't be an option for any Verizon customers unless the company changes course or somehow allows existing Verizon customers to be grandfathered in while permitting iPhone purchasers to carry that package over once the device becomes available.

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