Verizon CFO kills Unlimited Data for LTE upgrades

This week at the 40th J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said that the company would have all grandfathered 3G unlimited data plans migrating to 4G turned away from unlimited data in the very near future. This update will have the original $30 a month plan axed entirely for those making the switch, with users wishing to stay on 3G continuing to keep their unlimited plans for the foreseeable future. By mid-summer, all 3G update candidates to 4G will be on the company's data-share plan.

This new data-share plan will be launched by the middle of the summer of 2012 but not price details have been discussed as of yet. Shammo noted that the constrained market surrounding their data networks comes from consumer's notion that they've got to add new data plans for each new device, this new plan having them working with the same data plan for as many devices if they like.

"If I can add as many devices as I want, that is more efficient from a family perspective and a small business perspective. ... A lot of our 3G base is on unlimited. When they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share. That is beneficial to us." – Shammo

This new data plan will be anchored with the prospect of having 4G LTE connectivity across a family's whole smartphone and tablet collection. Shammo noted that by the middle of 2013 they planned on having a larger LTE footprint than their current 3G footprint across the USA. NOTE: We've reached out to Verizon for further clarification on the change in data plans and hope to hear back soon – stay tuned!

[via Fierce Wireless]