DETROIT – The wireless carrier launched a new plan Monday that offers unlimited data, talk time and texts for $80 per month for the first line when you select automatic payments. Customers can add up to four more lines for $45 per month each.
The plan is available to both new and existing customers.
Verizon, which stopped offering an unlimited plan seven years ago, is the last of the major national carriers to bring the option back. AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint already offer it in some form or another. For years, Verizon has resisted, insisting that its customers don’t need so much data. Its new move underscores heightened competition, which is always good for consumers.
“The shift in strategy was dictated by market conditions,” said Jefferies analyst Mike McCormack.
The plan arrives as T-Mobile and Sprint have been trumpeting their unlimited plans. T-Mobile in particular has doubled down on its support for unlimited, eliminating all of its tiered options.
Verizon took a veiled shot at T-Mobile, which drew criticism because it killed off more affordable options when it switched to unlimited only. (T-Mobile has said it mitigated some of the impact by “removing” taxes and fees from customers’ bills.)
“We’re not limiting you to a single plan,” Ronan Dunne, president of Verizon’s wireless division, said in a statement. “If you don’t need unlimited data, we still have 5 GB, S, M, and L Verizon plans that are perfect for you.”
