Training materials and e-mails confirm Verizon's 'usage-based' data plans
Leaked documents show that the carrier is indeed getting rid of the unlimited data plan.
Verizon has yet to confirm its forthcoming tiered data plans, but the details are already scattered across the Internet.
AndroidCentral has been posting what appears to be official training documents and e-mails for Verizon employees that match up with earlier reports.
Keeping line with the rumors early in the week, the "usage-based" plans are 2GB for $30 per month, 5GB for $50 per month, and 10GB for $80 per month. There will be no difference in pricing for 3G versus 4G handsets and overages result in a $10 per gigabyte of data. Verizon also has an online calculator designed to assist sales reps in picking out the right plan based on how much e-mail, Web, and music and video streaming a user needs each month.
As initially reported, existing customers will be grandfathered into the rate plan as long as they don't make any changes to their contract. What's more, an e-mail sent to indirect retailers reminds employees that anyone who signs a new line of service between now and July 6 qualifies for the unlimited plan. Advising that these next two weeks are critically important, sales agents are encouraged to get heavy data users into the unlimited plan before it goes away.
It's worth noting that the term "tier" does not appear in any of these Verizon documents nor are we likely to hear it anytime soon. Instead, the new phrase to learn is "usage based," something we've already heard from Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney. I suppose this makes it easier to put the onus back on the user.