Verizon Wireless to Offer Pay-As-You Mobile Broadband
Now that I’m nearing the end of my two-year mobile broadband contract with Verizon, I’m weighing my options. I’ve actually been doing that for a few months now. But today Verizon is offering another choice: pay-as-you-go mobile broadband. That’s one of the appealing factors I’ve seen with Clear’s WiMAX — you can get a day pass, or go month-to-month. Unfortunately, there’s not enough coverage where I need it for WiMAX. But there is for Verizon’s 3G or I obviously wouldn’t have used it for the past few years. Here’s a breakdown of the new plans:
- Daily – $15 for 75 MB
- Weekly – $30 for 250 MB
- Monthly – $50 for 500 MB
For the truly mobile that work on the road every day, the standard $60 a month deal over two years makes the most sense on a cost per megabyte basis. You get 5 GB of throughput at that price. But for folks that need occasional 3G, this is better than the current smaller plan that Verizon offers. That’s 250 MB for $40 a month and it’s a two-year commitment. Verizon will sell you a USB760 modem for $129.99, which doubles as a memory card reader and works on Windows, OS X and Linux. You can grab this deal in stores starting Nov. 15 and at select national retailers beginning Nov. 20. Decisions, decisions… maybe I can switch my current USB727 modem over to this plan? I’ll have to find out.
Did you investigate any other pay-as-you-go plans from other operators? I’ve been looking for a comparison on the pay as you go offers. Might be a good follow up post. I think there are a lot of us out there on the fence on the monthly plans that will bite on the pay as you go model.
I haven’t yet, but that’s not a bad idea. Virgin Mobile offers a compelling set of options at a lower per MB cost: http://jkontherun.com/2009/06/10/virgin-mobile-usa-pay-per-mb-nationwide-3g-has-a-good-until-date/ And I have seen offers from Cricket and others, but I want to ensure I have coverage where I need it. Let me see what I can put together.
I don’t mind “$15 for 75MB” … but I do mind “$15/day”. If you use it more than 2 days a week, might as well go with the week plan. Or more than 3 times a month. That’s not a very good scalability factor.
Give me $15/75MB that lasts a month, and I’d go for that. or $30/250MB that lasts a month. That, and let me use it on a mifi.
Then check out Virgin Mobile – it’s $20/250MB that lasts a month. I tried it for a month; it worked well, but it just wasn’t enough MB for me.
those people don’t know how to price a product and make money.overnight richnes doesn’t egsist any more, ask pigeons for
an answer…
That pricing structure is badly screwed – 50 bucks for a lousy 500MB/month.
Here’s my recommendation for fairer mobile broadband:
2-year contract = $60/month 9GB/month cap
1-year contract = $70/month 5GB/month cap
2-year contract = $99/month 25GB/month cap
2-year contract = $120/month unlimited (no cap)
Monthly plan = $50 2GB
Weekly plan = $30 1GB
Daily plan = $15 750MB
Got a smartphone? Tether for free. Pay only for your connection speed:
GPRS = $10/month unlimited
EVDO = $20/month unlimited
3G = $40/month unlimited
Maybe if service providers weren’t so greedy we would see prices like these. Competition is no good when carriers band together in a joint conspiracy to rip off consumers. What they call choice is nothing more than poor service at premium price.
Monthly – $50 for 500 MB is a bad deal. For only $10 more on contract you get 5GB instead of only .5GB.