Verizon Wireless may not offer unlimited data plans for LTE services, instead it can switch to tiered pricing, according to chief financial officer of Verizon Communications Inc., John Killian.
Verizon Wireless may not offer unlimited data plans for LTE services, instead it can switch to tiered pricing, according to chief financial officer of Verizon Communications Inc., John Killian.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Killian said, “We will probably need to change the design of our pricing where it will not be totally unlimited, flat rate.â€
The company is finalizing new data plans for the 4G network and isn’t ready to announce specifics, said Killian.
Verizon move is similar to AT&T which has said no to unlimited data plans earlier this month.
Verizon CTO Dick Lynch had been eariler quoted by Engadget as saying that he doesn’t see how they’ll be able to offer an all-you-can-eat plan when the company’s LTE network goes live over the course of the next few years, citing its open development initiative as a key reason.
TeliaSonera is currently selling an introductory LTE network plan with unlimited downloads but by July, the operator plans to limit downloads to 30 gigabytes and charge 599 kronor for the service, almost twice the cost of its 20-gigabyte 3G plan.
In LTE World Summit last month, Ken Wirth, president LTE and 4G networks at Alcatel-Lucent said, “We can’t live with or without flat rate tariffs. If you don’t give consumers flat rate they won’t use the services, but with it they abuse it.”