04/14/2008, 10:45am, EDT
Monday, April 14thVerizon adds unlimited smartphone plan
Stepping up the already increased competition between US carriers, Verizon today became one of the first providers in the country after AT&T to offer an explicitly unlimited plan for smartphones. The simply-titled Wireless E-mail and Web for Smartphone plan lets users browse and check e-mail without restriction on devices that would normally be subject to data caps. The feature lets even home users use a smartphone as a hub for most of their Internet access, Verizon says.
The $30 monthly plan includes access to as many as ten personal accounts from larger services (including Windows Live and Yahoo) and doesn't allow tethering for using phones as cellular modems. Service is initially limited to three Windows Mobile phones that include the Motorola Q9m as well as the SMT5800 and the XV6800. More devices will be available under the plan in the future, according to Verizon.
The Wireless E-mail and Web service follows the company's unlimited plans for more limited devices and is potentially a response to similar plans from AT&T, which have included both BlackBerry and Windows Mobile smartphones. The iPhone has so far sat in an unusual category by using a limited phone's $20 data plan but offering some smartphone-level features.
Filed under: iPhone, industry
Other story tags: AT&T, Verizon, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile
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It's no small wonder they didn't take up Apple's offer on the iPhone- they want ppl to have to pay for extra network access to move files, and to only be able to use their media store. Now that we have a different businenss model becoming a standard in mobiles, we're going to see the M$ catch-up model applied to those who want to stick to the old gameplan but still compete.
The issue here is that mobile phone service is becoming less about the network, and more about the hardware, to the dismay of network execs. This is akin to the current music label vs. iTMS faceoff.
We've seen these shifts chronicled before our eyes, and can expect to see more as we se the 3G and 4G networks develop. How's that for an analytical prediction?