New Verizon Wireless smartphone customers will no longer be able to surf the web without a data plan as of Monday, when new rates take effect. But new voice plans will cost $30 less.
The company, a joint venture between Verizon Communications and the Vodafone Group that has the largest U.S. mobile network, will require a data plan on all its new 3G smartphones.
The company announced Friday that it has eliminated a $19.99 option for 75 megabytes of data, adding a new, unlimited plan for $29.99. The company still offers a $9.99 plan for 25 megabytes of data, but has lowered the cost of overages from 50 cents to 20 cents.
That means a customer who uses 75 megabytes of data per month but does not want an unlimited plan would see no change in the bill, because $9.99 for 25 megabytes plus $10 in overage charges for 50 megabytes would bring the plan up to the previous $19.99 rate. But those who go much over 75 megabytes will likely be drawn to the unlimited plan.
“We’re giving people more options,” said Brenda Raney, a spokesperson for the Basking Ridge, N.J.-based company. “We are seeing that people who use full-feature phones really use all the features.”
She said the new data rates are “a response to current customer usage habits. More customers on multimedia devices want the unlimited data.”
The price changes won’t affect existing customers unless they switch to another plan.
Verizon has only required data plans on the LG EnV Touch and the Samsung Rogue. Simple feature-phone users have been able to choose to pay $1.99 per megabyte or pick one of the two data plans.
The change is seen as a push to get more people using data phones as Verizon prepares to launch its fourth-generation, 700-MHz Long Term Evolution network later this…