Verizon Offers Unlimited Calling Plan

According to MocoNews, Verizon Wireless just rolled out a series of unlimited monthly calling plans that offer flat rates for all calls, including roaming and out-of-network calls.

In a USA Today report, Verizon COO Jack Plating said the company isn’t expecting a price war as a result of the flat-rate pricing. He said the plans are “really aimed at high-end customers who spend at least $100 month for mobile services.”

Take it from us: it’s real easy to ring up over $100 per month on Verizon, without even going over any allotted minutes or messaging totals. Speaking of which, Plating said that Verizon is not abandoning the lucrative “bucket business.” As MocoNews explains, operators usually price minutes by the bucket—for example, 450 minutes for $39.99 a month—and “literally bank on the fact that consumers will go over their allotted talk time.” That’s exactly what happens: millions of consumers exceed their minutes each month and are then charged up to $0.55 per minute. Overages make up 15 percent of the entire wireless industry’s revenue.

These pricing schemes are why consumers are leery of mobile media. If they’re gouged like this when simply making calls, who is to say what would happen to their bills if they activated mobile TV or signed up for a text campaign?

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