Just a few days ago Verizon made the less-than-shocking confirmation that
DROID tethering was coming, but wouldn't say how much it would cost. Now that the hardest of hardcore fans are already waiting in line, disconnected from the world at large, the company is unleashing the bad news: it'll be $30. That doubles the cost of the required data plan that sits atop a subscriber's voice plan, meaning a total of $60 per month for "unlimited" data access on handset or laptop. Mind you, "unlimited" really means 5GB of data per, a total of 10 split between the two $30 plans. Glass ceilings: we hate them.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ant @ Nov 6th 2009 7:48AM
5gb per what??
jnorman3 @ Nov 7th 2009 11:55PM
IS IT TRUE THAT VERIZON CAPS DATA USAGE? I heard it was around 5GB????
http://www.epinions.com/review/Motorola_Droid_Cell_Phone/content_490793438852
Steve-O @ Nov 6th 2009 8:02AM
Per lunar cycle, I believe.
Mark @ Nov 6th 2009 8:10AM
I don't believe this is accurate. While there is a 5GB limit on the tethering option (which would obviously be $30 since it's $30 for every other smartphone, phone and blackberry which it's available on through Verizon). I don't believe there is a 5GB limit on the $30 data plan for the phone.
thehiggins @ Nov 6th 2009 8:09AM
meh -- this is pretty good actually --- an EVDO card from them is already 59.99 a month for 5gb a month.
If you can talk on your phone at the same time and still maintain an tethered connections that would be great!
I wish VZW would cut me a break... I pay 30 dollars a month for my phones data plan and another 59.99 a month for my EVDO card. It hurts knowing the EVDO card accesses the SAME network as my phones data plan.
Mark Fabrizio @ Nov 6th 2009 8:43AM
I think its pretty steep seeing as how I have a Blackberry and the tethering fee was only $15/month. With the data plan and regular phone plan, my bill comes to almost $80/month right now - adding another $15 is a bit rough.
bernardino @ Nov 6th 2009 7:46PM
Dump the data card, sign up for tethering with your phone and save yourself $30 a month.
bernardino @ Nov 6th 2009 7:51PM
I just read Doug's comment below. I totally forgot you can't use voice and data at the same time on Verizon. This is one of the reasons I left to AT&T. Although Verizon has a near perfect network, AT&T's has worked good enough for me and the ability to surf the net for info while in a phone call is a huge plus.
$90 a month just to use voice and data at the same time, while GSM competitors are only charging $60 for phone + tethering to do the same thing? Verizon is ripping you off.
bernardino @ Nov 6th 2009 7:52PM
*worked well enough
Jotting @ Nov 13th 2009 7:18PM
My experience, as a Alltel conversion to Verizon has been very toilsome. We had a data air card with Alltel with unlimited data use for 59.99/month. The day Verizon took over the card went from EVDO to 1x (transfer download rate became 186kbs at best). Called Verizon tech 15 times over 3 months, extremely slow response. I was told they could not find anything wroung with their system. Since that time I have found 40+ former Alltel customers with the same issue. I believe they just want to get rid of all the customers with unlimited usage. I was lucky to beyond the contract time. My freinds are not as fortunate.
My advice stay away from Verizon all together.
lostinthesauce @ Nov 6th 2009 8:33AM
According to my VZW rep, the 5GB limit "only applies to tethering." Personally, i think it should be either a data limit when tethering, OR you pay extra for it. Of course, from the company that's about to double their ETF, i don't know what else i would expect.
Zaggs @ Nov 6th 2009 8:44AM
I have to agree with Mark. I've never seen anything about a limit for the data plan. The only mention of the 5GB limit comes with the tethering option which is what I have for my Storm. That still menas the Droid will have tethering before the Iphone.
lockstocked @ Nov 6th 2009 9:08AM
ahhh, it makes me glad that ive been able to tether my 3g connection for years now over a wireless signal. with no extra costs. gotta love joiku spot
lostinthesauce @ Nov 6th 2009 9:21AM
My old WinMo device tethered without VZW's application. They never appeared to catch on, and i never got charged the tethering fee. Only used it about once a month, maybe once every two months. Each time i used it, however, it was invaluable.
Doug Simmons @ Nov 6th 2009 9:26AM
@thehiggins: Sorry, no voice and data simultaneously on EVDO*/CDMA, only on UMTS/HSDPA (AT&T). Maybe LTE someday, don't know. For people who tether, for some of them at least, that's a near dealbreaker to be on a Citrix-like terminal on their laptop tethering, then someone calls them and their terminal connection drops.
What I hope is that, given the popularity the Droid seems to be headed toward, Verizon hasn't set themselves up for the same mistakes AT&T made because man AT&T's network's performance, at least in my town (Manhattan), sucks so bad and has since the iPhone. I am a self-loathing AT&T customer, a Google lover so I am really rooting for Verizon not to screw this up and make customers angry either over something major, network saturation, or more subtle like tethering customers laying down their extra thirty bucks and running into a dead end if they hit five gigs (or getting surcharged up the butt for crossing that line). OTOH enforcing such a limit may be necessary to satisfy customers' demand for tethering while deterring overuse that will slow things down. Please have the infrastructure Verizon, this phone may be a big hit so don't screw this up.
limegrass69 @ Nov 6th 2009 9:19AM
What's the big deal here? It's the same price as a data plan with tethering for a Blackberry.
You guys did not think Verizon was giving it away, did you??
Dylan @ Nov 6th 2009 9:35AM
Jeez Engadget. You are reporting these stories on Verizon's plans like they are new plans, hatched specifically for the Droid. ITS ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS, for all smartphones. Not news.
Cal_croat @ Nov 6th 2009 11:52AM
I don't see the extra $30 anywhere, but rather $15. If you try to buy a Droid on Verizon's site the options for data are $29.99 for "Email and web for smartphone" and $44.99 for "Unlimited data usage" which is described this way: "Synchronize your mobile PDA or Smartphone to your PC with PDA/Smartphone from Verizon Wireless, providing over-the-air synchronization of e-mail, contacts, calendar, and tasks. Service available within the NationalAccess or, with certain devices, the Mobile Broadband service area."
So it looks like tethering is only an extra $15/mo, not $30. Am I missing something?
Cal_croat @ Nov 6th 2009 12:01PM
Just kidding... didn't realize "Unlimited data usage" doesn't offer web surfing over that PC connection.
epalmatier @ Nov 6th 2009 12:34PM
I'm just as confused as a few others on here. This is the exact same pricing that has been on Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices for more than a year. This information is not new. Tethering itself, on the DROID phones, was the news - not the tethering cost. Internet on the phone's screen is unlimited. Internet on the computer, using the phone as a modem, is a 5GB plan.
If you pay $44.99/mo for Enterprise level email (server-pushed email for your business), then tethering is $15/mo
If you pay $29.99/mo for personal level email (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, MSN, Cox, Time Warner, Comast, etc), then tethering is $30/mo.
Either way, the two combined equal about $60/mo.
It's been this way since the $29.99 plan was introduced almost two years ago.
Honeybear @ Nov 6th 2009 1:54PM
Everyone stole the words from my mouth on this one that Engadget is totally retarded for not knowing that these were already the plans applying to all smartphones already. If you have a 44.99 enterprise plan, it's 15.00, and if you have a 29.99 plan it's 30.00....so it always equates to 59.99 total....just like an aircard. There are 5 GB limits on both tethering plans. Nowhere at all does Verizon advertise that these plans are unlimited anymore, only your browsing on the phone itself is unlimited. I don't know what engadget means by 5 GB per, I'm assuming that they think there's a 5 GB limit on the plan for the phone as well. There's not, it is unlimited, but if you use 5 GB of data on your phone's much slower browser then you have problems. Learn what's already available to you before you post something, engadget.
uwaga dude @ Nov 7th 2009 3:12PM
Shut the fuck up. VZW is shit.
will @ Nov 6th 2009 4:52PM
this is identical to tethering with pda/blackberry. the number has to equal $60. so if you have an aircard, you pay 60. if you are paying $30 for data, you pay $30 for tethering. if you are paying $45 for data, you pay $15 for tethering.
bernardino @ Nov 6th 2009 8:04PM
This is the page of tethering plans, right?
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=plans
bernardino @ Nov 6th 2009 8:05PM
...or more specifically:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=products_connect
TP @ Nov 6th 2009 8:21PM
I like android, I was going to get droid ,,,but for extra 30$ I'll just get a proven blackberry.
r4 card @ Nov 7th 2009 12:10AM
it makes me glad that ive been able to tether my 3g connection for years now over a wireless signal. with no extra costs.
r4 card
r4 ds @ Nov 7th 2009 12:11AM
it makes me glad that ive been able to tether my 3g connection for years now over a wireless signal.
r4 ds
the4thheat @ Nov 7th 2009 2:53PM
On windows mobile phones it's hilariously easy to enable tethering without the data plan.
Markus @ Nov 9th 2009 11:40AM
Pretty amazing prices when compared to prices in Europe; I pay 9,99 euros for unlimited tethering over 3G and that really is unlimited! The prices do not change if it is for phone only or for PC as well; nor if I would use iPhone, Nokia or Blackberry...