Verizon Scales Back 'More Everything' Pricing To Compete With AT&T
In the high stakes game of mobile, wireless carriers have been flirting with a price war. That's not to say it's exactly cheap to rush out and sign up a family of four to a mobile phone plan in which all four members have a smartphone and generous data allotment, though prices are certainly coming down. The latest to slash prices is Verizon, which reduced the cost of its More Everything plan to match AT&T's pricing structure.
For customers who subscribe to a More Everything plan of 10GB or more and are also Edge early upgrade participants, they can add smartphones to their plan for $15 a pop. That's a savings of $5. In addition, Verizon dropped the monthly access fee for smartphones from $40 to $25.
Using our example of a family of four, it would now cost $160 per month for 10GB of data, unlimited calling, unlimited texting, and early upgrade eligibility via Edge. That's the same price AT&T charges for four lines with 10GB of shared data.
"With the price change, Verizon now matches AT&T's pricing for the high-end plans, though still remains at a premium for lower data allotment plans," analysts from Jefferies wrote in a research note, according to Fierce Wireless. "Given the higher profitability of these customers, and the likely higher secondary device attachment rate, we do not view the move as a surprise. Since Verizon only recently launched EDGE EIP service plan discounts, we view the impact to the existing customer base as minimal and the discount could spur more adoption of higher allotment plans."
In terms of lower allotment plans, the cost remains the same -- it's still $30 per line for plans below 8GB, and $40 per month per line on plans that include a smartphone subsidy.
For customers who subscribe to a More Everything plan of 10GB or more and are also Edge early upgrade participants, they can add smartphones to their plan for $15 a pop. That's a savings of $5. In addition, Verizon dropped the monthly access fee for smartphones from $40 to $25.
Using our example of a family of four, it would now cost $160 per month for 10GB of data, unlimited calling, unlimited texting, and early upgrade eligibility via Edge. That's the same price AT&T charges for four lines with 10GB of shared data.
"With the price change, Verizon now matches AT&T's pricing for the high-end plans, though still remains at a premium for lower data allotment plans," analysts from Jefferies wrote in a research note, according to Fierce Wireless. "Given the higher profitability of these customers, and the likely higher secondary device attachment rate, we do not view the move as a surprise. Since Verizon only recently launched EDGE EIP service plan discounts, we view the impact to the existing customer base as minimal and the discount could spur more adoption of higher allotment plans."
In terms of lower allotment plans, the cost remains the same -- it's still $30 per line for plans below 8GB, and $40 per month per line on plans that include a smartphone subsidy.
