Verizon launching shared data plans June 28
After years of study, Verizon Wireless Tuesday unveiled a shared data plan that works across 10 Verizon devices.
The data plan is folded into Verizon's new Share Everything Plans that's slated to roll out on June 28 for new and existing customers.
The Share Everything Plans will offer unlimited voice minutes, text, video and picture messaging for 10 Verizon Wireless mobile devices, the company said in a statement.
The plans call for customers to pick a monthly access fee per device, ranging from $10 for tablets up to $40 for smartphones. Each device must be added to an account. Read more...
Verizon fumbles on “kill unlimited data plans” damage control
Yesterday, at the J.P. Morgan 40th Annual Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, Verizon EVP and CFO Frank Shammo mentioned that his company would be forcing customers away from their grandfathered unlimited data plans. The decision is purely financial: "A lot of our 3G base is unlimited. As they start to migrate into 4G, they will have to come off of unlimited and go into the data share plan. And that is beneficial for us for many reasons, obviously. So as you pick what tier you want to be and we think that there will be some price up in those tiers." Read more...
HTC Droid Incredible 4G unveiled; 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, 4-inch qHD display, NFC and 8MP camera
Already teased on the Verizon website via a promotional page, HTC has today confirmed the launch of the Droid Incredible 4G at CTIA Wireless, becoming the 23rd 4G LTE device to be offered by big red in the US.
The smartphone features a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, a 4-inch super LCD qHD display with an 8-megapixel snapper ( f/2.2 and 28 mm lens) and a 1,700 mAh removable battery. Read more...
7 simple steps for thwarting hactivists
More data was stolen from corporate networks last year by hactivists than by cyber criminals, according to a new report from Verizon.
The Verizon 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report includes analysis from 855 cyber security breaches worldwide that involved 174 million compromised records. More than half -- 58 percent -- of all data that was compromised last year was the result of politically motivated attacks rather than those motivated by financial gain.
Verizon said most data breaches could be avoided if network managers followed best practices in information security. Read more...
Verizon to set up streaming service with Redbox
Phone company Verizon Communications Inc. will challenge Netflix and start a video streaming service this year with Redbox and its DVD rental kiosks.
Verizon and Coinstar Inc., Redbox's parent, said Monday that the service will be national and available to non-Verizon customers as well. It adds another leg to Verizon's quest to become a force in home entertainment, and it looks set to compete to some extent with the cable-TV services it already sells.
Verizon has its own cable-TV service, called FiOS, in some areas. Its Verizon Wireless subsidiary has also signed a deal to sell service from Comcast Corp. and other cable TV companies in its stores. Read more...
Cox to sell spectrum to Verizon for $315M
Cox Communications plans to sell wireless spectrum licenses covering 28 million U.S. residents to Verizon Wireless for $315 million, becoming the latest cable operator to join with Verizon for mobile services.
Earlier this month, a joint venture of three of the largest U.S. cable companies agreed to sell their AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) spectrum to Verizon for $3.6 billion. The venture had acquired the licenses, which cover about 265 million people, in 2006 but had never used them. The group, called SpectrumCo, included Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.
If the spectrum purchases receive antitrust and Federal Communications Commission approval, they will give Verizon Wireless a rich source of spectrum to strengthen its mobile network and more channels through which to sell its services. The deals also represent a retreat from mobile by U.S. cable operators, which have not had much luck selling wireless along with their packages of home video, data and voice services. Read more...
Turkey day deal: Verizon to offer Samsung Illusion for free
The Samsung Illusion smartphone, made from recycled materials, will be offered for free by Verizon Wireless with a two-year contract from Thursday through Monday in an online promotion.
Aside from the five-day promotion, the Illusion will cost $79.99 starting tomorrow online, Verizon said. The device won't be sold in Verizon stores until January, however.
Verizon also announced a slew of other Thanksgiving holiday promotions subject to two-year agreements, including the red Droid Incredible 2 smartphone, which will be in Verizon stores on Friday for free after a $50 rebate. The 4G LTE Revolution by LG will also be offered for $50 online Thursday through Monday.
As for tablets, Verizon is making the 4G LTE-ready Motorola Xoom available from Thursday through Monday for $200 with a two-year agreement and a data plan starting at $30 a month (for 2GB of data). That price brings the Xoom with LTE, normally $500, in line with the new Wi-Fi-only Amazon Kindle Fire at $199. Read more...
Verizon Wireless adds 25 cities receiving LTE on Sept. 15
Verizon Wireless on Monday named 25 more localities, mainly in Illinois and other Midwestern states, that will get its 4G LTE service on Sept. 15.
The carrier could be racing to set up network support for the coming iPhone 5, which is rumored to support 4G LTE, according to some bloggers. Verizon would not comment on that speculation, however, referring questions about the iPhone to Apple instead.
"We're aggressive in the deployment of 4G LTE because we have a huge first-to-market advantage -- more than a year -- over what AT&T says it's going to be building eventually," said the Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson, in an email.
"Our customers are using LTE big time," he added. "They love the speed and huge latency improvements. LTE is extremely efficient in carrying data." Read more...