Verizon Wireless and AT&T both lowered prices on their unlimited wireless calling plans, as the companies attempt to outpace one another in an increasingly competitive market.
The unlimited Verizon family talk and text plan received a price cut from $229.99 per month down to $149.99 per month, with unlimited nationwide voice cut from $99.99 to $69.99. The unlimited voice plan without the data package dropped from $199.99 to $119.99, with unlimited talk and text pricing dropped from $119.99 to $89.99.
Subscribers interested in changing their plans are able to upgrade their accounts for free.
This is a significant move for both companies -- especially for AT&T -- as Verizon tries to steal away subscribers tired of lackluster 3G coverage offered by AT&T. I applaud Verizon for making these price cuts.
I recently was in Las Vegas for vacation with my girlfriend, and the overall 3G coverage with my AT&T BlackBerry Bold 9700 was extremely poor -- my girlfriend's Verizon phone had perfect 3G coverage the entire time we were there. In addition, I racked up a few dropped calls in areas where I should have had good coverage, while her phone service was perfect the entire time.
"This dwarfs, just dwarfs, any advertising war that’s ever been before,” said TSN Media Intelligence analyst Jon Swallen. “The burger wars between McDonald’s and Burger King, the beer wars between Budweiser and Miller, the wars between Federal Express and UPS, don’t even come close.”
Sprint-Nextel and T-Mobile launched similar services before AT&T and VZW, with the No. 1 and No. 2 wireless companies waiting it out. Neither of the trailing providers has been able to make a significant dent in the wireless market, while the majority of consumers continues to choose between AT&T and VZW. In related wireless plan news, Verizon is now forcing 3G data plans with most phones.
