Monday 25 November 2013

Verizon Wireless offers $5-a-day data for tablets

Company announces new data plan, which comes with 300MB of data capacity, for tablet and connected-device owners who want occasional access to Verizon's 4G LTE network.


Tablets are expected to be one of the hottest gadget gift items for Holiday 2013. And Verizon Wireless has a new daily data plan that will get customers hooked up to the company's 4G LTE network for $5 a day. 

On Thursday, Verizon Wireless announced the introduction of a new $5-a-day data plan for customers with tablets and other Internet connected devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy camera. The new plan will let users connect to Verizon's 4G LTE data network for 24 hours with access to up to 300 megabytes worth of data.

Customers who sign up will not be charged an activation fee. And if 300MB worth of data isn't enough, customers will get an alert to allow them to purchase another 300MB worth of data for $5. It's also easy to reactivate the service after a session has expired. Customers can simply go back to their account online after their daily session has expired to sign up again.

The way it works for customers who already have a Verizon Wireless SIM card installed in their tablet or device is that when they launch their browser, they'll automatically be routed to the Verizon Wireless broadband portal. Once on this landing page, they can choose a Share Everything plan, which lets customers share data among smartphones and other devices, including tablets, and requires a monthly contract. Prepay options will also be available, including the new $5 daily plan. Customers who don't have a Verizon Wireless SIM card installed in their device will have to stop by a Verizon Wireless retail location to get one. And a representative will be able to help them activate a data plan of their choosing.

Verizon has already been offering prepaid data plans for tablets and other connected devices. But these options offer service for 30 days, and the cost is considerably more. The cheapest option for a monthly prepaid data plan is $20 for 1GB of data, which can be used for up to a month. The plan is designed so that the service will automatically renew at the end of the 30-day period and the customer's credit card is automatically charged, making it a better option for people who need access to Verizon's data network on a more regular basis.

The new $5 daily service plan is not designed for customers who want access to Verizon's data network all the time. Instead, it's intended for customers who may need LTE services only occasionally, when Wi-Fi service is not available. It may also appeal to customers who don't want to pay for daily access to a Wi-Fi network in locations such as hotels.

Verizon is not the only wireless operator going after these occasional data users. In October AT&T announced a similar plan, which also costs $5 a day. AT&T's plan offers only 250MB of data per day.

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