• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

3

Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

3

Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
Tech

Verizon Seeing ‘Significant Interest’ In New Unlimited Data Plan

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 6, 2017, 3:09 PM ET

T-Mobile and Sprint introduced new low-cost unlimited data plans last summer and saw a solid spike in customer interest. Now Verizon, which unveiled its surprise unlimited plan last month, is having the same experience.

“We did see significant interest,” John Stratton, executive vice president at Verizon, said on Monday, speaking at a Deutsche Bank investor conference. “Not surprisingly, the first wave is that you see a lot of our own customers, so that migration has been very substantial.”

After the first wave, Verizon saw “meaningful movement” of people switching from other carriers, he added. “We’re only a couple of weeks into it, so there’s a lot to be learned. We’ll watch and see how the quarter shakes out.”

Verizon hadn’t offered any unlimited plans for about five years before it bowed to the biggest trend in the wireless industry and unleashed its own plan almost one month ago. Starting at $80 for one line and going up to $180 for four lines, Verizon’s plan is more expensive than plans from T-Mobile and Sprint and less than AT&T’s.

Last year, after T-Mobile and Sprint unveiled their new unlimited plans in August, the two smaller carriers experienced an upswing in new subscribers. For the third quarter, Sprint (S) added 347,000 regular monthly, or postpaid, customers and T-Mobile (TMUS) added 857,000. In the same quarter, Verizon lost a net 36,000 and AT&T shed 268,000. Verizon likely will do better in the first quarter of 2017, thanks to its unlimited plan.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Verizon’s new unlimited plan price was intended to be at the “upper end” in terms of price, Stratton explained, as Verizon still thinks its network is better quality and is therefore worth more to customers. Verizon extended its lead over its three major competitors in the most recent professional survey of network quality performed by Rootmetrics, though those competitors have done better in comparisons done by other sources like Speedtest, which compiles the results of voluntary tests consumers conduct via a smartphone app.

As other Verizon executives have explained to Fortune, Stratton again said that the reason the company decided to offer an unlimited plan was that customers were becoming increasingly impatient with the uncertainty and annoyances of monthly data allowances.

“Tiered plans did a reasonably good job of covering actual requirements,” he said. But another factor that became increasingly important to consumers “is the whole peace of mind factor, the predictability of the bill.”

Stratton’s comments came as wireless industry market research firm Wave7 also found early signs of customer interest in Verizon’s unlimited plan. “Checks indicate that the reaction to the launch of Verizon Unlimited has been strongly positive,” the firm wrote in a report last month.

For more on Verizon’s unlimited plan, watch:

Verizon (VZ) has been heavily advertising the unlimited plan, Jeffrey Moore, principal at Wave7, says. The “full court press” stood in stark contrast to AT&T, which opened its unlimited plan to all customers two weeks ago and reduced the price last week, Moore said. AT&T (T) didn’t start running ads marketing its unlimited service until a few days ago.

“We’ll see how this unfolds in March,” he said. “But as of now, AT&T’s unlimited effort is now more than a rate card technicality but it by no means resembles Verizon’s full court press.”

Earlier on Monday, longtime telecommunications analyst Craig Moffett said Verizon’s surprise decision to offer unlimited data plans may be part of a strategy to overwhelm competitors’ wireless networks with traffic. Verizon has invested by far the most among the four major wireless carriers in adding capacity to its network through new cellular sites, particularly smaller sites that can be deployed close together in crowded urban areas, Moffett noted in a report on Monday.

Verizon’s new unlimited plan didn’t offer the lowest price, but it did offer full high-definition quality for streamed video. Video is the fastest growing activity on mobile networks and accounts for a significant share of all traffic.

Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T had all previously downgraded customers’ video streams to DVD-quality by default to save bandwidth. AT&T allowed customers to opt for higher-quality video if they wanted, while the other two carriers charged more for the higher quality. But shortly after Verizon’s announcement, T-Mobile and Sprint agreed to include HD video streaming at no extra charge and AT&T expanded its unlimited offer to all its customers after previously only allowing its pay TV customers to sign up. All three moves will ultimately put more traffic pressure on the carriers’ networks.

“Verizon’s counter appears to be a re-assertion of network advantage,” writes Moffett. “They believe that they can create a capacity war that they can win.”

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

SpaceX’s next-gen rocket is the key to its sky-high valuation, early investor says: ‘Starship also enables all kinds of frontier markets’
Startups & VentureElon Musk
SpaceX’s next-gen rocket is the key to its sky-high valuation, early investor says: ‘Starship also enables all kinds of frontier markets’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 24, 2026
10 hours ago
Dara Khosrowshahi speaks on stage and holds his palms in front of him, pressed together.
LifestyleUber Technologies
Uber CEO says rideshare ‘freed up’ his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he’s one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive
By Sasha RogelbergMay 24, 2026
11 hours ago
bofa
AIProductivity
BofA says you’ll be 10x more productive with AI. Ignore the 0.1% result so far
By Nick LichtenbergMay 24, 2026
11 hours ago
Inside the ‘stealth wealth’ playbook: How Silicon Valley’s elite buy multimillion-dollar mansions without leaving a paper trail
Real EstateLuxury
Inside the ‘stealth wealth’ playbook: How Silicon Valley’s elite buy multimillion-dollar mansions without leaving a paper trail
By Sydney LakeMay 24, 2026
12 hours ago
David Bennahum
CommentaryMedia
I was one of the internet’s first influencers. AI just killed the whole category — and created something better
By David S. BennahumMay 24, 2026
13 hours ago
Someone leafs through titles stacked in a library
AIResearch
AI hallucinations are infiltrating expert work—and entering the permanent body of knowledge
By Tristan BoveMay 24, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
3 days ago
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
Success
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
By Emma BurleighMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
Success
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
By Preston ForeMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Uber CEO says rideshare 'freed up' his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he's one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive
Lifestyle
Uber CEO says rideshare 'freed up' his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he's one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive
By Sasha RogelbergMay 24, 2026
11 hours ago
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
5 days ago
Inside the 'stealth wealth' playbook: How Silicon Valley's elite buy multimillion-dollar mansions without leaving a paper trail
Real Estate
Inside the 'stealth wealth' playbook: How Silicon Valley's elite buy multimillion-dollar mansions without leaving a paper trail
By Sydney LakeMay 24, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.