Verizon to Kill Grandfathered Unlimited Plans

"They force things upon us, like the unlimited data plan,"

I don't know of any carrier who forced anyone to accept unlimited data.

I do uderstand your dilemma with only having one national carrier to choose from.

When smartphones began to become mainstream devices for consumers (and not just for business users...i.e. after the introduction of the iPhone on AT&T), carriers only offered one option of $20/$30 unlimited data plans that were REQUIRED for the phone to be purchased. Even though people wanted the phone without the data plan, the carriers said no and pointed to the fact that unlimited data was crucial to the functionality of the phones to justify the high data plan prices. Now, they want to take "unlimited" away and still charge customers higher fees than ever.

I believe that's what the original poster was getting at.

Yep, I believe you're right. That's how I looked at it.

Now, these shared data plans are probably going to be some ish and we will have to pay an arm, leg and a lung for it. I already pay $35 for my now so called unlimited plan on ATT. Honestly, at the time, it was the only reason I decided to stay with them and the fact that the were the only carrier to really offer Windows Phone. SMH

Thanks Ruff, that is exactly the point I was trying to make, and the way I was trying to explain it. 🙂

quick bit of research shows:

iPhone was introduced on ATT 6-07
ATT discontinued data opt out 9-'09
I had a black berry with data opt out until 2 years ago
I got the black berry in '09 and was allowed the data opt out

So, no, smart phones, until '09 did not require a data plan on ATT.

I can't talk about the iphone and it's requirements when it launched, but know for a fact that ATT afforded a data opt out option for smart phones into '09.

I can't speak to Verison's smart phone data history, only ATT.
Did Vz require unlimited data when they introduced the iPhone? I don't know it that is true or not.

To clarify, touchscreen smartphones with full HTML browsing capabilities on AT&T post iPhone did indeed require a data plan. Regardless of WHEN the unlimited data plan requirement was implemented, it still happened. And now that they've driven up the cost, they're going back on their prior justification that unlimited data was "necessary" for such devices just to gouge the customer.

Whether it started in 2007 or 2009 is irrelevant.

Oh yeah it required a data plan.

I had a friend who bought an iPhone used from someone and simply swapped her SIM card out. She only used data when she was connected to her home WiFi, and otherwise used it as she did her old phone. But as soon as AT&T saw that her SIM was in an iPhone they automatically bumped her plan to Unlimited Data. They didn't ask, they just changed it mid-billing cycle and claimed it was "necessary".

(though, anecdote from third-person, so take that with a grain of salt)