Verizon offers unlimited data as mobile competition heats up

VERIZON Communications Inc., the biggest U.S. wireless provider, will start selling a package that includes unlimited data, a tacit acknowledgment that smaller competitors have struck a chord with consumers who want to stream video without worrying about exceeding a cap. / BLOOMBERG NEWS PHOTO
VERIZON Communications Inc., the biggest U.S. wireless provider, will start selling a package that includes unlimited data, a tacit acknowledgment that smaller competitors have struck a chord with consumers who want to stream video without worrying about exceeding a cap. / BLOOMBERG NEWS PHOTO

NEW YORK – Verizon Communications Inc., the biggest U.S. wireless provider, will start selling a package that includes unlimited data, a tacit acknowledgment that smaller competitors have struck a chord with consumers who want to stream video without worrying about exceeding a cap.

Verizon will charge $80 a month for a single user, $10 higher than the plan offered by T-Mobile US Inc., which ushered in the industry’s move to unlimited data last year. A plan with four phones will cost $180 through Verizon, which advertised the new plans during Sunday night’s Grammy Awards and will begin selling them Monday.

The move marks an about-face for Verizon, which has steadfastly refused to offer unlimited data plans for fear of obliterating the bottom line, choosing instead to focus on network quality for the highest-paying customers. But after another quarter of slowing subscriber growth, and with a new head of wireless and chief financial officer in the fold, the phone giant is going on the offensive.

Verizon shares fell 1.3 percent to $48.34 at 8:30 a.m. Monday before the official market open. They have dropped about 2.3 percent over the past 12 months, compared with a 78 percent surge for T-Mobile and a more-than threefold gain for Sprint Corp., which has also been aggressively pushing unlimited plans.

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“It offers a ‘fightback’ moment for the company,” Jennifer Fritzsche, an analyst at Wells Fargo Securities LLC, wrote in a note Monday. “With this move — it is very much back in the conversation.”

Verizon added 591,000 wireless subscribers in the fourth quarter, half as many as T-Mobile, and Chief Financial Officer Matt Ellis told analysts all options were on the table for the company’s plans for consumers. Still, Verizon has a premium service that demands a premium price, Ellis said.

The company is the industry’s top performer in overall quality, network reliability and speed, data and calling, according to a study by RootMetrics released in August. Verizon’s network was second only in text messaging, behind AT&T.

“This announcement sends a very strong message around the strength in the Verizon network,” Fritzsche said, adding that she expects aggressive advertising to focus on the premium quality of the network.

Paying the cost

As part of the new promotion, Verizon is offering free iPhones to new customers with qualifying trade-ins. The company used free iPhone promotions for a few weeks during the holiday season to match similar offers from rivals.

In the wireless industry, competition has been intense. Most people who want a mobile phone already have one, and get a dizzying amount of offers to switch carriers. While Verizon may be bowing to pressure in a bid to retain customers and spur growth, unlimited data comes with a cost. These promotions, as well as the separation of the handset costs from the monthly service charges, have eroded carriers’ average user bill over the past year.

“You cannot make money in an unlimited video world,” former Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said at an investor conference last fall. “You just can’t do it because you need to generate the cash flow to keep up with your demand.”

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