Number one US operator Verizon Wireless has confirmed long-running speculation it will drop its unlimited monthly data packages, joining rivals AT&T and T-Mobile in adopting a tiered pricing strategy. From July 7 (tomorrow), new customers will choose from one of four options: US$10 for 75 MB per month (targeted at the feature phone market), US$30 for 2 GB, US$50 for 5 GB or US$80 for 10 GB. There will be an overage charge of US$10 per GB of data. AT&T charges US$15 per month for 200 MB and US$25 per month for 2 GB.  Verizon has until now offered a US$30 all-you-can-surf monthly deal. The plans are just for new Verizon customers; old customers will be able to keep their unlimited plans, even if they upgrade after the July 7 cutoff. Also starting Thursday, Verizon’s free hotspot service will cost current users US$30 per month to continue with unlimited usage. New users will pay US$30 for 2GB of monthly data to use with the hotspot. 

Verizon’s move follows an earlier tiered data model for its nascent ‘next-generation’ LTE services. It also leaves Sprint as the only tier one US operator offering unlimited data packages (although even Sprint has admitted it is keeping an open mind on this model). Verizon has adopted a metered approach to its tiered pricing strategy, rather than rival T-Mobile’s model of throttling users’ speeds when users go over their allotted data buckets (instead of charging overage fees). Looking ahead, reports suggest Verizon will move to shared data plans for multiple devices after it introduces its new usage-based pricing.