VERIZON SET TO LAUNCH THEIR OWN DATA ROLLOVER PLAN

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VERIZON SET TO LAUNCH THEIR OWN DATA ROLLOVER PLAN

July 19, 2016 Uncategorized 0

VERIZON SET TO LAUNCH THEIR OWN DATA ROLLOVER PLAN

An image from a Verizon test site suggests that Verizon Wireless customers will soon be eligible to ’Carryover’ unused data to the end of the following month. A Verizon spokeswoman declined to comment on rumors of changes, but she did say, “We’re going to have some fireworks next week — stay tuned.” This seems to imply that it is adopting AT&T’s plan in which subscribers can rollover unused data for 30 days and use-it-or-lose-it.

In 2014, T-Mobile first introduced its Data Stash program, followed a month later by AT&T with its Rollover plan. A year later, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo insisted that Verizon was “a leader, not a follower” and it “did not go to places where it did not financially want to go to save a customer.”

Verizon is also rumored to be offering an alternative to paying $15 for each extra gig of data in overage fees after subscribers reach their monthly data allotment. Under the ’Safety Mode’ program, it will allow subscribers to use mobile data at slower throttled speeds. It is expected that this will be a free option to subscribers with an XL 12 gigabyte data plan that costs $80 a month, or its XXL plan, which offers 18GB for $100 a month. Customers with smaller plans will be able to pay $5 extra to enter the Safety Mode.

Customers on XL or XXL plans will also get unlimited calls from the US to Mexico and Canada, and be able to use their talk, text message and data allowance while in those two countries at no extra charge. Customers with lower plans will be able to pay an additional fee to access this benefit, but it’s unclear what the fee will be.

These moves highlight the competitive pressures that Verizon faces. While they are being offered to consumers, enterprises should expect to see similar options. Data pooling avoids many of the issues with overages, but Rollover, Carryover or Data Stashing will enable organizations to reduce the extra data that they are currently purchasing to avoid overage fees. These changes will provide savings to enterprises, but they also introduce more complexity for administrators that manage mobile expenses. Managers should start to think about the reports and tracking that will be necessary to ensure they receive all the benefits from these new programs.