News: Verizon to Offer Pooled Data Plans

Verizon will begin offering a new plan, dubbed Share Everything, where you can share data with up to ten devices, along with unlimited minutes and messages. The plan are designed to allow customers to add different kinds of devices (smartphones, dumbphones, tablets, 3G laptops, etc.) and then share a given amount of data. The plan will be available June 28 and also include Mobile Hotspot with no extra charge.

Reading between the lines, it seems that carriers really are seeing more demand for data and less for voice:

“Customers asked, and today Verizon Wireless delivered an industry first,” said Tami Erwin, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Share Everything Plans are the new standard for wireless service. They are simple; customers no longer have to think about their voice and message plans, because both are unlimited. Share Everything Plans are convenient; customers purchase one data plan and they share it with up to 10 mobile devices. And, they are worry-free; customers can connect their 3G or 4G devices wherever and whenever they want on America’s most reliable network.”

The company has also explained costs of each device on a plan (we suspect the higher cost for phones is not only because they’d actually use minutes, but also to help with subsidies (tablets aren’t on a contract):

To get started on a Share Everything Plan, customers first select the devices they want on their accounts. The next step is to choose a plan that includes unlimited minutes, unlimited messages and a shared data allowance that begins at 1 GB for $50. Customers adding a tablet on their Share Everything Plans can do so for an additional $10, with no long-term contract requirement. The following matrix shows pricing for an account with several different devices, such as a smartphone, a tablet and a basic phone, billed to the same individual.

Anyone want to take bets as to how long until AT&T offers their own plan like this?