Think twice before dropping vzw unlimited data...

sodequis

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Phone manufacturers are doing tests on 5G right now and the results are showing as much as 3.6Gbps(google fiber is 1.0Gbps in perspective) downloads. Those of us that didn't just unknowingly keep our unlimited data at the time of 4g taking off, did so knowing it's benefits when paired with a high speed connection would be worth a significant amount. Question you have to ask, can we ride this unlimited data train into 5G devices when they come out in the near future?
 

dpham00

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No one knows what Verizon will do for 5g, and if the current UDP would be compatible.

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 5
 

Joe378

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No one knows what Verizon will do for 5g, and if the current UDP would be compatible.

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 5

It's not a matter of compatibility but whether Big Red would allow it which I highly doubt.

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dpham00

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It's not a matter of compatibility but whether Big Red would allow it which I highly doubt.

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By compatibility, I meant that Verizon making udp plan compatible with 5g.

Just like in the past, Verizon made the digital choice plans incompatible with 3g/4g.

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 5
 

jlgraham

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This is why I'm having such trouble with the idea of switching carriers, even with the news of the price increase for UDPs. Verizon may be charging a lot of money, but they also have very wide coverage, and (to my knowledge) are the only major carrier that does absolutely no throttling on LTE. When I break down my usage (about 20-30GB per month), the per GB price is actually pretty low, even after the $20 increase. $115 per month (after increase), divided by 30GB used, is about ~$3.83/GB. That includes minutes/texting (I barely use 200 mins/500 texts per month), if I take just the data charge ($50/mo), that's only ~$1.7/GB. Compare that to their latest 18GB plan, which is $120/mo, or $6.66/GB ($5.55 if you only count the $100/mo data charge). While T-Mobile is technically cheaper and "unlimited", their network is not nearly as large and they do throttle after you use 21GB, if you're in a congested area.

That being said, while you're on 3G, they can/do throttle when they feel it's necessary (not sure if it's only during congestion or after you use a certain amount). When they first rolled out LTE (I had an HTC Thunderbolt which was one of the first), they still offered UDPs. That was the last time I was able to use an upgrade, once 4G really rolled out they realized quickly that they could make a lot of money with tiered data plans. Now that all the plans are tiered, I have a feeling they won't be allowing UDPs on 5G (unless you're still on contract, which very few people will be). At the very least, the cost will go up again and/or they'll throttle you after a certain amount.

And as far as I can tell, there is nothing in place to prevent them from either throttling on 5G, or making you switch plans in order to have access. So it's really hard to know if I should keep paying the high price now, hoping it'll pay off later in the form of unlimited 5G, or if I should switch and save money now, since VZW will either throttle or increase the cost again when 5G rolls out. As it stands, I may switch, simply because it's hard to afford $115/mo on top of paying for devices at retail price, especially when I look at comparable plans on cheaper carriers. Add together the cost of my phone and I'm paying nearly $2000 a year!
 

dpham00

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Actually Verizon doesn't throttle 3g devices anymore...

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 5
 

Downwind

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I've got my Project 5X ordered and I'm having second thoughts. Last night my home wi-fi was making me buffer a movie so I switched to 4G on my phone's hotspot. I measured it on Speedtest first and got 70 Mbps. 70! Has anybody else seen crazy speeds like that? I hate the huge bill but I love the speed.

Damn. Just when I'm out Verizon drags me back in.
 

hal1

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As is such in life, you get what you pay for. Verizon has always been the best for me in Arizona, with no dropped calls anywhere in the state for the last 8 years. For me it's worth the price for the peace of mind to know that I get coverage anywhere

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Almeuit

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I've got my Project 5X ordered and I'm having second thoughts. Last night my home wi-fi was making me buffer a movie so I switched to 4G on my phone's hotspot. I measured it on Speedtest first and got 70 Mbps. 70! Has anybody else seen crazy speeds like that? I hate the huge bill but I love the speed.

Damn. Just when I'm out Verizon drags me back in.

Yeah. Plenty of us have hit 100-130 Mbps+ speeds on LTE :).
 

Almeuit

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As is such in life, you get what you pay for. Verizon has always been the best for me in Arizona, with no dropped calls anywhere in the state for the last 8 years. For me it's worth the price for the peace of mind to know that I get coverage anywhere

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This is how I feel for T-Mobile in my area.
 

Climb14er

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Yeah. Plenty of us have hit 100-130 Mbps+ speeds on LTE :).

In all my years on VZ and 4G... I've never gone over 28 Mpbs... anywhere. I run over 100 on my wifi on two 1750AC routers upstairs ( hardwired AP) and downstairs office.

Don't know how you get those 4G speeds?
 

Almeuit

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In all my years on VZ and 4G... I've never gone over 28 Mpbs... anywhere. I run over 100 on my wifi on two 1750AC routers upstairs ( hardwired AP) and downstairs office.

Don't know how you get those 4G speeds?

Most 4G LTE customers can get anywhere from 30 to 100 Mbps. Just depends on the area.
 

LailaAK

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Most 4G LTE customers can get anywhere from 30 to 100 Mbps. Just depends on the area.

which cities can get over 100mbps on Verizon 4G LTE network? certainly not mine... even at the Verizon Wireless corporate-operated stores, the best I've ever seen was just under 30mbps down and 10mbps up.
 

dpham00

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which cities can get over 100mbps on Verizon 4G LTE network? certainly not mine... even at the Verizon Wireless corporate-operated stores, the best I've ever seen was just under 30mbps down and 10mbps up.

I have seen faster speeds but this is what I got this morning. I am in Los Angeles

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Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 5
 

Almeuit

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which cities can get over 100mbps on Verizon 4G LTE network? certainly not mine... even at the Verizon Wireless corporate-operated stores, the best I've ever seen was just under 30mbps down and 10mbps up.

Verizon hits 100+ in Florida where I live -- as does my T-Mobile service.