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Personal hotspot for Verizon iPhone priced at $20 for 2 GB, order pages live on Apple Store

by Kelly Hodgkins Jan 25th 2011 at 11:00PM

Update: Apple's order pages for the Verizon iPhone are live on the Apple Store, but of course you can't actually order a phone yet -- MobileCrunch suggests practicing your order process just for fun and to refine your plan selections. [Just kidding.]

Verizon Wireless spokesperson Brenda Raney confirmed that the personal hotspot add-on for the iPhone will cost US$20 per month and will provide 2 GB of data. The personal hotspot feature will let you share your cellular data connection with up to five devices via Wi-Fi. This 2 GB of data is separate from the $30 unlimited data plan and is allocated only for mobile hotspot usage. You should watch your usage closely as overages will be charged at a costly $20 per GB.

Rather than undercut its popular DROID lineup with a free mobile hotspot, the carrier decided to play it safe and offer iPhone owners the same rate as Android owners. Select Android handsets on Verizon include 3G mobile hotspot, and this service is billed at $20 for 2 GB of usage. Verizon does offer free mobile hotspot for the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus, but that plan was adopted to boost sales of those webOS handsets. Judging by analysts' expectations, the Verizon iPhone won't need that additional boost.

Verizon may be the first carrier to offer personal hotspot on the iPhone, but it may not be last. Reports suggest the feature will be included in iOS 4.3 and will be rolled out worldwide. Similar to MMS in iOS 3.0, individual carriers will have the choice to enable this feature for its users. Now that Verizon has confirmed unlimited data and $20 personal hotspot, it will be interesting to see how AT&T responds. Any predictions?

[Via Macworld]



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Update: Apple's order pages for the Verizon iPhone are live on the Apple Store, but of course you can't actually order a phone yet --...
 

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16 Comments

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ronanb2

Sounds like a good reason to keep my windows phone. I use it as a hotspot on the Verizon unlimited data plan without any extra charge. I use Walking Hotspot. Is there any app for the iphone that would allow it to be used this way? If not, it looks like the fault lies more with Apple than with Verizon.

January 29 2011 at 4:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Stuffezia

Really nice article. Thanks for sharing such useful information

January 26 2011 at 11:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Check My Internet Speed

I'll stick with att on this one, I already have verizion fios that cost me almost $200 per month to watch the same movies 20 times a day. This stuff is getting outrageous, pay more for less.

January 26 2011 at 7:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
PJ Warren

Costs way too damn much. Piss on these thieving billion dollar corporations.

January 26 2011 at 10:23 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sinecure Industries

Would certainly be useful for those of us that bought the non 3g iPad

January 26 2011 at 9:01 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Sinecure Industries's comment
Faxthat

Does anyone know if the VZW iPhone4 hotspot feature can be turned on and off by the month? Or is it a 24-month all-or-none commitment?

January 26 2011 at 10:23 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
bradltv

Unlimited data $30, Hotspot $20.

We're at $50 a month without talking about voice and txting, right?

I think that's ludicrous, especially considering the Hotspot has a separate data cap. That's crazy.

I certainly don't need the Hotspot, but it's awesome, and I want it, but the cost is insane.

January 26 2011 at 8:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to bradltv's comment
Brett

I agree, though in all fairness it is competitively priced. Other options currently available are more expensive and don't have the benefit of being built into what's already in your pocket.

January 26 2011 at 9:26 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rob

@Wonderboy -- I think it is very misleading when you say tethering is "competitively priced". When there are ONLY two carriers offering the iPhone in the US, there is NO real competition. Not much better than an unregulated monopoly. In other words the consumer is getting hosed.

January 26 2011 at 10:14 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
TheCastro

Either AT&T will need to make the tethering with zero extra data free or give additional data for the $20 it costs. I'm still on my old plan with unlimited data and never plan to jump ship.

January 26 2011 at 6:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mrcubes2u

"overages will be charged at a costly $20 per GB" Is it just me or does that seem like a reasonable amount? It seems like other overage charges are $20 per MB or some other nonsensically high figure.

January 26 2011 at 2:59 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to mrcubes2u's comment
Brett

AT&T charges $10 for every GB you go over on their regular data plan. Of course you're only getting 2GB/month before they start charging extra whereas Verizon is providing *unlimited data for regular surfing already. Seems like a philosophy of Verizon putting more cost into the regular plan so they need to recoup it on the tethering overages, but still the hard numbers at the end of the day are $10 for 1GB on AT&T or $20 for 1 GB on Verizon.

Personally I'd still go with Verizon and hope that their getting the iPhone makes AT&T rethink their 2GB plan (no chance I'm switching before my contract ends in mid-2012).

January 26 2011 at 9:12 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Brett

*To note, the 200 MB plan on AT&T charges $15 for an extra 200 MB when you go over. Absolute abysmal data/dollar value, though the plan is useful for my wife who is around wifi almost constantly.

January 26 2011 at 9:16 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Fred

I don't know why but in Canada we get to hotspot/tether our iPhone's for free on 6GB of data for $30. For once Canadians get something better.

January 26 2011 at 12:33 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Fred's comment
Nick (xbl: andsoitgoes42)

You sure about that?

If you're talking about telus, I was pretty sure they track it.

Rogers/Fido may be another story entirely. But I was pretty sure they weren't flexible on it.

Anyway, that said, there is an easy solution.

Jailbreak and MyWi. 20 bucks and you can stealthy use your unlimited plan. Sure, you might be a step behind on your iOS system, but what you get to have full control over your phone?

January 26 2011 at 12:45 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Fred

As long as you have a data plan over 500 MB you can tether for free on Rogers/Fido. Bell is free on a business plan and Telus is free on an iPhone combo plan.

January 26 2011 at 12:52 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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