After reading the title, I'm sure your first thought it to hit the quick reply button and to type "Hell no," with some expletives thrown in. But please, hear me out.
Wireless carriers are all about ARPU (average revenue per user). We're moving to a time where voice minutes and text messages will be included with the data package. For casual users, 2GB is more than enough for all the voice calls, texts, and light surfing that these people do. Thinking Verizon is going to subsidize a smartphone on a $30/month plan? Not willingly. Their profit margins are already pretty slim on an ARPU of $65 (estimated) per user.
So, assuming that future mobile plans are along these lines (VOIP and Text built-in), would you pay $50/month for a 2GB plan? $100 for a 4GB plan? I could honestly see them pulling something like $60/month for 2GB, and $10/GB thereafter. This would raise the entry level, while heavier users would be in the $80-$120/mo range.
However, something like this is years down the road. I honestly expect that, after the upcoming family data plans, we'll first start to see night/weekend data (IE, $30 for 2GB, with night/weekends data no going to your cap).
I also wouldn't mind, in the interim, if all smartphone data plans were $15 for 1GB (tethering included), with your choice of either a 64kbps throttle, or $10/GB overage whenever you hit your cap. This would give the carriers the network management they want, give them a lower bar to entry for smartphone users, and would encourage tethering to get those overage charges.
Wireless carriers are all about ARPU (average revenue per user). We're moving to a time where voice minutes and text messages will be included with the data package. For casual users, 2GB is more than enough for all the voice calls, texts, and light surfing that these people do. Thinking Verizon is going to subsidize a smartphone on a $30/month plan? Not willingly. Their profit margins are already pretty slim on an ARPU of $65 (estimated) per user.
So, assuming that future mobile plans are along these lines (VOIP and Text built-in), would you pay $50/month for a 2GB plan? $100 for a 4GB plan? I could honestly see them pulling something like $60/month for 2GB, and $10/GB thereafter. This would raise the entry level, while heavier users would be in the $80-$120/mo range.
However, something like this is years down the road. I honestly expect that, after the upcoming family data plans, we'll first start to see night/weekend data (IE, $30 for 2GB, with night/weekends data no going to your cap).
I also wouldn't mind, in the interim, if all smartphone data plans were $15 for 1GB (tethering included), with your choice of either a 64kbps throttle, or $10/GB overage whenever you hit your cap. This would give the carriers the network management they want, give them a lower bar to entry for smartphone users, and would encourage tethering to get those overage charges.
