Having been rumored since last year and partially confirmed by Reuters last month, Verizon's tiered data plan is just over the hill according to an internal memo. Select Verizon employees today received a letter announcing the upcoming "evolution" of the carrier's pricing model. Unfortunately, that particular document doesn't contain all the juicy pricing details you're looking for, but Droid Life claims to have an exclusive inside scoop.
If accurate, you can expect the changes to launch on Tuesday, July 7, which happens to fall one day after the company's 4G hotspot promotion ends. Droid Life claims that data plans will come in three separate tiers: 2GB for $30 per month, 5GB for $50 and 10GB for $80. Adding tethering to an account will cost an additional $20 a month and you'll get another 2GB of data. For instance, the bottom tier with tethering would be 4GB for $50.
Tablets will have a separate plan that provides 2GB of transfer for $30 a month, a change from $20 for 1GB. All overages, be they from a smartphone or tablet, will cost $10 per gigabyte. It's worth noting that there doesn't seem to be any separation between 3G and 4G devices, so you shouldn't have to worry about paying extra to tap into Verizon's LTE network. Also, the change only applies to new customers – at least initially, anyway.
Although you'll be able to complete your existing contract unfazed, we imagine Verizon will lock you into the tiered structure when renewal time comes. That's not confirmed yet (again, nor is the pricing), but AT&T routinely funnels contract renewals into their metered data scheme. The carrier updated its data plans last June, offering 200MB for $15 per month, 2GB for $25, 4GB with tethering for $45, and $10 per gigabyte overages.