Verizon customers who use excessive data must make a choice — switch plans or lose service.
The wireless provider informed affected customers about the change — a small number of unlimited data users whose usage is “hundreds of times” greater than the average, Verizon said in a statement.
Users who fit this category must switch over to one of Verizon’s new plans by August 31. If they don’t, their lines will get disconnected.
“More than 100 million Americans rely on our network to stay connected to their friends, family and colleagues, and to the information they need,” the statement read. “[O]ur network is a shared resource and we need to ensure all customers have a great mobile experience.”
Verizon said less than 1% of its customers still have unlimited data. Only a small number of these customers use “extraordinary amounts of data” and are subject to the change.
The highest data plan currently offered by Verizon is 100 GB — it’s meant to be shared by several users and costs $450 a month. It includes the monthly amount of data as well as unlimited unlimited talk and text.
Verizon said the users who have been notified were using “significantly more” than 100 GB on their individual devices.
The customers received letters with information about the change and there will also be a note about it on their statements.
Verizon stopped offering unlimited data in 2011. The affected customers were grandfathered in and have yet to switch over to limited data plans.
