Verizon Wireless customers will soon regain the ability to stream mobile video at the highest resolution, but it’s going to cost extra. Starting November 3, Verizon Wireless customers will have the option of paying another $10 a month to remove the cap on video resolution.
This is the latest in a series of changes at Verizon related to unlimited data plans and video quality. In February, Verizon offered unlimited data plans for the first time in years, boasting that it would not impose limits on video quality (unlike some other carriers).
But that changed in August when Verizon imposed video limits on both unlimited data plans and plans with monthly data caps. This resulted in a somewhat confusing array of options.
Since then, smartphones on limited data plans have received video resolution of up to 720p. The “Go Unlimited” data plan ($75 a month for a single line) removes the monthly data cap but throttles video to 480p on phones. To get video of up to 720p and unlimited data on the same plan, Verizon customers have to pay $85 a month for the “Beyond Unlimited” package, which includes the 720p video on phones and 15GB worth of high-speed tethering a month.
Starting next week, the option to pay $10 extra for better-than-720p video will be available for plans with data caps and the Beyond Unlimited plan, but not for the Go Unlimited plan, which remains stuck at 480p.
“The $10 for premium streaming is available per smartphone line on any plan except for Go Unlimited and prepaid,” a Verizon spokesperson told Ars. “This includes Beyond Unlimited as well as all of our Verizon Plans (S, M, L, etc.).”
The video limits are imposed on cellular data, including when you share your phone’s Internet connection with another device. That means if you have a 480p or 720p limit on your phone, a tethered laptop would also get just 480p or 720p video.
Verizon was recently accused of violating net neutrality rules by advocacy group Free Press, but Verizon says it can place a cap on video in a “non-discriminatory” fashion under the rules’ exception for reasonable network management. The net neutrality rules were imposed during the Obama presidency, but the FCC’s current Republican majority has proposed eliminating the rules.
Paying extra for what used to be standard
Paying the new $10 fee will essentially make your plan work the way it did before August—video will be passed along to your phone at its original quality, whether that be 1080p, 4K, or something else.
“Video is delivered in its original definition, up to 4K, and what you see will depend on your phone’s capabilities. To add this feature, simply stop by a store or give us a call,” Verizon said.
If you have a family plan, it would be an extra $10 for each line that gets un-capped video. For a single line, the new $10 charge for higher-resolution video would raise the Beyond Unlimited price to $95 a month before taxes and fees.
Despite the 720p limit on smartphones, Verizon was already allowing video streaming of up to 1080p on tablets. Tablet data service is priced as an add-on to smartphone plans and costs $20 a month.
Verizon told Gizmodo that the new options will allow higher quality streaming on tablets, pushing them above 1080p. It’s not clear whether that would raise the tablet data price from $20 to $30 a month; we’ve asked Verizon and will update this story if we get an answer.
There’s apparently no change to Verizon’s policy that sometimes imposes speed limits on customers who use more than 22GB a month. If you pass the 22GB threshold in any given month and then try to use your phone in a congested network area, you’ll get slower speeds than other customers connecting to the same cell tower. If you’re not in a congested network area, there are no speed restrictions even if you’ve gone above 22GB.
With all these limits, the one thing that is unlimited on Verizon’s unlimited data plans is the amount of data you can use on a smartphone each month. You might run into video restrictions or slower speeds in congested areas, but you can keep using data without paying any monthly overage fees.
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