Here we see a memo that was distributed to select Verizon Wireless employees advising them to prepare for some changes to the carrier’s 3G multimedia handsets. This document states that beginning in Q4, Verizon will begin to phase out the “3G Multimedia device” category and no longer require a $9.99 mandatory monthly data plan (for a mere 25MB) on the new 3G feature phone that are being released to replace the current lineup. 3G feature phones that are already available on the market, such as the LG EnV3, will still require the mandatory data plan until they are phased out.
This is great news for anyone who wishes to have a 3G feature phone with a full QWERTY keypad but not a monthly data plan. This good news does not extend to you if you already own or plan to own one of VZW’s eleven 3G handsets.
Aside from the feature phone news, this little glimpse into the VZW future reaffirms that Verizon will be launching 4G, LTE data cards in Q4 (we already knew this but confirmation is always nice). Do you think this is a good move for VZW with their 4G launch around the corner?