US carrier Verizon has announced that it will be adding Mexico and Canada to its Go Unlimited plan. Starting on January 25, Verizon customers on Go Unlimited plans can use their unlimited data in Canada and Mexico, along with unlimited calling and texting. There are, of course, a few caveats. 4G LTE speeds only last for 500MB each day, so customers who want to download large files, go live on Facebook or YouTube, or stream lots of video will probably want to find some Wi-Fi. After that data limit is reached, speeds will go down to the 2G level, that is to say roughly 30Kbps most of the time, speeds that will make streaming video all but impossible. Naturally, the same restrictions inherent to the Go Unlimited plan still apply; video streaming is limited to 480p quality on phones or 720p on tablets, and if the network gets busy, you’ll find yourself last in line for high speeds. Tethering will eat into that daily data store, and is still limited to 600kbps
This feature mimics the way that international travel is set up in Beyond Unlimited, the pricier of Verizon’s three recent unlimited plan options among those available to individuals and families. Beyond Unlimited customers may find themselves burning through their 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada considerably faster, if they’re not careful; they’re at the front of the line during congested periods on the network, and they can stream video at higher resolutions, with the cap for smartphones being 720p, and tablets at 1080p. You can, of course, stream at up to 4K resolution for a bit extra.
Verizon broke up its unlimited plan into three different choices last year. Go Unlimited, the one that’s getting international capabilities on January 25, costs $65 per month for an individual line, and can leave customers with slow speeds if the network gets congested. Beyond Unlimited costs $85, and for that sum, it ups streaming resolutions as listed above, and gives customers a 22GB cap before they get deprioritized. The Business Unlimited plan pulls elements from both Go Unlimited and Beyond Unlimited, but is focused on Business Customers, and is not available to individuals and families. If you’re interested in signing up for Go Unlimited, hit the button below.