Verizon is giving away 15GB of free data to its customers in light of the coronavirus crisis.
Verizon gives free data gift to customers in coronavirus crisis
“From March 25 through April 30, wireless consumer and small business customers will see an additional 15GB of data added to their plan for no additional charge. New consumer and business customers can also take advantage of this additional data,” the company says in a press release.
The 15GB of free 4G LTE is in addition to Verizon customers’ current plans and comes at no additional charge. Unlimited Plan customers will now have 37GB of 4G LTE versus 22GB under the standard unlimited plan. Unlimited data plans give 22GB of high speed data (standard), with the remaining unlimited data at 2G EDGE speeds.
Prepaid customers will see the extra 15GB. Jetpack plans (standalone metered and unlimited) will as well. Wireless plans such as More Everything, Verizon Plan 1.0 and 2.0, Verizon Unlimited Plan, and the Mix & Match Unlimited Plans will net the free 15GB gift for customers. According to Verizon’s statement, the data is also eligible for hotspot, device connection, and smartphone activity.
Keep in mind that the free data will only last until April 30th. This gives users about a month to consume the free data before Verizon takes it back.
As to whether or not Verizon extends the free data gift throughout the remainder of the coronavirus crisis (however long it may be), no one knows but Verizon alone.
15GB LTE gift surprising, in light of emergency spectrum
Verizon’s willingness to give users an additional 15GB of LTE is surprising, in light of the company’s recent emergency spectrum application to the FCC.
The Big Red said that it needed more spectrum in light of the massive internet traffic congestion on its network. Now, it appears Big Red has spectrum to give away, even if it’s only temporary.
Apparently, the two carriers who are providing spectrum to Big Red have more than enough to go around. If Big Red’s network is already busier than usual, giving an additional 15GB may just exacerbate the congestion problem.
On the other hand, perhaps these two carriers donating temporary spectrum are being extremely generous with just how much they’re donating. Perhaps there’s more than enough for Verizon to give a generous (though temporary) gift to customers.
The Big Red has also signed the Keep Americans Connected pledge, promising not to disconnect customers who are unable to pay their bills due to the coronavirus outbreak. Perhaps this is one of the ways Verizon is fulfilling its promise.
There are some wireless providers in the UK who seem to be doing fine. The EU, however, wants to prevent network congestion. To this end, Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime are all lowering video playback resolution. Facebook and Instagram are lowering video bitrate to ease internet traffic troubles.