Verizon says goodbye to original unlimited data plan, 1080p streaming and hello to throttling

That didn't last long. 

After Verizon made splashy news introducing an unlimited data plan with full 1080p video streaming six months ago -- touching off a price war with the other big carriers -- the company has replaced the popular option with four new plans starting Aug 23. 

In February, the largest U.S. cellular carrier, long a holdout on unlimited plans, announced unlimited 4G data, talk and text (with AutoPay) for $80 per month. Family plans were $45 per line for four lines. 

The other carriers followed Verizon's lead, which essentially ended overage chages for data and drove down the price for cellular service. 

Now, Verizon has "evolved" its single plan, which was slowing network speed for all users, by splitting the original unlimited plan it into four new options that do away with unlimited video streaming in 1080p resolution unless customers are willing to pay more. Verizon also will begin slowing data speeds -- known as throttling --  at times of networ congestion. 

Most dramatic, Verizon Unlimited "legacy" customers to signed up for unlimited service before Wednesday automatically will be downgraded to 720p video streaming (DVD quality), according to the release. To offset the change, the company added an additional 5 GB mobile hot spot data (now it's 10 GB total) at no additional charge. Tablets uses still get  1090p streaming.

Here's a look at the new plans: 

Go Unlimited: Unlimited talk and text, 4G LTE 480p ("DVD quality streaming) and mobile hot spot at 600 kbps. 1 line: $75 a month; 4 lines: $160 a month with AutoPay. Data will be throttled at times of congestion.  Taxes and fees are extra.

Beyond Unlimited: Unlimited talk and text, unlimited 4GLTE 720p "HD quality streaming") and 15 GB mobile hot spot. 1 line: $85 a month; 4 lines: $200 a month with AutoPay. Data will be throttled at 22 GB in most instances. Taxes and fees are extra.

Business Unlimited: Unlimited talk and text, premium unlimited 4G LTE 480p and unlimited mobile hot spot with first 10 GB LTE. 1 line: $85 a month; 4 lines: $200 a month. Data will be throttled at 22 GB in most instances. Taxes and fees are extra. 

Prepaid Unlimited: Unlimited talk and text, Unlimited 4G LTE 480p and calling to Mexico and Canada. 1 line: $80 a month.

After Verizon and AT&T began offering unlimited data plans for $180 a month for four lines, T-Mobile and Sprint also announced improvements to their unlimited plans. But the new unlimited plans are clogging networks and slowing data speeds, according to an August report by OpenSignal, which compares 3G and 4G performance of the four largest mobile operators.

This prompted Verizon's changes. 

"We're doing this to ensure all customers have a great experience on our network since there is no significant difference in quality on a smartphone or tablet when video is shown at higher resolutions (than 720p on phones and 1080p on tablets)," Verizon said in the release. 

Click here to learn more about Verizon's new plans. 

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Source: Verizon says goodbye to original unlimited data plan, 1080p streaming and hello to throttling