Verizon 5G update imposes new hotspot data limits for older phone plans

Verizon says the Jan. 19 launch of 5G on its C-band spectrum will bring high-speed wireless connectivity to 100 million people in the US, well beyond the limited geographic coverage of its millimeter-wave spectrum that enables even faster 5G speeds. But there is a downside for people who currently have unlimited 5G hotspot data on the millimeter wave network: the monthly data limit on hotspot usage.

For Verizon’s “Beyond Unlimited “smartphone plan, which has been around for several years, customers currently have 15GB of hotspot data at 4G LTE speeds and unlimited data on a “5G Ultra Wideband”hotspot. Going forward, C-band and millimeter wave spectrum will be included in what Verizon calls Ultra Wideband, and Verizon will no longer provide unlimited data on Ultra Wideband hotspots to those who currently have them. Beyond Unlimited plan subscribers will instead receive a total of 15 GB of high-speed hotspot data regardless of which network segment they use, and will experience hotspot data slowdowns after using them.

In practical terms, this may not be much of a change for many, because Verizon’s 5G millimeter-wave spectrum initially has very limited geographic coverage, and unlimited hotspot data only applies to spectrum usage. But it’s always good to be aware of changes given how confusing Verizon’s service plans can be, and it may make sense for some people to upgrade to newer plans with 25GB or 50GB hotspot limits.

Speed ​​3 Mbps after reaching the access point limit

Verizon today confirmed the new 15GB hotspot limit on the Beyond Unlimited plan for Ars. “Beyond Unlimited has 15GB of premium mobile hotspot. Once this limit is used up, these customers will enjoy unlimited mobile hotspot data speeds of 3Mbps when using 5G Ultra-Broadband and 600kbps when using 5G Nationwide/4G LTE,” a Verizon spokesperson told us.. Verizon’s “5G Nationwide/4G LTE”includes a 5G rollout on the spectrum previously used for 4G and any other spectrum other than mmWave and C-band. To get a 3 Mbps hotspot speed after using 15 GB, you must be in either C-band or mmWave.

Beyond Unlimited is not the only package affected by the hotspot change. For any other plan affected, Verizon has told us that “People who have plans with 5G ultra-broadband mobile hotspot will move to receive a surcharge based on their plan.”Therefore, any restriction on the use of a 4G hotspot will soon apply to all 4G and 5G hotspots used together without any separate unrestricted permission to use mmWave hotspots.

Verizon promises speeds of 90-170 Mbps.

Verizon said its C-Band rollout this month will reach more than 100 million people in more than 1,700 U.S. cities while delivering “90-170Mbps typical download speeds with higher speeds and over 1Gbps peaks in certain areas”and “typical download speeds of 15-30 Mbps, with peak download speeds over 100 Mbps.”

The C-band spectrum being deployed this year ranges from 3.7 GHz to 3.8 GHz, and carriers plan to use the rest of their C-band frequencies (3.8-3.98 GHz) in 2023. Verizon and AT&T delayed the rollout by six weeks. due to disagreements with the Federal Aviation Administration, and C-band deployment will be limited near major airports for six months.