Verizon Phone Plans Slow In AT&T Speed Tests, Unlimited Data Still Not Here

Verizon phone plans have been feeling pressure from competitors AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile mostly because there isn’t any such thing as a Verizon unlimited data plan… yet.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, the Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad made a big deal of T-Mobile’s unlimited plans in hilarious fashion. It also highlighted how the carrier is willing to cover termination fees if people switch over to T-Mobile. There’s also rumors that a Sprint, T-Mobile merger may happen but that deal would would have to overcome a potential anti-trust lawsuit by the Federal government.

So far the only reason advantage Verizon phone plans have at the moment is the coverage. The Verizon 4G LTE coverage can be accessed by 95 percent of Americans unless you happen to live in the middle of nowhere. But if you live in the city, the Verizon data speeds compared to AT&T leave something to be desired. For example, during the Super Bowl the Verizon data speed tests averaged 2.08 Mbps while AT&T data speeds went all Seahawks on its competitors with its 5.31 Mbps reading.

It’s not like this speed test was a fluke, either. Last year, independent research firm RootMetrics found that AT&T’s 4G LTE network is the fastest with download speeds averaging 18.6 Mbps and upload speeds averaging 9.0 Mbps. AT&T also posted the highest maximum data speed at 57.7 Mbps. The Verizon phone plans still managed a good second place, posting average data speeds of 14.3 Mbps for downloading and 8.5 Mbps for uploading.

Companies like Metro PCS and Cricket made unlimited data plans famous first and eventually they were gobbled up by T-Mobile and AT&T (the newly introduced AiO will be phased out in favor of the Cricket brand name). Eventually Sprint’s unlimited data plans followed suit, leaving the Verizon phone plans the last major holdout.

On Thursday Verizon announced the More Everything plan, which gives free international texting and includes a higher mobile data bandwidth cap for the same prices. The tiers have been bumped up, as well. The entry level used to be 500 MB, but now it’s 1 GB, with 2 GB and 3 GB the next two higher tiers. Still, it’s claimed that Verizon phone plans are still more expensive for a family of four, costing $180 while AT&T would cost $160 and T-Mobile costs $140. So, unless you’re out in the boonies or live in an area where Verizon data speeds are faster, it seems that AT&T is the best deal overall.