Verizon Wireless launched a new data service in Washington, D.C. and San Diego: Starting Oct. 1, customers can pay $79.99 a month for a 300-500 Kbps connection. Customers must use a PC card that costs $179 after a $100 rebate. This meets the 3G (third generation) test for speed.
It will be interesting to see how these services compete with Wi-Fi. Obviously this cellular offering is much more expensive than an unlimited monthly Wi-Fi subscription with several carriers and offers a fraction of the typical 1.5 Mbps back-haul speed. But Verizon would likely argue that it will be available in more places. Plus, prices will likely go down.
We'll also have to see just how fast these services really are. The cellular industry is notorious for overstating data rates. But this particular service has usually been marketed to deliver 2 Mbps, so Verizon may be trying to better manage expectations by touting it as a 300-500 Mbps service.
That's expensive, but a real issue with all these wireless plans is how much data they allow you to suck down before they start charging extra. Most of the current telco wireless plans get extortionate past very light usage.