Verizon Says Its Mobile 5G Service Is Really UnlimitedVerizon Says Its Mobile 5G Service Is Really Unlimited

What's the difference between Verizon's 4G LTE unlimited plans, priced at $75 to $95, and its newly announced $10 mobile 5G add-on?

Only the 5G add-on is truly unlimited, according to Verizon. "5G data usage with the moto mod is unlimited with no data de-prioritization," a Verizon spokeswoman told me Wednesday. (See Verizon Announces First Mobile 5G Cities & Mobile Moto Module.)

Verizon offers 4G LTE unlimited plans that have tiered slower download speeds if the network gets congested. The $75 a month plan slows speeds right away if the network is clogged, $85 buys you 22GB of data before possible congestion data throttling and $95 a month buys 75GB of data to use before any possible congestion throttling on the network.

To access the mobile 5G service when it launches April 11, you'll need a Motorola z3 4G smartphone and a snap-on Motorola 5G Mod module, along with the $10 premium add-on to one of the LTE unlimited contracts.

So that means you'll need to pay a minimum of $85 a month to get this mobile 5G service. AT&T has said that it will charge $70 for 15GB its 5G service. (See AT&T's 5G Switches On in 12 US Cities, but Only for 'Early Adopters'.)

Verizon has only announced select areas of Chicago and Minneapolis will be covered by this 28GHz millimeter wave mobile 5G service. Nonetheless, if you can find a connection (in April) you should really be able to get a 5G gigabit buzz on.

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading