Verizon Wireless is ready to offer cheaper pay-as-you-go data on its 3G CDMA network this holiday season.

The operator has unveiled a prepaid promotion that runs through the end of January aimed at users who don't want a contract but do want up to 2GB of data a month. For $80 a month, Verizon is offering unlimited talk and text and 2GB of data -- double the 1GB it was previously selling -- on its 3G network.

Break through the 2GB cap, and Verizon will charge you $20 for each extra gigabyte.

Users must "purchase and activate a new Smartphone between 11/18/2012 through 1/31/2013" to get the deal, Verizon notes in the terms of the deal.

Why this matters
Verizon has typically focused its promotions and plans on higher-end smartphone users. The operator has previously tried to encourage people to use its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network with doubled data caps, and rolled out new shared data buckets this year.

This promotion could start to signal a subtle move towards promoting Verizon's 3G network more for pay-as-you-go services and using 4G for monthly contract customers.

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— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile