Hoping to see Verizon respond to T-Mobile’s Data Stash with a rollover data offer of its own? Sorry to burst your bubble, but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to happen.
Verizon CFO Fran Shammo has said that his big red carrier doesn’t intend to counter T-Mobile’s Data Stash with a similar offer of its own, saying that Verizon is “a leader, not a follower.” Shammo went on to say that there will be some customers that leave Verizon over pricing and that he’s ok with that, because he doesn’t feel that it makes financial sense for Verizon to compete on that front. Shammo went on to point out that Verizon never countered AT&T’s old rollover minutes offer with a special of its own.
Shammo also touched on the rumors that Google may be planning to become an MVNO. The exec isn’t concerned, saying that he sees the effort as a way for Google to “stir the pot.” While Shammo wouldn’t say much on what Google’s effort may be about, he said that he’s not worried about a price war from Google, explaining that a low price prepaid offering would target a group of customers that Verizon isn’t after.
We’ve seen other major carriers respond to T-Mobile’s past Un-carrier moves with similar offerings of their own, so there was reason to hope that we could see the same happen with Verizon and Data Stash. Now it looks as though that’s unlikely to happen, which is a bit of a bummer because competition is always good for the consumer. Verizon has long focused on using its network and coverage as a way to attract consumers, though, and it doesn’t look like that’s stopping any time soon.