Verizon gives phones to entice 5G signups
Facing pressure from its wireless competitors, Verizon Communications Inc. is offering free Apple and Android phones to customers who sign up for unlimited plans on its faster 5G network.
Once a holdout on giveaways to existing customers, the largest U.S. wireless carrier is now matching similar trade-in offers from AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile US Inc. – part of an effort to reverse recent subscriber losses.
Starting Tuesday, Verizon customers who chose a premium 5G unlimited plan qualified for as much as $1,000 in credit toward an Apple iPhone or $1,100 for the Samsung Galaxy S21. Current customers are eligible for $700 toward an iPhone or $800 for an Android model if they move up to a higher-priced unlimited plan.
“We’re very much doing this from a position of strength,” Ronan Dunne, the head of Verizon’s consumer group, said on Bloomberg Television.