Verizon's iPhone fees likely to be higher for many than AT&T's

Verizon has confirmed its data plan pricing for the iPhone 4, and it promises to make the phone costlier to own, for some consumers, than the AT&T iPhone 4.

That's because the company will be offering only a single data option, an unlimited plan at $29.99 a month—the same plan that Verizon offers for its other smart phones. We had predicted that Verizon might use the introduction of its iPhone 4 to begin offering tiered or metered plans, such as those that AT&T offers its iPhone customers. (It's not clear from Verizon's press release whether its iPhone customers will be able to purchase limited text plans—200 for $5 a month—or whether they'll be charged an extra $15 for accessing corporate email. UPDATE: Verizon confirmed to us that, as with other Verizon smart phones, the price of the data plan shoots up to $45 for corporate email customers, and a la carte texting plans start at $5 per month for 250 messages.)

Our analysis of data usage by iPhone owners shows that those less-expensive plans are a good option for many users, who typically use less data per month than the limits on the plans. Usage data shows that very few AT&T subscribers use anything like the 2GB-per-month limit of its $25 monthly plan. For most, the 200MB limit offered by the $15-per-month plan offers enough data for their needs.

Verizon also announced the exact timing for tomorrow's pre-order of the iPhone 4 for its existing customers. You'll need to plan either a late night or an early morning to get one of the "limited quantity"—no numbers are given—of iPhone 4s Verizon has set aside for current customers.

To get your name in, go to the pre-order website, beginning at midnight Pacific time (3 a.m. Eastern). The phones will be shipped to arrive "on or before February 10," which is the day the phone goes on sale to the non-Verizon masses.

—Paul Reynolds