Verizon in $63 Billion Faceoff With AT&T Over Family Plans

Verizon Wireless and AT&T are both preparing to roll out shared-data pricing plans this year. Whoever makes the first move will transform the way the industry charges for wireless service.

The new shared plans, which may be announced as early as next month, would let customers split one bucketful of Internet data between their phones, iPads and other wireless devices, providing an economical option for families, small businesses or people with a lot of Web-connected gadgets. With billions of dollars at stake, Verizon and AT&T are hesitant to test the waters first, said Chetan Sharma, an independent wireless analyst. Getting the approach right could reduce customer turnover and get more users to embrace data plans, which brought in $62.7 billion industrywide last year. A wrong move would lower the amount of money that subscribers pay, while increasing network traffic and the cost of maintaining networks.