Verizon CEO: Shared Data Plans Are Coming this Summer

The head of Verizon Wireless has confirmed something that many of this company's subscribers have been hoping for for a long long time: they will soon be able to connect multiple devices to a single data plan.

CEO Lowell McAdam made this announcement during a conference call today, promising that shared data plans would be available around the middle of this summer.  However, he stopped short of discussing pricing. That will have to wait until this feature gets closer to release.

What this Means for Customers

According to information that leaked out of Verizon earlier this year, it seems this carrier is going to start treating data in a family plan the way it does minutes now: a group of people will have one common pool to draw from. Currently, each device in a family plan has to have its own data plan.

Until more details are available, it's not clear whether Verizon's new policy will meet the needs of individuals who want a single pool of data that they can pull from for both their smartphone and tablet. Getting a family plan might be the best option for this group.

Last year, AT&T execs also mentioned that their company is considering offering shared data plans for smartphone and tablet users.