Carriers working on shared iPhone, iPad data plans

Both Verizon Wireless and AT&T in the U.S. are working on data plan offerings that would allow users to share their monthly data allotment between the iPhone and iPad. AllThingsD reports that AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega said in a interview at the D9 conference that “We’re working on one. It will be soon. I can’t comment on a quarter (when it will launch) but it will be soon,” while Verizon CFO Fran Shammo also recently indicated that the company is exploring such an offer. These moves follow launches of shared data plans France Telecom’s Orange unit in Austria, France, Spain, and the U.K., under which users pay an “extra couple of dollars” each month for each additional device that shares the same data allotment. In Austria, where such a plan has been offered the longest, Orange claims that 38 percent of all iPads on its network are now using the shared plans.