Now Verizon is doubling its shared data plans too

In a nice little example of what happens when there’s actually some competition in a market, Verizon has become the third carrier to double the data it offers in many of its largest family plans. Verizon is now offering 30GB for $130, 40GB for $150, and 60GB for $225, though you’ll also have to pay a per-line fee. That’s identical to what AT&T is now offering, while Sprint’s offerings are currently twice those for nearly the same prices. The promotion runs through the end of October, like those from Sprint and AT&T.

Sprint started the doubling tactic back in August, but it didn’t actually kick off until this weekend. AT&T started the war by beginning a monthlong promotion that put it inline with Sprint’s offerings. This morning, Sprint responded by doubling its storage once again in order to stay ahead. Verizon is now on their coattails, keeping up with AT&T. While Sprint has the largest data offerings, its plans aren’t necessarily the most compelling — AT&T and Verizon will still be a far better choice of network for many based on coverage.

It’s unfortunate that these promotions all go away at the end of the month, given that access to mobile data is still bizarrely expensive — even these promotions are loaded with weird additional fees and will be too pricey for many. Nonetheless, these promotions make it pretty clear that carriers have been holding back from offering up a lot more data, and our 2GB caps are looking smaller than ever. This is just a start toward more data becoming the new normal, but at least we’re moving there.