Verizon Launches New Yahoo Mobile Sub-Brand

Looking for cheaper phone service on Verizon’s network? Try Yahoo.

In an unexpected move, on Wednesday the wireless carrier announced a new sub-brand built around the venerable internet property. Called Yahoo Mobile, the service will offer unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data, including mobile hotspot use, for $40 a month with taxes and fees included. Subscribers will also get Yahoo Mail Pro for an ad-free email experience when using Yahoo Mail and 24/7 support.

There are some caveats, however, such as hotspot use being limited to one device at a time, at speeds capped at 5 megabits per second. Support for 5G is coming later in 2020. Family plans are not yet available but they may come later. Verizon says that while the focus is on individual plans for now, “Yahoo Mobile will evolve to meet consumers’ needs as it continues to grow.”

Yahoo will be selling phones, though you can also bring your own. A compatibility checker on Yahoo Mobile’s site will allow you to see if your phone will work on the network.

You can sign up for Yahoo Mobile through its website or via an Android or iOS app. The app approach is similar to Verizon’s other sub-brand, Visible, which offers unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data for $40 a month on Verizon’s network. Visible also offers family plans and like Yahoo Mobile includes taxes and fees into its pricing.

Verizon’s cheapest unlimited plan starts at $70 a month for a single line and does not include taxes and fees. The carrier, which also owns AOL and the Huffington Post, bought Yahoo for nearly $4.5 billion in 2017.―CNET