As pre-orders for Apple's iPhone 5 are set to begin Friday, details about the coverage offered by the U.S. carriers selling the device - Sprint, AT&T and Verizon - continue to emerge.
According to a press release sent by Verizon late Wednesday, customers who pick up an iPhone 5 can access FaceTime video calling over cellular on any of its data plans with no additional charge.
"[C]ustomers wanting to use FaceTime on their iPhone 5 can do so using any Verizon Wireless data plan allowance," the release stated.
FaceTime fistacuffs
Verizon's FaceTime intentions run counter to AT&T's offer of providing free FaceTime to customers who sign on to one of its Shared Data plans.
Criticism was lobbed at AT&T because its FaceTime policy allegedly violates the Federal Communication Commission's net neutrality policies.
AT&T answered in an August blog post, saying it was well within its rights and the law to have customers make the switch since FaceTime would come preloaded in iOS 6 devices and wasn't an application downloadable from the App Store.
However, despite offering free FaceTime, Verizon is reportedly forcing customers to choose between a full priced iPhone 5 on their unlimited data plans or a subsidized phone that will eliminate their limitless data.
AT&T has said it will give customers the flexibility to stay with whichever data plan they have or make the switch to a new one.
Though its "unlimited data" actually throttles after 5GB, the $30 price tag isn't something to scoff at.
Sprint, meanwhile, told TechRadar that "customers with iOS 6 on their iPhone will be allowed to utilize FaceTime with Sprint's current unlimited data offers while on the Sprint network."
TechRadar has reached out to Verizon for clarification on its unlimited data for iPhone 5 policy and will update this story if and when information becomes available.
While the iPhone 5 will partake in its own battle on the handset front, it looks like a carrier fight is brewing.
From Verizon via Hot Hardware
