Verizon has said in the past that it was planning to make the move to tiered data plans, and now it seems that the change may not be far off. According to a report from Reuters, Verizon is planning to eliminate its unlimited data plan sometime this summer and replace it with tiered data options. Additionally, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo revealed that the carrier will be introducing family data "mega-plans" which will allow several devices to share one data package. "We had individual minutes for individual users. Then we eventually got to what we call family share where everyone in the family shares the same minutes," Shammo said. "I think it's safe to assume that at some point you are going to have mega-plans (for data) and people are going to share that mega-plan based on the number of devices within their family. That's just a logical progression."

Shammo also touched on the Apple's next-gen iPhone a bit, reiterating that it will be a global device. The exec also said that when the new iPhone does launch, Verizon's model will be available on the same day as AT&T's version. What about LTE, you say? Shammo didn't say whether or not the next iPhone will have LTE, but he did say that "it's a bigger issue for Apple than it is for us."

Although we've been expecting Verizon to eliminate its unlimited data option and make the switch to tiered offerings, it's still kind of a bummer to hear that the change is coming. However, a shared family data plan sounds like a pretty awesome addition, especially for those accounts with three, four, or five smartphones all paying $30/month for data. Shammo didn't mention exactly when these "mega-plans" will go live, but we'll be sure to keep you updated. In the mean time, if you don't yet have an unlimited data plan on your account and would like to have that option, you'd be wise to sign up for it soon.

Via PhoneScoop, Reuters