Subsidized netbooks on the way, say Verizon representatives

Verizon will reportedly begin selling subsidized netbooks next month, like AT&T began doing late last year with the Acer Aspire One. Representatives of the company note that netbooks could begin selling as early as the next quarter in Verizon stores.

Like the AT&T deal, Verizon's main interest is getting customers to subscribe to the company's mobile broadband network. AT&T subsidizes the netbooks until they can be sold for $99, and then the mobile broadband service costs roughly $60 a month for two years.

Verizon's 3G NationalAccess 3G coverage costs $39.99 monthly for a 50 MB bandwidth cap, and $59.99 for a 5 GB cap. The company promises download speeds of 400-700 Kbps and uploads of 60/80 Kbps, with varying results by coverage area. If out of 3G range, Verizon's VZ Access Manager software switches the modem to 2G coverage, which is usually between 60-80 Kbps average.