Items tagged with Verizon
Report Shows Wireless Carriers Are Cheaping Out And Throttling Your Video Streams Whenever They Want
We all know that wireless carriers throttle data. After all, throttling has been commonplace ever since carriers moved from their "buckets" of data in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB sizes, for example. Once carriers started fully embracing unlimited data, they started implementing policies where they would throttle data once customers reached a certain threshold (usually around 20GB) if cell towers are overloaded. But now new research shows that carriers are throttling video streams even when customers have not reached the carrier-set threshold or when "data congestion" isn’t a serious problem on the network. This information comes from Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts Amhert,...
Read more...
Verizon is touting a new lineup of 'Unlimited' plans designed to give customers more options to fit their needs, and on the plus side, they are all $5 less expensive than its current lineup. However, confusion still looms for the average user trying to wade through it all. On top of that, this really serves as a reminder that wireless carries like to play fast and loose with the term "unlimited." According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of unlimited is "lacking any controls." It can also mean "boundless" and "not bounded by exceptions." None of those definitions really apply to Verizon's plans, however, because there are controls. Let's break it down, shall we? Here are the new Unlimited...
Read more...
At this point in time, 5G coverage in the United States is pretty much... well, pathetic. While wireless carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile have lit up 5G networks in a few cities across the country, it has mainly been limited to super-fast, and limited-range mmWave rollouts. Verizon claims that it is ready to start accelerating its 5G rollout which up until today has reached less than a dozen major cities. Just yesterday, Verizon expanded service to extremely limited areas of Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis and Washington, DC bringing the total number of 5G cities to nine. However, the company is committed to expanding coverage to over 30 cities by the end of 2019....
Read more...
The Galaxy Note 10 launch is just around the corner (less than two weeks from now), and of course that means a rush of leaks and rumors in the homestretch. Notable leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks on Twitter) is yet again the source of a Galaxy Note 10 leak, this time in regards to a freebie phone offer through Verizon. Unfortunately, his Twitter account has been switched to private, so that only followers can see his posts. Boo! Fortunately, however, several sites managed to grab and post a screenshot of the leaked ad in question before his account went dark to outsiders. Here it is... Source: @evleaks/Twitter via Gadgets 360 Blass is known for leaking accurate information, though it would appear...
Read more...
The promise of 5G wireless service has been exciting for most users as carriers like Verizon have promised not only much faster data speeds on-the-go with mobile devices, but also much faster wireless speeds inside homes and businesses. Verizon has touted its 5G Home service that will put faster 5G wireless speeds inside homes with downloads of 1Gbps promised. One caveat to that service is that the initial rollout will be in only five cities. A new video of a user tesing the Verizon 5G service on a Samsung Galaxy S10 5G smartphone has surfaced, and it shows that Verizon has made good on its 5G promises in Chicago. The video shows the S10 5G shooting up to 1098 Mbps download speed on a device...
Read more...
Coinciding with Verizon's exclusive preorder availability of Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G handset, the nation's largest wireless carrier on Thursday announced the expansion of its 5G Ultra Wideband network into 20 additional US cities. That's good news for people who happen to live in places like Atlanta, Boston, and Charlotte. The same goes for residents of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis, Phoenix, Providence, San Diego, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC. "The Galaxy S10 5G on Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network will give our customers access to incredible speeds and the latest and greatest streaming,...
Read more...
Earlier this morning, we reported that South Korea’s SK Telecom became the first network in the world to bring commercial 5G wireless service to customers. Sure, AT&T “technically” launched its 5G mobile network back in late 2018, but access to the network is extremely limited and only made possible with Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspots. Verizon Wireless just couldn’t let SK Telecom have all the 5G bragging rights, so it today activated its mobile 5G Ultra Wideband wireless service in “select areas” of Minneapolis and Chicago. Make no mistake, this service will be extremely limited in availability, and today’s launch is coming...
Read more...
AT&T is already embroiled in lawsuits over its “5G Evolution” service, or 5G E, which the company claims enables speeds up to 2x faster than traditional 4G LTE on compatible devices. Competitors, however, have taken AT&T to task over this claim, and allege that 5G E is nothing more than a misleading marketing tactic designed to deceive consumers and gain a leg-up as true, next-generation 5G networks begin rolling out. A study that was just released by Opensignal seems to jibe with what AT&T's competitors have to say. AT&T’s 5G Evolution service is enabled by a handful of key upgrades to the company’s existing 4G LTE network: carrier aggregation, 4x4...
Read more...
Motorola first announced its Moto Z3 flagship Android smartphone back in early August, and at the time claimed that it would be among the first smartphones available with 5G connectivity. However, this connectivity wasn't embedded directly into the phone; it comes via the 5G Moto Mod accessory that attaches magnetically to the back of the smartphone. It's been a long time since that initial introduction to the Moto Z3 -- and our hands-on review -- but Motorola and Verizon are finally ready to market the 5G Moto Mod accessory. Beginning tomorrow, March 14th, you'll be able to preorder the 5G Moto Mod from Verizon at a cost of just $50. This $50 pricing is just a limited time...
Read more...
Any PIN code is better than no PIN code, right? If you are a Comcast Xfinity Mobile customer, you may want to change your default PIN. Xfinity Mobile’s easy-to-guess default PIN has resulted in the hijacking of several phone numbers and identity theft. Comcast wanted to make it easier for customers to transfer a device to a new carrier. They do not prompt customers to punch in a unique PIN when the customer creates a new account; Instead, they decided that “0000” would be the default PIN for all customers. This plan has quickly backfired. Xfinity Mobile customer Larry Whitted of California reported to the Washington Post that an identity thief had been able to access Whitted’s...
Read more...
T-Mobile has been talking up its new 600MHz 5G network that will give coverage using different types of bandwidths around the nation. T-Mobile has stated that its 5G network needs all spectrum bands to provide the best coverage. The company says that its millimeter wave (mmWave) tech is for dense urban areas, mid-band is for metropolitan areas, and the low-band is for nationwide coverage. T-Mobile had hoped that the network would be ready to launch, but announced at MWC 2019 that the full launch won't happen until the second half of 2019. The reason for the second half of 2019 launch isn't that T-Mobile is having an issue with its network or the network hardware; rather, no phones on the market...
Read more...
During the terrible wildfires that ravaged some California counties, firefighters working to save lives and property had a problem with the cellular data service they were receiving on the Verizon network. The problem was that Verizon throttled their plan making the internet access the teams needed slower than it should have been. Verizon's response on the issue of slow internet speeds for the county was that it needed to upgrade to a better plan; which is ultimately what happened, so the firefighters had the tools they needed to get their life-saving work done. Legislators in Texas want to be sure this never happens in their state, and a bill has been introduced in the Texas House of Representatives...
Read more...
It appears that Verizon has realized one of the big downsides to proclaiming "first" when it comes to its 5G wireless rollout. Verizon claimed to have the first 5G network available in the United States when it launched Verizon 5G Home back in early October, but it was using non-standardized 5G hardware. Verizon took this shortcut in order to get the jump on its rivals, but by bypassing a standards-based approach, it meant that future smartphones and other 5G devices wouldn't be able to work on this initial Verizon 5G TF network. But now, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg is saying that the company will pause its 5G rollout as it waits for standards-based 5G hardware. What does that mean...
Read more...
We have a lot to look forward to with 5G wireless technology, which is the successor to current generation 4G LTE networks deployed by America's four major wireless carriers. Carriers are promising a lot with their 5G rollouts, with AT&T and Verizon jumping the gun with limited 5G network availability in some of the largest U.S. markets. AT&T lit up its first mobile 5G network at the end of the 2018, but it is only available in 12 markets currently (Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Fla., Louisville, Ky., Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, N.C., San Antonio and Waco, Texas). AT&T is using 39 MHz spectrum, with theoretical peak speeds...
Read more...
