Items tagged with Verizon Wireless
Verizon is expanding access to its greater 5G network to its customers that prefer prepaid accounts. Verizon previously provided access to both its 5G Nationwide (sub-6GHz) and 5G Ultra-Wideband (mmWave) to its postpaid customers, however, only the former was available to prepaid accounts. With this week's announcement, prepaid accounts will also gain access to the 5G Ultra-Wideband network, but it's not cheap. The new 5G unlimited data prepaid plan costs $75 per month, or $10/month more than what Verizon charges for the standard unlimited plan. That extra $10/month gets you access to month the fastest 5G speeds available in the United States with downlink speeds in excess of 1Gbps. However,...
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Lenovo has announced that you will soon be able to purchase its Flex 5G convertible, which was first announced back at CES 2020 (as the Yoga 5G). The Flex 5G isn’t just your run of the mill Windows 10 device, however; this one is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx 5G SoC. There aren’t many devices on the market that use the Arm-based Snapdragon 8cx 5G – the Samsung Galaxy Book S remains perhaps the most well-known of the offerings – but the chip offers respectable performance as long as you don’t require extreme heavy lifting. In other words, don’t think that you’re going to be doing 4K video editing with this machine. In...
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Verizon has updated its Emergency Management policy to help eliminate worry for customers during the coronavirus pandemic. The wireless carrier has announced that it is reinforcing its pledge to keep Americans connected and to protect those who are most vulnerable. Verizon says that it will waive overage charges and late fees to support customers who may be financially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The carrier is also offering two months waived internet and voice service charges for current Lifeline customers along with rolling out a new affordable internet option for low-income households. An additional 15GB of high-speed data has been added for wireless consumers and small business customers;...
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Motorola has officially announced its new Edge+ smartphone, and it has nearly everything you’d expect from a 2020 flagship. After a few years of ignoring the flagship market with devices like the Moto Z3 and Moto Z4, the Edge+ is a true return to high-end form for Motorola. For starters, the obvious talking point of the Edge+ is its new Waterfall Display, which measures 6.67 inches across and includes a hole punch cutout for the 25MP selfie camera. The display features dramatic wraparound curves on its left and right edges. Samsung popularized this type of display curvature with its Galaxy “Edge” smartphones, but has toned down the effect with its most recent Galaxy S20...
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Motorola Razr mania has reached a fevered pitch, and customers will begin receiving their preorders (and devices will be available to purchase at physical Verizon Wireless retail locations) stating tomorrow, February 6th. With that in mind, a new finish that was previously announced for the Razr has been revealed. The leak comes from Evan Blass, who has been relatively quiet on the leak front in recent weeks. Instead of the "Noir Black" finish that we've previously seen on the Razr, the phone is finished in gold which covers the back and extends down to the "chin" that houses the fingerprint sensor and small 2510 mAh battery. There's even a gold ring around the single camera below the...
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One of the most frustrating aspects of cable bundles is paying for a bunch of channels you do not need. Verizon wants to turn this traditional system on its heads nd has just introduced their Mix & Match on Fios. These plans will allow customers to mix and match internet and television plans. According to Frank Boulben, Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing and Products at Verizon, “Customers are tired of having to buy a bundle with services they don’t want to get the best rates, and then discover that those rates didn’t include extra fees and surcharges. We’re putting an end to the traditional bundle contract and putting customers in control.” Their main...
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AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have all teamed up on a new cross-platform messaging initiative called the Cross-Carrier Messaging Initiative (CCMI). CCMI is a next-gen messaging service that will be available to consumers and businesses. It's based on GSMA's Rich Communications Service (RCS) industry standard and will allow an "engaging" way for people to interact with businesses and each other. The wireless carriers note the CCMI joint venture is working to develop and deploy the standards-based, interoperable messaging service starting with Android. The service is expected to deploy with Android devices in 2020, and CCMI promises to: Drive a robust business-to-consumer messaging ecosystem...
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People got excited about the Verizon Wireless prepaid mobile service called Visible when it launched in May of last year. The service offered unlimited everything for $40 monthly. The catch was that the service limited you to 5 Mbps download speeds and 480p video playback. Visible has now removed the download speed cap making it much more appealing to users who want affordable and fast service. There is a catch to the new unlimited speed cap offer, it's only available for a limited time. We don't know how limited because Visible isn't forthcoming with that information. The carrier said, "Why a limited time? Since we launched, our members have shared that the offering we've put together has served...
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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...
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Verizon has confirmed that it will be rolling out Universal Profile RCS for the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL tomorrow, December 6, 2018. Before this confirmation, the Universal Profile RCS service wasn't expected until early next year. This Universal Profile is meant to ensure carrier interoperability and brings several cool new features. Verizon is referring to Universal Profile RCS as chat and enhanced messaging. Google's Messages app will be where users of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will need to go to access the new functions. Verizon employees posted a full list of features for the service on Reddit. The features of Universal Profile RCS include the ability to create messages 8,000 characters...
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When early birds starting picking up their Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones from Verizon this week, they were met with befuddlement when it was discovered that the devices were carrier locked. While this might not seem all that surprising given that the Pixel 3 is a Verizon carrier-exclusive device, Verizon has traditionally sold its smartphones unlocked straight out of the box (including previous-generation Pixel phones). However, this policy changed with the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL (read the HotHardware review here). Instead, Verizon says that its smartphones have to be first activated on its network before they can be unlocked for use on other carriers. Once the phone is...
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Right on schedule, Verizon today turned on the first fully-functional 5G wireless network in the world. Now before you run down to your local Verizon Wireless store to grab a 5G smartphone, we'll have to temper your expectations. There still aren’t any 5G-capable smartphone available, and this initial service is called Verizon 5G Home, which is only for residential internet services. And we should also mention that it is only available in four U.S. cities at the moment: Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento. If you live in one of these cities, you'll be able to access "typical" network speeds ranging from 300Mbps to 1Gbps. We doubt that it'll rival Google Fiber's...
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The whole industry seems to be pivoting to 5G wireless technology, but that doesn't mean everyone is giving up on 4G LTE. In fact, the United States' largest wireless carrier, Verizon Wireless, is breathing some new life into the standard. With the help of Nokia and Qualcomm, Verizon has demonstrated 4G LTE speeds topping out at 1.45Gbps in a live commercial environment. To achieve these breakneck speeds, Verizon is making full use of the LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) standard including six-channel carrier aggregation, 256 QAM and 4x4 MIMO technologies. This in combination with Verizon's own PCS and AWS spectrum along a Nokia AirScale base station and Qualcomm Snapdragon X24 LTE modem is what allowed...
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Back in late June, we were alerted to a new product announcement on tap for August 2nd from Motorola. Luckily for us, we're here live in Chicago at Motorola HQ today to see what the company has in store for consumers, and it's quite interesting. The company launched the all-new Moto Z3, which serves as the follow-up to last year's Moto Z2. It has a 6-inch Full HD+ OLED display with an 18:9 aspect ratio that takes up most of the front of the device. There are still notable bezels on the bottom and top, but it at least doesn't mar your viewing experience with a notch (if you’re not into those newfangled notched flagships). However, we do have a bit of mixed news on the processing front....
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After bashing unlimited data plans nearly two years ago, Verizon Wireless is launching a third entry into its current family of unlimited data plans. The new plan is called Above Unlimited, and it is the most feature-packed unlimited plan that Verizon offers. But first, let us cover the existing plans. Go Unlimited provides 4G LTE data that can be throttled at anytime if there is congestion on Verizon’s wireless network. You get 480p quality video streaming and unlimited mobile hotspot capped at 600 kbps. Beyond Unlimited will start throttling your 4G LTE data after 22GB, enables 720p video streaming, and offers 15GB of mobile hotspot (600 kbps afterwards). The new Above...
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The United States Department of Justice is about to go on a trust-busting escapade. The Justice Department is investigating whether AT&T, Verizon, and the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA) collectively prevented consumers from switching carriers on devices with eSIM. The three organizations reportedly received requests for information from the Justice Department. The investigation centers around whether AT&T and Verizon worked with GSMA to lock devices to their networks. An unnamed device maker and wireless carrier reported the potential collusion to the Justice Department five months ago. Many believe that one of the complainants was Apple, but the company has declined to...
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Mobile networks are not all created equal, despite the fact that if you look at coverage maps they often boast nearly identical coverage in many areas. Each year OpenSignal issues a report that looks at all the mobile carriers in the U.S. and compares the speed and performance offered to help consumers look through all the hype and marketing and see which carrier really is the fastest. According to the latest report, both Verizon and AT&T have stopped the declining performance on their networks that were attributed to the return of unlimited data plans. Both networks have returned to their pre-unlimited plan speeds as of the end of 2017. However, that doesn't mean either of the networks is...
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Verizon has announced that it will begin its rollout of 5G services to customers in certain U.S. markets next year. However, this isn't lightning fast 5G wireless for your smartphone to connect to while you are out and about. Verizon plans to use this 5G wireless service to provide faster internet access to homes and business using technology it purchased earlier this year. Verizon wants to light up wireless residential broadband service in three to five markets during 2018. The first, and only confirmed market for its 5G launch will be Sacramento, California during the second half of 2018. Verizon promises more details on that launch and to unveil the other markets "at a later date."...
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Many Verizon Wireless customers weren't very happy with the carrier back in August when word first surfaced that it would be throttling video streaming on its Unlimited data plans. That throttling meant no matter what sort of device you were using, you only had streaming capability at up to 720p with most plans offering DVD quality only. Verizon is now rethinking its stance on video throttling, but it will naturally cost you more. To get your unthrottled streaming back, it will cost you another $10 per month. That extra monthly cost will sting some users, after all, the original reason given for the video throttling was to "optimize" the network implying that full resolution streaming was...
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Earlier this week, we reported that Verizon Wireless had taken the rather unfortunate step of informing 8,500 of its rural subscribers that they would no longer be eligible to receive wireless service. According to Verizon, these customers were using an excessive amount of data. These customers reside in underserved areas of the country that are part of Verizon's LTE in Rural America (LRA) program, which allows rural carriers to tap into resources and access technical support provided by the nation's largest wireless carrier. However, Verizon's costs associated with helping to provide service to these customers has often exceeded the price that they pay. Needless to say, Verizon doesn't want...
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Verizon Wireless has announced to 8,500 customers in rural parts of the country that it will no longer service them and all of their phones on their accounts as of October 17. The reason that Verizon Wireless is ditching these 8,500 rural customers, that have a total of 19,000 lines, is excessive data usage on networks owned by Verizon Wireless's roaming partners. In rural parts of the country where Verizon lacks its own wireless network, the carrier has partnered with smaller regional wireless carriers and allows its customers to roam on those networks free of charge. With the return of "unlimited" data plans, Verizon has decided this was a bad move and it is ditching those customers despite...
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Most of us don't put much stock into the claims of mobile carriers that unlimited data users slow down the network for everyone. We tend to think that the carriers are just using excuses to throttle our connections and charge us more money. But according to recent tests from OpenSignal, speeds at AT&T and Verizon are indeed slowing down thanks to unlimited data users. OpenSignal writes, "Six months after reintroducing unlimited plans, Verizon and AT&T experienced a marked decline in 4G speeds in our tests. The impact appears to have hit Verizon the most. Its average LTE download test fell 2 Mbps to 14.9 Mbps in the six months between reports." As speeds at AT&T and Verizon have declined,...
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