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Verizon: no, Mr Legere, the new unlimited data plans aren't straining our network

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: May 12, 2017, 2:21 AM

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Verizon: no, Mr Legere, the new unlimited data plans aren't straining our network

Back in February, Verizon joined the unlimited data plans trend, and introduced a... gasp... reasonably priced plan for mobile Internet to infinity, or until you hit a throttling cap in congested downtown areas like with other carriers' unlimited offers. T-Mobile's ever-feisty CEO John Legere, however, commented a few weeks ago during an earnings call that Verizon's network has slowed down 14% since the introduction of its unlimited plans, and, according to him, they are simply unprepared for the influx of bits and bytes through Big Red's ether. "In the same time," he said, "the speeds on our network have grown 10%. So when we say there’s only one network built for unlimited, it’s clearly ours."

Not so fast, Verizon fought back during an investor conference this week, and it didn't even have to resort to the obvious argument that it has much more customers than T-mobile to strain its network. In the words of analyst Jennifer Fritzsche of Wells Fargo Securities, who wrote in a research note to clients after the investor presentation with Verizon the following:

Where Verizon came out guns blazing was in defending their network, the investments it has made there and calling into question some of the accusations made against it in regard to performance. When asked about the 600 MHz auction, Verizon seemed to have no regrets about not being there given its large upper 700 MHz C Block holdings … The point was made that Verizon’s current lead in the RootMetrics tables has never been higher than it is today.

In addition, Verizon has apparently given real examples of how its network capacity expansion is continuing unabated by mentioning San Francisco and other markets where small cells are being unfurled, and the load-bearing there has increased up to four times as a result. Another interesting takeaway is that about 50% of the voice traffic goes through VoLTE now, and Big Red is planning to scoop up unlicensed LTE spectrum for extra capacity. Anyone on Verizon's new unlimited plans noticed any slowdown in their area compared to their previous download speeds?

source: FierceWireless

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.