Verizon

Verizon's LTE launch results in very few speed bumps, Big Red to move toward tiered pricing

posted by Alex I.

Apr 26, 2011, 6:34 AM

Verizon's LTE launch results in very few speed bumps, Big Red to move toward tiered pricing

A senior Verizon executive has gone on record to say that the roll out of Big Red's LTE network has resulted in less speed bumps than she has expected.

Nicola Palmer, Verizon Wireless VP of Network Operations says on the subject:

"Frankly I expected some speed bumps. The surprise here to me is the speed bumps were very few and far between and they didn’t do any damage to the undercarriage."

She said that the most difficult part of Verizon's LTE deployment was that the US carrier had to renegotiate the terms under which it uses parcels owned by other people - parcels where its cell towers are located.

However, it's probably more important for us as end consumers that Nicola Palmer is yet another senior official at Verizon who says the plan that offers unlimited data is not to last forever, as the carrier is to move toward tiered pricing:

"Unlimited billing on data is simply unsustainable for the industry."

source: All Things Digital

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28 Comments

23. green2u unregistered

With my corporate discount, it appears that the difference between my current bill with Sprint and the one I would have with Verizon is $68 with Sprint vs $75 with Verizon for the same plan and features I would need (I never go over 450 minutes talk or 250 text messages). I saw a Web site (and forget what it is) that showed the carrier towers in my area. Whoa! It looked like Verizon had one on every block next to Sprint and TMO. Once Verizon sells it dual-core Droid Bionic 4G LTE, I might very well switch for the $7 a month difference.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 3:49 PM 0

13. skymitch89

Posts: 1453; Member since: Nov 05, 2010

It's good that Verizon LTE isn't really experiencing speed bumps, but I'm happy with my $105 a month for basically unlimited everything on Sprint (except calls to landlines). I've crunched the numbers for having basically the same thing on Verizon and I'd be paying nearly $200 per month for a single line of service (I wasn't even paying that much for 2 lines on Sprint with nearly unlimited everything.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 10:51 AM 1

14. sscorp99

Posts: 40; Member since: Feb 05, 2011

What universe do you live in? Verizon single line unlimited everything is $120.00 + tax per month, 4g LTE included. These are national plans available everywhere. 2 lines are $210.00 + tax which may seem a little expensive but it is VERIZON service after all.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 11:40 AM 1

21. Whateverman

Posts: 3295; Member since: May 17, 2009

I'm paying $185 for two Droids and two feature phones on VZW. Your numbers are a little high.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 1:49 PM 0

27. elandrumiii

Posts: 109; Member since: Mar 20, 2010

Well I just checked it based on what I got for 2 Evos with REAL UNLIMITED EVERYTHING and them the same on VZW and for 2 TB's with unlimited talk, text, Navigation, and Data with top insurance its 243.93 +tax its about 30.00 more than my Sprint plan. I will say you get more Data coverage with VZW but I talk about 5000 minutes a month to land lines and mobile (not all sprint) and i consume a lot of data and use my mobile as a hot spot for my laptop so the coming caped plans wont work for me.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 9:37 PM 0

10. ChineseMuscle

Posts: 47; Member since: Nov 15, 2008

Verizon just reduced my 4G UNLIMITED DATA Smartphone plan to $19.99 per month. And on am NOT on a Corporate Plan.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 10:33 AM 0

4. sirmikey3111

Posts: 4; Member since: Apr 26, 2011

I have an Evo 4g phone which is an awesome phone but I also pay $10 for the 4g service which isn't even available(I know I'm a fool) But the $69.99 charge for ulimited texts,internet and minutes makes it well worth it! $30 a month for just internet? Come on that's a bit steep! The phone companies have us all by the, well you know! Every time you by a new phone you need a new charger,car charger and any other accessories!!! I have used my 4g on the sprint 4g network in Minneapolis and it is FAST!!

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 7:32 AM 2

5. MalakiMills

Posts: 257; Member since: Jun 15, 2010

Well, being as i don't need the unlimited, I get 450 minutes (I hardly ever get close to that seeing as everyone else i call is verizon), unlimited text, and unlimited data, plus full insurance for $96 each month. I am more than happy to pay the extra $26 for incredible coverage, and amazing 4g, I know WiMax is fast, but LTE is better. That and it will cover everywhere that 3g is in 2013, so i will be in my two year still then, and I will be grandfathered in with my unlimited 4g, perfect setup if you ask me.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 8:21 AM 3

8. Cobjones

Posts: 14; Member since: Mar 09, 2011

I switched right over to Verizon from Sprint (couldn't get service when I moved). I now only pay 15 dollars more with a direct switch over (minutes, un text, un data). Now that Sprint has implemented the 10 smartphone charge, then it would be only 5 dollars more. I have a plan with me and my wife, and I know that is different than individual plans, but a lot of people have family plans. I wish more people would actually compare more than just individual plans, because family plans are directly comparable. There is a false notion that Sprint is crazy cheaper when it is just not true.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 9:51 AM 2

6. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

I know LTE is faster than WiMAX, but it's only 3 or 4 seconds faster. I can't justify paying $30.00 more for 3 or 4 second difference. My friend & I are always racing each other in "the" download races, he always wins but I pay way less. He now is feeling the money crunch due to these crazy gas prices. He is thinking about going with Sprint because of how much he can save. He told me for a 3 or 4 second difference it's not worth the extra money Verizon charges. We live in a strong WiMAX & LTE city. This is an example of what is happening across the U.S. Gas is going to be a reason my people may or may not switch. To save that much a month IS significant!

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 9:18 AM 1

7. jskrenes

Posts: 209; Member since: Dec 11, 2008

Seven years ago I was working for RadioShack, and the Sprint rep kept asking me if I was excited for the Sprint tower to come up in my town (a smaller city in South Dakota). I said yes, because it gave customers more choices and paid me higher comissions. Seven years later, no Sprint tower (I've since moved on from the Shack too). Bottom line, if Sprint could afford to do rural deployment on what they're charging customers, they'd have done it by now.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 9:48 AM 3

9. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

Smaller rural towns always are the last to get towers. When I lived in NY 7 years ago a small town in NJ didn't have any towers. Now the only tower there is AT&T & it wasn't AT&T who put the tower up, it was Cingular years before AT&T merged with them. So that is a very common thing that happens across all small rural towns in the U.S. The big companies want the highest populations first, then move into the small towns!

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 10:08 AM 1

3. Jbo1018 unregistered

@theone you turn 4g off when you not using it and/or when your in a building or area that doesn't get good LTE reception. Thus saving battery life until the software that controls the hand off from 3g to 4g gets a bit more efficient.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 7:29 AM 0

17. T-Bolt user unregistered

I have no issues with my phone switching. I am on wifi at home, 3G when I walk outside, and 4G at work, and my T-Bolt goes between them with no issues at all.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 12:43 PM 1

22. Rich unregistered

same.... work/home on 4G/wifi. when i go up to connecticut im on 3G. no problems switching... it switches without me noticing.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 3:02 PM 0

2. JeffdaBeat unregistered

Definitely having some network envy. Not that I've bought on to this 4G stuff just yet, but more so how aggressively Verizon is moving towards it. Even before this epic battle with AT&T, Verizon has always cared about their network by comparison of 3G networks. I can only imagine that their 4G network will be as aggressively rolled out. As for tiered pricing...well...we knew it was coming. My only fear is that they will start to limit it now to...let's say...5GB. What will that mean in 3 years? I mean, 3 years ago, exceeding 1GB of data would be unheard of. Now, it's common. I wonder if they will raise the threshold as data consumption goes up...

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 7:21 AM 3

12. box unregistered

Verizon and AT&T are building some of the LTE-Advance networks together, and will share the network/towers. I'm more excited about LTE-Advanced than regular LTE, since regular is limited to, I believe, 30MB/s? whereas UMTS/HSUPA can get up to 100MB/s theoretical speeds, and has already been tested to 84MB/s on T-Mobile's networks; LTE-Adv will be ten times faster than what's available now

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 10:45 AM 0

16. tragichero

Posts: 163; Member since: Jan 07, 2011

is this guy for real?

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 12:09 PM 3

24. narley

Posts: 357; Member since: May 14, 2009

uh no and no.... dont know where you get your info. but Verizon doesnt give two S#%R#$ about AT&T or how their "LTE" network works out. You probably also think Ford helped Chevy with their engine for the Camaro so they wouldnt go out of business too.... keep your thoughts, thoughts, spare us your idiocy.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 4:23 PM 1

26. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

actually,u 2 couldnt be more wrong. Box is actually right. networks roam off each other all the time. there are dozens of roaming agreements for the carriers out there. will they roam off ALL of each other's LTE towers? No, but they will strategically roam off a few here or there between the both of them. Companys make and pay billions each year in roaming charges. Why do u think VZW bought out Alltell? It saved them a billion a year in roaming charges alone. Jeff, my hope is that when replacing your home internet with LTE solutions, the "tiered" pricing adds a 15-20gig option as well for real home use. I stream netflix and hulu, i cant live on a 5gig cap. They are already slowly raising it to a 10 gig option so its not that far fetched... its just expencive as hell.. lol Hopefully that will drop down the other options at the same time.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 4:37 PM 1

1. theone.234 unregistered

Well they better make sure that the network can keep your phone on 4 g speeds vice 1x and 3g that i am constanty seeing on my 4g TB.. i very rarely see 4g on my phone and i didnt download that stupiid app to turn off 4g...whats the purpose of the phone if you buy it to turn off 4g...just by the droid x if u want 3g

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 6:55 AM 2

11. skymitch89

Posts: 1453; Member since: Nov 05, 2010

People use the app to turn off the 4G because they don't live in a 4G market yet and want to save battery.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 10:42 AM 1

18. jogutier

Posts: 324; Member since: Feb 12, 2010

I'm not sure about that app either. My issues are: It didn't help my battery one bit and I don't have the time to look to see if i'm in a 4G area or not. I travel alot and it's not to my convienece.

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 12:58 PM 1

19. LionStone

Posts: 1048; Member since: Dec 10, 2010

So you're saying the app didn't help your battery one bit and then you don't know if you're in a 4G area or not? Hmm...

posted on Apr 26, 2011, 1:35 PM 0

25. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

lol. i see your the type of customer that would rather whine then do research. If your not in a major metro area, your not under 4g yet with VZW. They are still finishing the major areas. If you in a top 30 city, your probably covered. Turning off the 4g radio will save 10-30% battery life. If your not in a 4g area thats just battery that your waisting. If your not on the internet all the time even in a 4g area, you can still use it to save battery and just flip it back on when you do use it.