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Mandatory 4G Coverage?

J

jetsfan420

Newbie
Maybe a stupid question, but if I get a Bionic.. do I HAVE to get the 4g coverage? I'd like to wait until it's in my area.
 
Are you asking if they will make you have a 4G plan or have to have 4G in your area? This is a complete guess, but a 4G phone can probably also run on a 3G network, but again, this is a guess (that I am hoping is true, because if it isn't, why the hell are they selling TB in my area?)
 
I've had the "pleasure" of talking with quite a few Verizon reps lately, and I've asked just about each one of them about 4G. No one could give me anything concrete, but they all said the same thing. 4G phones will work on 3G networks just fine. Verizon customers who already have a plan SHOULD be able to keep their original plans without a price increase FOR NOW. The word "grandfathered" came in each time.

Now, we know how much we can trust a rep. And we already know Verizon plans on introducing tiered plans this summer. However, we need look no further than the Thunderbolt, for they'll have to answer the question by then.
 
YankeeDudeL said:
I've had the "pleasure" of talking with quite a few Verizon reps lately, and I've asked just about each one of them about 4G. No one could give me anything concrete, but they all said the same thing. 4G phones will work on 3G networks just fine. Verizon customers who already have a plan SHOULD be able to keep their original plans without a price increase FOR NOW. The word "grandfathered" came in each time.

Now, we know how much we can trust a rep. And we already know Verizon plans on introducing tiered plans this summer. However, we need look no further than the Thunderbolt, for they'll have to answer the question by then.
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Yes, well we all know how Sprint handled that..... no price increase in your data plan. Keep it the same, but..... oh, there's a $10 4G fee.... Haha.

But in all fairness, they have to charge you if you have a 4G phone, because you know darn well what some customers would do. (and brag about it too) They would list their address as their grandmas house, (where 4G is not available) to get the non-4G area price, when they actually live an a 4G area!

And then, outa the other side of their mouth, claim that Verizon is trying to scam them somehow!
 
And, I'm sure that Verizon will have something in place to either deny you 4G service if your EIN is not signed up for it, or be able to tell what you are using.
 
corymcnutt said:
And, I'm sure that Verizon will have something in place to either deny you 4G service if your EIN is not signed up for it, or be able to tell what you are using.
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Well, maybe you are correct but Sprint didn't handle it that way. They're CDMA and if you have their EVO, you paid for 4G whether you are in a 4G area or not. The smart money says Verizon will do the same. If you want a 4G phone, you will pay the 4G price. Whether you are in a 4G service area or not.

If you like we can make a "gentlemans bet". No money, just a friendly bet that we can discuss as friends after the winner is decided. OK? :)
 
jetsfan420 said:
Maybe a stupid question, but if I get a Bionic.. do I HAVE to get the 4g coverage? I'd like to wait until it's in my area.
Click to expand...


I called Verizon on the phone and confirmed at a local Verizon store, 4G is not required "currently", you can transfer your unlimited data plan using the 3G service (say from the existing Droid package).

My sole purpose for asking was because 4G service won't be available in my area for a year or so, so I didn't want to pay for a service that wasn't being made available to me (except maybe when I travel outside of my local area).

Viro
 
I would like to stay with 3G,I really do not care about the additional speed of 4G,just give me a strong 3G signal,no dropping to 1x,and im happy. At home and work,the wifi is fast,and in between,i dont surf much,just checking e mail and some pandora,and a weather/facebook check here and there...Id like the dual core processor for when im on wifi though.....hoping i can get a droid bionic down the road without a 4g plan...
 
dirkbonn said:
Yes, well we all know how Sprint handled that..... no price increase in your data plan. Keep it the same, but..... oh, there's a $10 4G fee.... Haha.

But in all fairness, they have to charge you if you have a 4G phone, because you know darn well what some customers would do. (and brag about it too) They would list their address as their grandmas house, (where 4G is not available) to get the non-4G area price, when they actually live an a 4G area!

And then, outa the other side of their mouth, claim that Verizon is trying to scam them somehow!
Click to expand...

I did some digging on this issue, at least on the Sprint side. Sprint charges the $10 whether they want to or not simply because Sprint is not the sole provider of their 4G network!

Sprint and Clearwire at odds over 4G-capable devices that only use 3G | Wireless News - Betanews

They've been in arbitration talks, and apparently this issue is still in dispute. This is from just a few days ago:

"Every option that we're looking at, every one includes WiMAX and Clearwire", and that any alternative would be "considered extreme". He said a dual WiMAX/LTE strategy was possible (Clearwire is already trialling base stations that support parallel WiMAX and TD-LTE activities). He said: "Does LTE mean no WiMAX? No, it doesn't mean that at all. It couldn't be further from the truth."
Click to expand...

Without Clearwire, Sprint wouldn't have much of a 4G network at all to compete with the likes of AT&T or Verizon. Regardless of whether you're in a 4G zone with your Sprint 4G phone or not, Sprint's hands are tied in paying those fees to Clearwire as part of their agreement.

Now as far as physically requiring 4G phones to use 4G service, the phone should still work on 3G without the 4G sim card, and I hope dearly Verizon markets it as such. Let the people that want/need the 4G pay the extra pay for it.
 
Jew said:
Are you asking if they will make you have a 4G plan or have to have 4G in your area? This is a complete guess, but a 4G phone can probably also run on a 3G network, but again, this is a guess (that I am hoping is true, because if it isn't, why the hell are they selling TB in my area?)
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Just like 3G phones can run on 1X, I'm sure 4G will work with 3G.
 
Seems like most think that you'll be required to pay for the 4G service even if it is not available in your area. Until it is, I'll just hold onto my 3G phone. Thanks for the replies.
 
I called Verizon and tried to get a Thunderbolt without purchasing 4G. They said no. The guy actually told me that LTE phones won't be able to get 3G signals. I think he's full of shit, but there you go.

It could have been I'm a bit drunk too. Either way lol.
 
Seems simple for VZW. If VZW sees the unlimited plans are choking their network and will force them to spend more capital for bandwidth improvements, they will probably assess the least damaging option:

1. If no data choke, no harm no foul and they will continue the grandfathering.

2. If the network is choked and the capital expense is greater than the expected revenue hit of cutting off grandfather dibs (the people that leave VZW), unlimited will be terminated at the end of your contract.

Either case, the guess even by reps is that unlimited goes away for new contracts, sometime this summer.
 
Take a look at the Thunderbolt forum. 3G or 4G. Works either way. To save battery life, some turn off 4g if they aren't using it. Here in Sacramento, 4g is not until the fall of 2011, but you still pay same the same..... No discount until 4g goes live.
 
Dpsammy said:
Take a look at the Thunderbolt forum. 3G or 4G. Works either way. To save battery life, some turn off 4g if they aren't using it. Here in Sacramento, 4g is not until the fall of 2011, but you still pay same the same..... No discount until 4g goes live.
Click to expand...

That's because the price of unlimited 3G service and 4G service are the same.... and with no 4G service, your 4G phones will just fall back to 3G.
 
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