Verizon

Verizon rep just reminded me why I’ll never use Verizon

Sébastien Page ∙ July 30, 2012

A couple of years ago, my wife fiancée Tina had a terrible experience dealing with a Verizon rep over the phone. The whole conversation happened on speakerphone and I could hear every part of it. I specifically remember the rep insinuating Tina was a liar and that she didn't know what she was talking about. That was the end of her with Verizon. We canceled her plan that day and got her on AT&T.

Today, I went with Penny, my mother in law, to Verizon so she can upgrade her 2 year old dumbphone for a brand new and shiny iPhone 4S. I didn't even try to talk Penny out of using Verizon because her whole family has been using them forever, she's got a family plan covering 5 phones/users. Although I didn't bother talking to her about considering switching to AT&T, I couldn't help telling her that I think Verizon sucks. Big time...

Verizon tops J.D. Power customer service report

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

If you're looking to start up new cell phone service in the US, there are dozens of choices. If you want a big-named, nationwide carrier though, that cuts the field down to four options: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

You can narrow it down even further if you want an iPhone. Currently, only the top three carriers properly support Apple's handset. And if you're looking for the company with the best customer service, there's only one...

Verizon’s finance chief says the next iPhone could drop in the fourth quarter

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2012

Verizon's finance chief Fran Shammo dropped a hint concerning the next iPhone's availability during today's earnings call. Discussing the company's second-quarter results that saw Verizon activate 2.7 million iPhones for a 45 share of all smartphones sold on their network, Shammo hinted that the iPhone 5 (or whatever you prefer to call it) will arrive during the fourth quarter of this year.

The comment puts to rest rumors that the next iPhone could land in September. Conveniently enough, the latest iOS 6 beta 3 is set to expire on September 30. Conversely, Shammo's comment is also in line with Apple's annual refresh cycle. As the iPhone 4S launched on October 4, 2011, an updated model shouldn't arrive before October of this year at the earliest...

Verizon activates 2.7M iPhones, Q2 share drops to 45% of smartphones

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Verizon Wireless today announced results for the June quarter. The company activated 2.7 million iPhones, representing 45 percent of the carrier's total smartphone sales that hit 5.9 million units during the quarter. This is down from the 4 .3 million iPhones and a 55 percent share in the holiday quarter and a 50 percent share in the first quarter, when the company activated 3.2 million iPhones. For comparison, Verizon activated 2.4 million iPhones in the year-ago quarter. Blame the decline on iPhone seasonality and those pesky iPhone 5 rumors...

Verizon lights up 4G LTE in 33 new markets

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2012

Boy, does Verizon Wireless know how to spoil AT&T's unveiling of shared data plans from this morning. The Big Red carrier made a point by saying it now has more high-speed Long Term Evolution (LTE) coverage in the U.S. than all of its rivals combined.

In addition, the company announced today it's flipping the switch on 4G LTE in 33 new markets. Verizon's LTE is now in a total of 337 markets and the carrier is on track to cover more than 400 markets by the year's end. Plus, it is broadening the coverage in the existing 32 markets which already have its 4G LTE...

How Steve Jobs really felt about carriers and why they’re still like Soviet ministries

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2018

Before wrapping up his career-defining iPhone presentation on January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs invited Stan Sigman, then the CEO of Cingular Wireless, to join him on stage and announce a partnership that would send shockwaves of fear throughout the wireless industry. For the first time in history, a telecom would work in concert with a phone vendor to make a revolutionary phone possible without messing the user experience with junkware.

Stigman even confessed publicly that he agreed to take on the iPhone without ever seeing it, "because of the confidence I have in Steve Jobs to deliver his vision". Notwithstanding, a trained eye could tell the two men were worlds apart.

One was an archaic executive stuck in the old days and the other a forward-thinking unconventional manager with uncanny ability to figure out what consumers wanted before they even knew it.

Here's a reminder of how Jobs really felt about carriers, the way they go about their business and how virtually nothing's changed...

Verizon launches Share Everything plans

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 30, 2017

As expected, Verizon launched its new Share Everything plans today. The plans feature unlimited voice minutes, unlimited text messaging, and various data allotments.

Current subscribers will be able to hold on to their legacy plans (for the time being). But new customers will be forced to choose from one of these new shared options...

AT&T asked RIM to make an iPhone competitor back in 2010

Cody Lee ∙ June 28, 2012

There's a new report out today that claims that back in 2010, AT&T went to BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion, and asked them to create a touch-screen iPhone competitor.

This is interesting for a couple of reasons. But perhaps the most important one is the fact that back in 2010, AT&T was still Apple's exclusive iPhone partner here in the U.S...

iPhone no longer Verizon’s bestselling smartphone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Since the iPhone launched on Verizon's network last year, the handset has been the carrier's most popular smartphone. Most quarters it's even sold better than all Android devices combined.

But it looks like things are starting to shift at Big Red, as a new report suggests that the iPhone is no longer the wireless provider's bestselling device. What is? Motorola's Droid RAZR MAXX...

Sprint iPhone sells better at carrier-agnostic retailers than Apple Stores

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 26, 2012

Apple's iPhone sales in the United States have traditionally been strong at Apple Stores, likely due to the superior buying experience.

A new research has revealed a little known fact, that customers pick up a Sprint version of the device at carrier-agnostic retailers more often than at Apple's retail outlets.

It's got lots to do with high retention rates for rivals AT&T and Verizon resulting in little switching and Sprint just not having enough existing customers to walk through the door...

T-Mobile to purchase AWS spectrum from Verizon

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

T-Mobile's AT&T deal might not have gone through, but that doesn't mean the carrier is ready to just roll over and die. It's actually been very busy this year, building up its network.

The company has already started showing off its new iPhone-friendly HSPA+ technology. And today it's announced plans to purchase a large amount of AWS spectrum from Verizon...

Verizon’s LTE network now available in over 300 markets

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 3, 2017

One of the most common questions we get asked regarding the third-generation iPad is, "which carrier should I go with?" Here in the US, the tablet is available on both AT&T and Verizon networks.

Depending on you're location, we generally recommend the Verizon model. The carrier has had its LTE network up and running for nearly two years. And it's now available in more than 300 markets...