Tag Archives: verizon

Verizon changes upgrade cycle from 20 months to 24 months

Verizon changes upgrade cycle from 20 months to 24 monthsVerizon today posted an update on their website indicating that subscribers will no longer be eligible for early upgrades 20 months into their contract. Instead, subscribers will have to wait a full 24 months before becoming eligible for subsidized upgrade pricing.

The new rule will be applicable to customers who entered into a Verizon contract in January 2012 or later.

In alignment with the terms of the contract, customers on a two-year agreement will be eligible for an upgrade at 24 months vs. today's early upgrade eligibility at 20 months. This change aligns the upgrade date with the contract end date and is consistent with how the majority of customers purchase new phones today. The first customers impacted by this change are customers whose contracts expire in January 2014. As always, customers may purchase a new phone at the full retail price at any time.

Though Verizon notes that their new upgrade rules are more consistent "with how the majority of customers purchase new phones today," it's worth pointing out that both Sprint and AT&T still offer 20-month upgrade eligibility for customers.

And speaking of nationwide carriers, T-Mobile on Friday began selling the iPhone 5 for only US$99 with a 24-month payment plan.

Verizon changes upgrade cycle from 20 months to 24 months originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Turns on LTE in San Francisco, New York City, and Washington D.C.

sprintcoverageSprint is hard at work expanding its LTE network to match offerings from competing companies AT&T and Verizon, both of which have sizable LTE networks.

In late January the company brought its LTE network to several states across the U.S., and today it expanded coverage in three major markets, including San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, D.C., as well as several cities in Florida, including Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa.

Sprint’s LTE network began rolling out in 2012. In early 2012, Sprint released its first three LTE smartphones, and later began offering the iPhone 5 when it was released in September.

Sprint fleshed out its network over the course of the year, and began selling the fourth generation iPad and the iPad mini in November, both of which offer LTE connectivity.

Since receiving both the iPhone 5 and the iPad, LTE has been a top priority for the company, because Sprint’s coverage lags far behind its competitors. For example, while both Verizon and AT&T have solid coverage over most of the Bay Area, Sprint’s LTE coverage is spotty at best.

According to Sprint spokesperson Kelly Schlageter, who spoke to The Verge, Sprint has avoided making an official announcement about the LTE expansion until the company covers “a density of sites to indicate that our customers should consistently have a great 4G LTE experience.”

Schlageter also mentioned that deployment has just begun in San Francisco. “Coverage area is somewhat hard to describe at this stage because sites generally aren’t contiguous. There are sites on air in and around SF, kind of like popcorn.”

Rolling out LTE to specific areas without an official announcement allows Sprint to get the connectivity to customers as quickly as possible. “Rather than deploy a site, test the equipment and then turn it off until we launch, we are leaving the sites on and customers are welcome to use the Sprint 4G LTE network wherever they find it,” says Schlageter.

Sprint’s coverage map shows LTE in a limited number of cities across the United States, but it’s likely that quite a few more customers have limited LTE access as Sprint continues to roll out its network.

During its latest earnings call on February 7, Sprint said that it expects to have LTE coverage for 200 million people by the end of 2013 or early 2014 at the latest. In comparison, AT&T offers LTE for 288 million people while Verizon covers 250 million people.

» Related posts: AT&T Expanding its LTE Footprint Verizon Already Prepping for iPad 3 Launch Sprint Says No More WiMAX Based Tablets and Phones

Verizon sees 3.1M LTE iPhone activations in Q4

Verizon Wireless announced its quarterly earnings for the last three months of 2012, and it was a strong quarter for iPhone sales. The carrier confirmed that it activated 6.2 million iPhones, which is double the amount that Verizon activated in Q3 2012.

Half of these iPhones were the LTE-enabled iPhone 5, while the other half were older iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S models. iPhones were the dominant smartphones on Verizon, accounting for more than 60 percent of the 9.8 million smartphones Verizon activated in the quarter.

Analysts are predicting a less-than-stellar earnings report from Apple, but these numbers from Verizon bode well for iPhone sales in the quarter. Apple will announce its quarterly earnings on Wednesday, January 23 and will hold a conference call starting at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET.

[Via GigaOM]

Verizon sees 3.1M LTE iPhone activations in Q4 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s 4G LTE Coverage Expands Once Again

Verizon Coverage

The question of the decade is, “AT&T or Verizon?” Depending on who you ask, Verizon is the best thing that ever happened to Apple products. AT&T owned the iPhone market for too long. When Verizon came on board, it was a joyous occasion for many who jumped ship to the largest carrier in the U.S. Even touting that label, there were some cities that still hadn’t been upgraded to the faster 4G network. Today, the company announced that it has expanded 4G LTE coverage to 29 additional markets. If you are still on the fence about buying an iPad mini, this may be the tipping point for you.

Today, Verizon expanded its wireless 4G LTE network to Selma, Ala., Clarksburg, W. Va., and Port Angeles, Wash., bringing the total of U.S. markets covered to 470. The company boasts coverage to more than 250 people, nearly 80 percent of the U.S. population.

If you haven’t purchased your fourth-generation iPad, or iPad mini yet, and Verizon’s expansion has just made your mouth water, you can order directly from the data carrier. The iPad mini starts at $459.99 for the 16 GB model, while the fourth-generation iPad starts at $629.99. There is no option to sign up for a two-year contract with Apple tablets through Verizon. Subscribers will be able to pay on a month-by-month basis.

» Related posts: Verizon Expanding US LTE Coverage AT&T Expanding its LTE Footprint Verizon Already Prepping for iPad 3 Launch

Redbox Instant by Verizon gets an iOS app

Movie rental vendor Redbox recently announced that it would be taking on Netflix with its own streaming service, powered in part by Verizon. The service is still in closed beta, but Redbox has wasted no time getting up and running on iOS, as there's now an official "Redbox Instant by Verizon" app on the App Store.

You can download it for free, although it won't do you much good if you don't have an invitation to the service. But there are some screenshots on iTunes of what it looks like (basically like Netflix, not surprisingly). The fact that the app is out and running already shows just how quickly Redbox is planning to get this off the ground.

Personally, I think it's great. I quit Netflix a few months ago because I wasn't happy with the selections there, and competition is always good. Hopefully if Redbox and Verizon pick up a sizable audience, we'll see lots more innovation in the video-streaming market.

[via App Advice]

Redbox Instant by Verizon gets an iOS app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Add an iPad mini with Verizon 4G to an existing Family Share Plan

Many of you may be receiving your iPad mini with WiFi + Cellular today or in the next few days, and there was some concern that people who already had a Verizon Family Share plan and were adding the mini to the plan would have to wait for postpaid SIM card to arrive from VZW prior to being able to use it. Well, David Chartier crossed his fingers and tried adding the mini to his plan from the Verizon website, and it worked just fine.

While Chartier has all of the necessary screenshots and verbiage over on his website, here's the short version of how it works:

Log onto My Verizon and select Activate or Switch Device. Add a new line. Type in your device ID, also known as the IMEI for the iPad mini. Chartier noted that he couldn't find it under Settings > General > About, and Megan Lavey-Heaton here at TUAW verified that it's no longer listed there (see screenshot below). You can get the IMEI from the box that your iPad mini came in ... you did keep the box, didn't you?

Add an iPad mini with Verizon 4G to an existing plan Verify your current plan and that you want to add the line. At one point, you'll be asked if you want to upgrade your shared data plan to account for that extra data you'll be using. That decision is up to you. You'll be asked to verify your billing information and -- lucky you -- you'll get to pay another $35 activation fee. Verizon only shows that they'll charge you the standard $10 fee at the time you add the iPad mini to your plan, but they will also list the full charge that will be added to your next bill. Restart your device.

At that point, your iPad mini will be on your Family Share plan and you'll be able to use your little device on Verizon's LTE network all you want. Thanks, David Chartier, for pointing out how to do this.

Add an iPad mini with Verizon 4G to an existing Family Share Plan originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LTE iPad Mini and iPad 4 Now Available in “Limited Quantities”


Just as we thought, Apple has officially launched the fourth-generation and iPad mini with cellular connectivity today. AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint are all offering the devices with a variety of data plans. Don’t wait too long, though. Each store only has a limited supply.

AT&T is offering a $100 discount on iPads and iPad minis for those willing to sign up with a two-year contract. Verizon and Sprint do not offer any other data service but month-to-month.

Normally, superstores like Target and Best Buy are part of the launch of new iPad models. However, at this time, both companies are showing the 4G LTE models of the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad are not yet available on line or in stores. We still don’t have official word about availability of fourth generation iPad and iPad mini Wi-Fi + 4G LTE models at Apple Retail store. Currently, you can order the tablet online with a shipping estimate of one to two weeks.

As the day goes by, it is likely that more stores will be announcing that the cellular models are on sale.

» Related posts: LTE-Enabled 4th Gen iPad Hits the Apple Retail Stores iPad Mini + 4G LTE Ships in Two Weeks, 4th Gen, Even Sooner iPad mini and Fourth Generation iPad Go On Sale, New Zealand Apple Stores First to get the Devices

Sprint announces 4G LTE for 9 new cities

While Verizon and AT&T are busy locking horns in the battle over network supremacy, Sprint is doing its best to keep up. PC Magazine reports the third-largest wireless carrier revealed today that it has begun work on its 4G LTE network in nine new cities. The new markets include:

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. Oakland/Fremont/Hayward, Calif. Key West, Fla. Fort Smith, Ark. Michigan City/La Porte, Ind. Bloomington, Ind. Eau Claire, Wis. Arrdmore, Okla. McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas

Sprint debuted its 4G LTE service in July and plans to have 125 cities on its LTE grid within "the coming months." No more specific dates are being offered by the company at this time.

This number is well behind AT&T and Verizon, with the latter promising to have its entire 3G network converted by mid-2013. On Thursday, Verizon is flipping the switch on LTE coverage for more than 20 cities, including much of Missouri and large chunks of Wyoming and Arizona.

Sprint announces 4G LTE for 9 new cities originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands on with FreedomPop’s free data for your iPad and iPod touch

FreedomPop's free data pitch is aimed at the thrifty consumer: put down a refundable deposit on a USB dongle or MiFi-style router (iPod touch cases are also an option) and receive a monthly 500 MB bandwidth stipend for life. For free.

If it sounds too good to be true, well, it might be. But before I get to that, let me give you a general idea of where FreedomPop is coming from.

Plans

FreedomPop is currently a Clearwire 4G WiMAX rebundler (they will be moving to Sprint in 2013). You can use FreedomPop's equipment in any area that Clear currently services. You choose from three plans:

Free 500 MB - US$0/month for the first 500 MB and then $0.02/MB after. That's $20.00/GB. This is the bottom feeder plan that many consumers will choose. Casual 2 GB - $18/month ("for a limited time") for the first 2 GB, and then $0.01/MB after, or $10/GB. Premiere 4 GB - $29/month ("for a limited time") for the first 4 GB, and then $0.01/MB after, the same $10/GB as Casual.

Leaving family plan sharing aside, the Casual and Premiere data compare well to major carriers. AT&T's 250 MB/month plan costs $15 and $30 for 3 GB. Sprint offers 300 MB/month for $15 and 3 GB for $35. Verizon's offerings include 1 GB for $20 and 2 GB for $30. As you can see, FreedomPop's paid plans are competitive.

What's more you can share this data among multiple devices if you select the Freedom Spot hotspot. It supports up to 8 devices at once, and offers up to 6 hours of use according to FreedomPop's marketing text.

Penny Pinching Data Usage

My concerns surround the Free 500MB plan. I suspect most users will choose this plan. I don't see how this loss-leader approach readily extends towards a revenue stream to ensure the company's health and longevity.

That's because frugal users will likely disable FreedomPop's automatic top-off feature. In its default configuration, user accounts for the free plan auto-renew to paid $20 top-offs after 400 MB of bandwidth is used. Users can easily switch this feature off. (Set Billing > Billing Settings > Automatic Top Up > Enabled to No.)

Hands on with FreedomPop's free data for your iPad and iPod touch

So where else can FreedomPop earn from its free users? It provides a low-rent data-for-completed-offers program. Sign up for clubs, mailing lists, surveys, etc. and FreedomPop extends your free data with one-time boosts.

Hands on with FreedomPop's free data for your iPad and iPod touch

I honestly think users would probably prefer to pay $5 or $10 a month for the same 500 MB data plan and ensure the company's long-term health than see it try to make a go of it with this kind of low-end "sell your consumer information" approach.

That's because unbundled data is a precious commodity, and one that's hard to find frugal solutions for. Ever since AT&T killed their data feature plans back in April, it's been something that many users have done without.

As a point of comparison, Clear's unlimited data plans cost $35 and $50 for basic home and mobile use. These provide excellent alternatives for the high-end data consumer. It's the low-use, on-the-go consumer, who lives in areas with plentiful Wi-Fi who struggles to find an affordable solution for filling coverage gaps.

Tony Miller, FreedomPop's marketing VP, has given hints that the company will try to build additional revenue streams by adding services like VoIP. I'm not convinced that this will work.

Performance

It's not hard to beat AT&T's 3G (aka "4G") data service if you live in Denver. As you can see from the SpeedTest.net screencap that follows, AT&T's service is just awful. And yes, I live in a supported area.

Hands on with FreedomPop's free data for your iPad and iPod touch

Interestingly enough, I live outside the supported Clear zone. I'm in one of their "partially covered" rather than fully covered locations. (This translates to light green vs dark green on their service map.)

FreedomPop's Clear-powered WiMAX data absolutely smokes AT&T, both at home and around town. Here's a typical test from my iPad, when connected through the Freedom Spot. Be aware that each test consumes a fair portion of your monthly allowance, so you don't want to be running many of these tests unless you're doing a write-up for a blog.

Hands on with FreedomPop's free data for your iPad and iPod touch

Steve Sande, who lives about 10 miles south of me, uses Verizon on his 3G iPad. He regularly sees data numbers equal to or better than these while around Denver. Steve is in the middle of changing his iPhone AT&T service to Verizon for exactly these reasons. I may follow next year, when my current AT&T contract is up.

FreedomPop will be switching from Clear's WiMAX network to Sprint's LTE next year.

Conclusions

As much as I love the budget data FreedomPop is offering, I do have concerns about the company's long-term health. Their low-end Free plan doesn't seem fully thought out to me. If you sign up, keep that in mind.

At the same time, I've developed respect for Clear -- a service I never had an opportunity to test before. A quick Google search revealed mixed experiences with Clear customer support, but after this test, it's a service I'd consider using. I think it might work particularly as an alternative to my current iPhone-as-primary-data-consumer lifestyle, especially now that Apple offers the iPad mini.

I'm holding onto the FreedomPop for a while, to continue testing. Here's hoping the company can make it work. I'm just not convinced it can.

Hands on with FreedomPop's free data for your iPad and iPod touch originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily Update for October 18, 2012

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

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Daily Update for October 18, 2012 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon activated 3.1 million iPhones in Q3 2012

Verizon announced its quarterly earnings today and confirmed that it sold 3.1 million iPhones in Q3 2012. This is up from the 2.7 million units that the carrier sold in the previous quarter and up from the 2 million the carrier sold in the same quarter last year.

During its earnings conference call, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo also said that 21 percent of the iPhones sold in the quarter were compatible the carrier's 4G LTE network. We can interpret this to mean that Verizon sold 651,000 iPhone 5 handsets in the week between when the iPhone went on sale and the quarter closed.

Despite increasing iPhone sales, Verizon still sold more Android handsets in the quarter. The carrier sold 6.8 million smartphones in Q3 2012, of which 3.4 million were of the Android persuasion.

Verizon activated 3.1 million iPhones in Q3 2012 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VZW iPhone 5 WiFi/data fix available, requires reboot

VZW iPhone 5 WiFidata fix available, requires reboot

Since the release of the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, some Verizon customers noticed that their devices were still consuming their expensive cellular data minutes -- even while their iPhones were on a WiFi network. Apple has released a carrier settings update for the Verizon iPhone 5 that resolves the issue.

Carrier settings update 13.1 may be installed by users who have not received notification on their phones by following instructions posted in Apple's support knowledge base. Verizon iPhone 5 users should tap Settings > General > About, and wait for an alert to appear. After tapping OK to install the carrier update, users are instructed to reboot their devices by holding the sleep/wake button down until "Slide to power off" appears, and then use that gesture to power off the iPhone 5.

Once the device has been powered on again, users are instructed to verify that the installation was completed correctly by once again tapping Settings > General > About, and checking Carrier to see if "Verizon 13.1" is installed.

Thanks to @RColwell for the tip.

VZW iPhone 5 WiFi/data fix available, requires reboot originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coverage is a great app to see where LTE is and where it isn’t

As high-speed LTE services roll out across the US, many are wondering when their neighborhood will benefit. The iPhone app Coverage (US$2.99) produces zoomable maps that detail 2G, 3G, 4G and LTE coverage across all four major US cellular providers: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and, for those willing to unlock their iPhones, T-Mobile.

The maps are stored locally, so a data connection isn't necessary. I used it to explore my Arizona neighborhood, the East Coast and West Coast. My first impression is that broad LTE coverage is still restricted to the biggest cities, and Verizon is clearly way out in front. AT&T is significantly behind (though working on it), and Sprint and T-Mobile are barely players. That's likely to change as time goes on, and the app will keep the maps updated.

Gallery: Coverage app for iOS

I think Coverage is most useful in two ways. First, it could help those considering a purchase based on LTE availability. Second, travelers will like to know what to expect at their destination.

Using the overlays and switching one type of coverage on and off, or comparing carrier maps is really helpful.

Coverage runs as a universal app on all iOS devices running iOS 5 or greater and is highly recommended. You can see some example maps in the gallery.

Coverage is a great app to see where LTE is and where it isn't originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U.S. Cable Companies To Trial Streaming Video Games?


OnLive, the company focused on bringing streaming video games to low end PCs and mobile devices, may have gone failed spectacularly after the project went broke, but the dream of cloud gaming is still alive.

In fact, a new cloud gaming platform may be coming from an unlikely source – your cable provider. According to new reports, AT&T, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable are planning to launch a service that delivers video games directly to televisions, bypassing traditional gaming platforms like the PlayStation, the Xbox 360, and the Wii.

Trials of cloud gaming services will start later this year, allowing carriers to test the technology before deployment begins in 2013. Cloud based games from cable companies could be a serious blow to console manufacturers, especially if included as part of a bundle.

This could be a boon or a disaster for mobile gaming. AT&T and Verizon could potentially include streaming to mobile devices in the deal, but the exclusion of tablets like Apple’s iPad may drive people towards television-based gaming.

Of course, it looks like the best model may be to incorporate tablets and smartphones into the gaming – some carriers are exploring the idea of iPads and iPhones as gaming controllers.

“Everybody has a TV,” says Atul Bagga, video-game analyst for Lazard Capital Markets in San Francisco. Everyone is “looking for new ways to monetize their users and gaming can be pretty compelling.”

AT&T, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable aren’t alone in their desire to entice subscribers to shell out even more cash – Comcast and Cox Communications are also in talks to offer video gaming services.

Cable companies may well succeed where OnLive failed – after all, with more than 50 million cable subscribers, there’s a serious captive audience available. Of course, do we really want our cable companies to start bundling video game access? I can only imagine the cost. Many people are already shelling out hundreds of dollars for TV, phone, and Internet bundles. Soon, we’ll be signing over our first born children for our media fix.

Would you purchase cloud gaming access from your cable provider?

[via Bloomberg]

» Related posts: Cox Communications Joins the Ranks of Cable Companies with iPad Apps Verizon Mobile TV Streaming Service in the Works Apple iPad Owners – Major U.S. Cable Companies Officially Join Forces with CableWiFi

Verizon won’t relock the iPhone 5′s GSM

Traveling overseas can be a big problem for US iPhone owners, as most of the iPhones sold in the US are locked to Sprint, AT&T or Verizon. And while those carriers do have data roaming plans, the charges can quickly add up. That's why everyone got so excited when it was revealed that the Verizon iPhone 5's GSM was not locked to the carrier. But soon the question became, what if Verizon decides to relock your iPhone 5 at some point in the future?

According to the AP, Verizon spokesperson Brenda Roney says the company doesn't plan to re-lock iPhone 5s. That's great news for US travelers, and might be the selling point if you're still deciding what carrier to go with. Keep in mind, if you're getting your unlocked Verizon iPhone, you'll still need to sign up for a two-year contract with them.

If you want a truly contract-free unlocked iPhone 5 you must wait a few more months probably. Apple has said they will sell all three sizes of the iPhone 5 unlocked in the US, but they haven't set a release date yet. Last year, the unlocked iPhone 4S became available in late November.

Verizon won't relock the iPhone 5's GSM originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s iPhone 5 ships unlocked, likely thanks to FCC

When the iPhone 5 arrived on doorsteps last week, some Verizon customers were surprised to discover the handset was unlocked on international and US-friendly bands, as iDownloadBlog pointed out. This means customers can sign up for Verizon, stick an AT&T nano SIM in the phone (or chop up a conventional chip) and it'll work out of the box. Granted, it won't connect on the GSM carrier's LTE service, but it will work fine on the older network.

This also means VZW customers can travel overseas and not have to worry about asking Verizon to unlock the phone before they leave. (Traditionally VZW will unlock a phone for customers in good standing after 60 days on contract; unlocking does not absolve you of your two-year contract obligation.)

Earlier models of the iPhone could be unlocked for international use, but not for domestic use on carriers like AT&T or T-Mobile. It's unusual for a carrier to sell a phone that can be easily used on another carrier and polymath Java developer / photographer James Duncan Davidson did some digging to find out why Verizon is now offering the iPhone in an unlocked state.

He tracked down, via Howard Forums, the notion that federal regulations apparently require Verizon (using the 700 Mhz Upper C block of spectrum) to sell the LTE iPhone unlocked. The forum thread points to Title 47, Part 27, Subpart B, Section 27.16 of the Code of Federal Regulations which says:

(e) Handset locking prohibited. No licensee may disable features on handsets it provides to customers, to the extent such features are compliant with the licensee's standards pursuant to paragraph (b)of this section, nor configure handsets it provides to prohibit use of such handsets on other providers' networks.

This wording appears to prohibit Verizon -- the auction winner for the relevant chunk of radio spectrum, which was used for analog UHF television channels until February of 2009 -- from selling the LTE iPhone carrier-locked. There are still some unanswered questions; this doesn't explain why Verizon sells its Android LTE phones locked to its network, for instance.

The implications of these spectrum rules were discussed back at the time of the auction for the spectrum block. This Susan Crawford post, from 2008, notes the rules but also points out that Verizon would be able to claim exceptions for "reasonable network management and protection" and regulatory compliance requirements.

Regardless of the reason why the Verizon iPhone is unlocked, it's an important feature for people to consider when they are shopping for an iPhone, especially if you travel or see yourself switching carriers in the near future. Of course, customers are still under contract with Verizon if they buy the iPhone at a subsidized price, but the convenience of having an unlocked phone may be worth the cost of a two-year customer agreement.

Verizon's iPhone 5 ships unlocked, likely thanks to FCC originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily Update for September 13, 2012

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Subscribe via RSS

Note: Because of technical difficulties with Castfire, the Sept. 12 Daily Update wasn't published until a few hours ago. You can listen to our recap of the iPhone 5 announcement here.

Daily Update for September 13, 2012 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 04:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switching to Verizon: Tips from our readers

With the iPhone 5 on the way and as AT&T wobbles about FaceTime, many of our US-based readers are thinking about upgrades and carrier changes. Verizon has stated FaceTime will work across its plans.

You can check your AT&T upgrade eligibility by dialing *NEW# (that's *639#) to request a free text with your eligibility status. The phone will display "Thank you, your request is being processed. A message will be sent to your phone." Expect a text within a few minutes.

If you bought a day one iPhone 4S, your upgrade-pricing will likely kick in on May 8, 2013.

Other readers are considering the jump to new carriers. TUAW reader Bill Burgess made his switch after the 4S debuted. Verizon ported him over the same day, and AT&T just billed his last month and early termination fee.

AT&T's ETF for a two-year iPhone contract is $325, with a $10 deduction for each in-plan month. A quick Google will return any number of online ETF apps for you to calculate your current commitment.

TUAW readers Patrick McCarron and Jeffrey Vargas point out that Verizon has a 14-day return window. This allows you to delay porting your number, meaning you can test the service before switching fully.

Chris Kapusta adds, "If you're not one to just jump in the water before checking for sharks, you can have Verizon assign a new number, and once you're satisfied with the service, port your AT&T line at a later date. There should not be a charge for doing this."

He points out that you should not cancel your AT&T service directly. Allow it to switch over automatically as part of your port. "If you cancel before the port is done, your number is gone forever."

He suggests you make sure you know your AT&T billing password, and ensure that your contact information is up to date. This information must match what you give to Verizon, or the port will fail. Luckily, Verizon (and most carriers) offer a dedicated porting support team. If something does go wrong along the way, they have experts that can help.

K2 Kevin points out that you should make sure to check coverage in your area. Most carriers offer coverage location tools. Here are AT&T's and Verizon's. Kevin points out snarkily that, of course, whatever area is not covered is likely where you're moving to for the next two years.

Chris de Jabet over at Techese offers a great write-up about pre-ordering an iPhone 5 while switching to Verizon. Go check it out.

Switching to Verizon: Tips from our readers originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon to permit cellular FaceTime across all plans for iPhone 5

Verizon to permit cellular FaceTime across all plans for iPhone 5Here's good news for Verizon Wireless customers with an iPhone 5. The company has announced that it will permit FaceTime calls over its network across all plans. In a recent press release, Verizon said, "Customers wanting to use FaceTime on their iPhone 5 can do so using any Verizon Wireless data plan allowance."

Good news! Now you can have Jr. tell grandma about the home run he hit right from the field.

Verizon to permit cellular FaceTime across all plans for iPhone 5 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon Plans to Offer Cellular FaceTime to All Customers, Unlike AT&T


VerizonAT&T may not be planning to offer all of its users FaceTime over cellular, but Verizon, hoping to get a leg up on the competition, will allow all of its iPhone customers to access FaceTime with 3G and 4G without an additional charge.

As you may remember, AT&T announced that while it did plan to offer cellular FaceTime, a feature coming in iOS 6, to its shared data users, its regular users would not be able to access the service.

According to a company spokeswoman, all Verizon users will be able to use FaceTime, which is a data intensive application, without paying extra.

Of course, it’s not all sunshine and roses over at Verizon. If you upgrade to the new iPhone, with its 4G connectivity, you will be forced to accept a new data plan, giving up any grandfathered unlimited data plans in the process.

AT&T is allowing its grandfathered customers to update their plans to 4G with no additional cost, but those users won’t be able to access cellular FaceTime.

Neither option is great for loyal iPhone users. Those of us with AT&T can keep our unlimited plans from years past without being able to use the new FaceTime feature, while those of us with with Verizon can access FaceTime over cellular, at the cost of the grandfathered data plans.

No one gets to have it all, it seems.

Oh, wait. We still Sprint have! Sprint plans to offer both unlimited data and unfettered access to cellular FaceTime, making it the sweetest carrier of the bunch at the moment. The caveat? No 4G network.

Will you switch carriers because of 3G/4G FaceTime? What do you think of the AT&T and Verizon data plans?

» Related posts: AT&T Limits FaceTime Over Cellular to Customers with Data Share Plans Concerns About FaceTime Over Cellular. Will You Max Out Your Data Limits? FaceTime Not Supported Over LTE on New iPad