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Verizon Warns Its Last 3G Customers to Upgrade Before Losing Service (fiercewireless.com) 101

Fierce Wireless reports: Verizon is telling customers that if they're still using a 3G CDMA or 4G (non-VoLTE) phone that does not support its newer network technologies, "your line will be suspended without billing and will lose the ability to call, text, or use data."

Verizon is the last of the Big 3 wireless carriers in the U.S. to shut down a 3G network and repurpose the spectrum for newer technology. AT&T was first, shutting its 3G network down in February. T-Mobile's shuttered its 3G network over the summer.... Verizon has been working with customers — both consumers and businesses — since 2016 to ensure customers have "every opportunity" to get a device that uses either 4G or 5G, including direct outreach to customers and even sending some customers updated devices proactively, according to Karen Schulz of Verizon's Global Network & Technology Communications team.

Indeed, the company initially said it was closing its 3G network in 2019. Then they extended it to the end of 2020 and finally, to the end of 2022. In March 2021, Verizon made it clear they were sticking with the 2022 end date and advised customers still accessing the 3G network that they may experience a degradation or complete loss of service.

"Even after that, until the day before their February billing cycle, they'll still be able to use the phones for two things: calling 911 and Verizon customer service," reports the Verge: While 3G will still exist in other countries for quite a few more years, Verizon's deadline is pretty much the end of the line for it here in the US. The tech hasn't gone gentle into that good night; carriers delayed their shutdowns several times, there were tiffs between Dish and T-Mobile, and you can't just turn a network that had been around for years off without things starting to break. (Some notable examples: some connected cars and trucks have been pushed offline, as have parking meters and older Kindles. AT&T's shutdown was even blamed for delays in reporting voting results in Michigan this year.)

Part of the reason carriers are decommissioning their networks is to help build their new ones. As we saw earlier this month, T-Mobile's latest and greatest 5G tech makes use of spectrum that was once part of its 3G network.

The Verge's conclusion? "Spare a thought for the tech that helped build the mobile-first world we live in; even if this ends up being the last time you ever think about it."
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Verizon Warns Its Last 3G Customers to Upgrade Before Losing Service

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  • Exactly what aspects of 3G mobile protocols are we supposed to think about when we spare this hypothetical thought, except for the fact that they're finally being retired in the US in favor of more spectrally efficient ones?

    • It is best to never become emotionally attached to a communications protocol.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward
        [NO CARRIER]
    • by dfghjk ( 711126 )

      And it's the Verge, there are no thoughts to spare.

    • All those car surveillance "services" will presumably go dark...

    • by slazzy ( 864185 )
      3G still seems to offer much longer range than 4G does, while the towers in my area area all shared locations (3G/4G/5G) I get an extra few miles of service once it drops down to 3G.
      • 3G still seems to offer much longer range than 4G does, while the towers in my area area all shared locations (3G/4G/5G) I get an extra few miles of service once it drops down to 3G.

        That's probably due to the frequency and the position of the antennas at the top of the tower, not due to the protocol. Which is a big part of the reason for shutting it down. Once those 3G antennas are removed they can be replaced with 5G antennas that will provide more/faster capacity using the frequencies and antenna positions that are currently being used inefficiently by old 3G hardware.

        • No, this isn't right, at least in the US.

          In most cases, all carrier antennas are on the same rack. So if Verizon is on the top rack of the tower, then ALL of Verizon's gear is on that top rack, so the height is the same. There are certain towers, specifically the "stealth" ones made to look like ridiculously huge flag poles, where that's not the case, but the vast majority of cases do have the antennas at the same height. In many cases, the same antennas are being used for 3G and LTE, and sometimes also

    • Mobile air interfaces come out about once every ten years, and carriers tend to keep two air interfaces running at once. It was EDGE and UMTS, then UMTS and LTE, and now LTE and 5G NR. Because the life of both patents and air interfaces is 20 years, this means it'll never be legal to manufacture a device that can operate on licensed cellular networks without agreeing to a royalty-bearing license.

  • by ClueHammer ( 6261830 ) on Monday January 02, 2023 @08:05AM (#63173792)
    "Ill worry about that tomorrow", and when it stops working, "you should have told us!"
    • by Tony Isaac ( 1301187 ) on Monday January 02, 2023 @09:25AM (#63173920) Homepage

      Not only are they "telling" people, they are literally sending them free replacement flip phones, unsolicited. These phones operate a lot like the old ones, but work with the new cellular technology.

      My in-laws held out until December, when the letters from Verizon became more insistent. We thought they were going to hold out until the phones stopped working, but the letters did get their attention, and they finally gave in. But you're right, there will be a few who don't. Sorry, not sorry.

      • by NFN_NLN ( 633283 )

        I'm surprised there are actual "phone" holdouts as the batteries die, newer models are better and it's easy enough to replace a phone. I would expect hold outs in alarm systems, dishes, backup call home, etc that are proprietary and harder to replace. I noticed they even mentioned voting machines in the summary.

        • Unlike smartphones, flip phones don't carry over your contact list, text messages, and other settings when you get a new phone. It can be a real pain to set everything up on a new phone.

          • Also, a new phone is probably more expensive than a new battery for an old phone - especialy since replacing the battery in an old phone takes less than a minute.

            • Flip phones (the subject here, since smart phones aren't the ones being left behind by 3G) cost only about $20.

              https://www.walmart.com/browse... [walmart.com]

              It's hard to imagine a battery costing less than that.

              • I can get a BL-5C (for Nokia 1100) for ~5EUR, a BP-4L (for Nokia E90 communicator) for ~10EUR.and a BP-6MT (for Nokia E51) also for ~10EUR.

                Where I live, at least one provider has shut off 3G (UMTS), but left 2G (GSM/EDGE) on, so those phones can be used.

                It would make sense that a battery would be cheaper than a battery with the rest of the phone attached.

              • by Reziac ( 43301 ) *

                Spare battery for my old Samsung flip cost the princely sum of five dollars.

                The phone itself cost $12 (locked to Verizon) and provided 10 years of good service.

                I now have a TCL (because that's what was available in a sub-$100 unlocked 4G flip) and by comparison, it's crap. However, it seems to be better than the reviews I've seen on the Nokia flip. At $280, a Kyocera flip is a bit out of my price range.

          • by Reziac ( 43301 ) *

            Neither does your smartphone if you don't have it synced. We had hell's own time getting a damned iPhone to agree that a contact list existed; apparently it can't be done without going through an Apple or Google account.

            On my old flip, it imported everything from the previous phone via bluetooth.

            On my new flipphone, which is dumber than a rock (and bluetooth doesn't work), I copied my exported contact list to internal storage via USB, navigated to the file, and opened it. Voila, contacts imported.

      • by Reziac ( 43301 ) *

        I know AT&T provided free replacement 4G flip phones, but far as I ever saw, and I was a longtime Verizon prepaid customer on a 3G flip, Verizon did no such thing (maybe in limited markets, but I got no such offer, even after I complained about the lack to Verizon, several times).

        And Verizon actually made the service worthless back in July, when the prepaid 3G accounts were converted to one that was $5 per 20 minutes.

        I went round and round with Verizon trying to upgrade the phone and continue service wi

        • Yes, prepaid is a different animal. I'm not surprised that they didn't provide you with a replacement.

          I always buy my phones unlocked, then use them with a prepaid service. Currently I'm really liking AT&T's prepaid service. Good coverage, $30 a month, rollover data, good voicemail app with free transcription . I'm not going back to Verizon prepaid.

          • by Reziac ( 43301 ) *

            Yeah, that was Verizon's excuse (depending who you talked to -- local stores, online support, and phone support have never met). From what I heard, AT&T didn't differentiate, they just made it easy to keep their customers.

  • I live in a rural area and my phone often says it"s connected to a 3G network. Does this mean those areas will no longer have cell service.

    • I live in a rural area and my phone often says it"s connected to a 3G network. Does this mean those areas will no longer have cell service.

      It depends on who the towers you're connecting to belong to. There are some apps that will tell you that, e.g. [google.com] (did not test) ... phones used to just tell you this stuff

    • I live in a rural area and my phone often says it"s connected to a 3G network. Does this mean those areas will no longer have cell service.

      As TFS says, the frequencies (and the cell sites) wil be repurposed for 4G or 5G, so, after a small disruption* those sites will go 4G VoLTE or 5G VoNR

      * The MultiMIMO 4G antena pannels and the 5G MassiveMIMO antena pannels are huge compared to antena pannels for the same frequencies in 2G and 3G, therefore, one has to dismount the old antenas before putting in the new ones, even if the rest of the equipment is already installed inside the shelter.

    • I live in a rural area and my phone often says it"s connected to a 3G network. Does this mean those areas will no longer have cell service.

      What you phone is telling you is about as valid as the number of bars that it reports as "reception quality".

      It gives the user a warm fuzzy feeling that is comparable to peeing your pants in public.

    • by antdude ( 79039 )

      I wished iOS could do it, but Apple locked that down. :(

  • by pvt_medic ( 715692 ) on Monday January 02, 2023 @08:50AM (#63173850)
    I am amazed at how many new cars, less than 5 years old, including some 2021 models are listed as having 3G. I be pissed if my 3 year old car lost connectivity
    • by Errol backfiring ( 1280012 ) on Monday January 02, 2023 @09:09AM (#63173888) Journal
      Why? It means that it will finally belong to you.
    • I am amazed at how many new cars, less than 5 years old, including some 2021 models are listed as having 3G. I be pissed if my 3 year old car lost connectivity

      Go to your dealer, maybe they can swap the 3G modem module of your car to a 4G or 5G module, or, failing that, they can help you move to some regional carrier that still supports 3G in your area.

      Partial list here:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

      • by Osgeld ( 1900440 )

        LOL yea no one's making a 5g modem for a 5 year old Nissan get real

        • Imagine a fifteen year old Nissan, which should be a reasonable longevity for a new car. Say it was 1xRTT by today's standards.

          Getting factory electronics is a disastrous proposition these days.

          My decade old Honda has a bluetooth stereo that takes 90 seconds to pair with any of my phones.

          My plow truck has a $29 Walmart head from 2020 which pairs within three seconds of ignition. The Honda formfactor is impossibly non-DIN so it's thay or an aux input. Thank goodness I didn't wind up with the TomTom version

        • Why not if there is a market? There’s millions of Nissans.

          • by Osgeld ( 1900440 )

            that's not the market, the only obvious solution is to buy a new Nissan, not like your transmission is going to last that long anyway, that's why they make them disposable

            • by butlerm ( 3112 )

              With my last Nissan it was probably easier to change the transmission than the headlight bulbs, so that doesn't sound surprising. At some point Nissan started to produce junk and it has all been downhill from there - or at least I will never buy one again.

            • You can replace transmission too, besides how are you mistreating your transmission to kill it in 5 years?

              • by Osgeld ( 1900440 )

                oh you must have never heard of the famous Nissan CVT's which have an average lifespan of 60K miles

    • 3G only or 4G with 3G support and/or fallback mode?

      The latter I found pretty common but yeah, if a new car is 3G only thats pretty egregious

    • including some 2021 models are listed as having 3G.

      I'm wondering how much of that is just useless marketing and whether they actually have 3G connectivity or they just substituted a friendly name for "cellular connectivity".

      That said this seems like a very American problem. Several manufacturers are on the record saying that the features present in the USA cars are not present in the same models internationally. Incidentally the article I read about it showed a lovely "SOS" button in a car. I've never seen one.

    • Tesla switched from 3G to 4G in May of 2015. Older cars could be upgraded at customer expense for $200 at that time. I don't know if they changed that when the network shut down (AT&T, so back in February), as I got one of the very first with 4G, and I expect many owners paid for the upgrade already. I use the network on my Tesla constantly, as I expect most owners do.

      Meanwhile the Nissan Leaf switched from 2G to 3G in the 2016 model and 4G in 2019 (if my searching gave the right info). I had a used

    • I'd be pissed that my car has cellular connectivity in the first place.

    • You shouldn't be. The automotive manufacturing industry drags its technological heels at a notoriously glacial pace. These are the dullards to whom putting fins/chrome/vinyl/fake-wood-panels on a car counts as a year-over-year "improvement." In fact... there are STILL makes, models, and trim levels out there on which even CarPlay and Android Auto are not yet available. Hell, if I didn't know for a fact that they'd already been dragged... kicking and screaming all the way... this far; I wouldn't be surpris

    • Yeah I was sad and disconnected when the factory stock AM radio in my rusted out Ford Gran Torino died.

  • 5G (Score:2, Insightful)

    They want to force everyone to 5G. There are still huge rural areas in the MIdwest where you cannot get any service at all. The phone companies lie in their teeth to the government about how good their coverage is. This is all in aid of providing services that they can charge extra for.
    • Re:5G (Score:5, Funny)

      by arglebargle_xiv ( 2212710 ) on Monday January 02, 2023 @09:11AM (#63173892)

      They want to force everyone to 5G.

      They already have, what do you think all that vaccination stuff was about? Next thing you'll experience is a craving to install Windows 11 over the top of your Linux desktop.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by williamyf ( 227051 )

      They want to force everyone to 5G. There are still huge rural areas in the MIdwest where you cannot get any service at all. The phone companies lie in their teeth to the government about how good their coverage is. This is all in aid of providing services that they can charge extra for.

      This is false, as both TFS and TFA say, you can still use a 4G phone, as long as said 4G phone supports VoLTE, so no "forcing everyone to 5G".

      If you are so desperate to cling to 2G or 3G, or you want service in rural areas, you can move to a regional carrier that still offers it, like C-Spire, US-Cellular, Celluar One.

      there is life beyond AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

      A list is here:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

      • by Xenx ( 2211586 )

        If you are so desperate to cling to 2G or 3G, or you want service in rural areas, you can move to a regional carrier that still offers it,

        No, you can't. At the very least, the three you named shutdown(or are in the process) 3g. Out of the ~10 I checked, only one wasn't shutting down 3g.

        • Most cellular companies are moving away from 3G so that it will be the exception not the norm in the next few years. 3G was first available 2001 so we are talking about 20 year old equipment that cellular companies have to maintain.
          • by tepples ( 727027 )

            so we are talking about 20 year old equipment

            In other words, they shut it down just as the patent expires to make people buy patented replacement devices.

      • Move - that's market forces the red states are so passionate about,
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • Also, 4G will be available for a while. Probably at least the next decade, maybe two, after all, current 5G standards build upon 4G, they're not the ground up overhauls that 2/3G to 4G was.

        They don't just build upon them they use the same modulation.

      • Probably at least the next decade, maybe two, after all, current 5G standards build upon 4G, they're not the ground up overhauls that 2/3G to 4G was.

        4G LTE is Long Term Evolution of 3G pretty much. Also EHSPA which is an Evolved version of High Speed Packet Access, a distinctly 3G flavoured piece of tech.

    • I'm confused. If there are large areas of the Midwest that cannot get any service at all, how will removing 3G affect that. Also Verizon is not removing 4G LTE which covers the Midwest.
      • Because they are busy installing 5G instead of providing service where they are supposed to at 3G or 4G levels. Given the density of equipment required to support 5G, I doubt if it will ever be available outside of major metropolitan areas until we go full satellite link.
        • Because they are busy installing 5G instead of providing service where they are supposed to at 3G or 4G levels.

          What do you mean "supposed"? Either the network is 3G, 4G, or 5G. Also 4G LTE is not going away.

          • Because they are busy installing 5G instead of providing service where they are supposed to at 3G or 4G levels.

            What do you mean "supposed"?

            Probably "what they claim they have deployed" since we all know coverage maps are dirty lies.

        • Almost as if critical infrastructure should not be profit driven.

    • They want to force everyone to 5G.

      No. They want to force everyone off 3G. You can use several other technologies instead, including multiple generations of 4G.

  • After all, a non-VoLTE 4G phone can browse the internet, do OTT voice and video calls, either using propiertary Apps or SIP. All that brings revenue to the operator.

    The only reason I can think of for suspending the lines of people with non-VoLTE phones is nomething regulatory, either with 911 access, or with compliance with contractual terms (your contract says you have both voice and data)...

    If slashdoters can think of any other, please let me know.

    • I want to say (and i definitely could be remembering wrong) but that style of phone was from an era when 4G did not do all the cellular stationkeeping so it used the 3G side not just for voice but some other functions as well.

      Also even if that were not the case it's a weird spot and probably unpredictable to just shut off some of a customers service and leave other aspects up, will generate a weird grey billing area, probably a few customer service calls or visits, it just makes a mess. I can understand ju

    • The only reason I can think of for suspending the lines of people with non-VoLTE phones is nomething regulatory, either with 911 access, or with compliance with contractual terms (your contract says you have both voice and data)...

      Not just those with non-VoLTE phones. There were a lot of people with newer 4G VoLTE phones being kicked as well.

    • Itâ(TM)s simple. They get to retire the 3G equipment, software, maintenance contracts and of course, refarm spectrum. That stuff is *incredibly* expensive. Huge cost savings to be had, and of course refarming the spectrum to 4G and 5G adds sorely needed capacity on those networks.

      Itâ(TM)s a net positive for everyone, unless your name is Nokia or Qualcomm.

  • some connected cars and trucks have been pushed offline

    If I was buying a used vehicle, the sunsetting of 3G would save me the trouble of ripping the cellular crap out of the car. Just sayin'...

    On a similar note, I have to wonder how many 3G-connected vehicles out there are still on-lease. The lessors may lose the ability to brick the vehicles for non-payment.

  • by WaffleMonster ( 969671 ) on Monday January 02, 2023 @10:09AM (#63173982)

    Was forced to abandon a modern high end phone I had for less than year which of course supported LTE / VoLTE over the 3G shutdowns. In the US it isn't just like there is an industry standard devices need to support. Each carrier is going around requiring each vendor to capitulate to their demands or no VoLTE for you effectively preventing the device from working on the carriers network.

    LTE has been around for a while and VoLTE is just software. A lot of people were fucked over by this that didn't need to be. One thing I wonder about is what happens to international travelers to the US? Do their phones stop working once the 3G provider of last resort disappears or do the lawyers make the artificial restrictions go away due to liability issues from artificially preventing emergency calls..etc?

    • Was forced to abandon a modern high end phone I had for less than year which of course supported LTE / VoLTE over the 3G shutdowns.

      And when was this and what phone were you using? Most of the major carriers announced well ahead of time that 3G was shutting in 2022 and Verizon was the last of the big 3.

      In the US it isn't just like there is an industry standard devices need to support.

      Yes. 3G was first available in 2001 and I am not aware that there is an industry standard to support technology from 20 years ago indefinitely as I do not expect video card manufacturers to keep making AGP (1997) cards.

      Each carrier is going around requiring each vendor to capitulate to their demands or no VoLTE for you effectively preventing the device from working on the carriers network

      What are you talking about when you talk about "capitulate"? The entire industry has moved on from 1G to 2G to 3G to 4G

      • And when was this and what phone were you using? Most of the major carriers announced well ahead of time that 3G was shutting in 2022 and Verizon was the last of the big 3.

        It was a high end Asus Android phone released in 2019 with 6GB ram, LTE, Full HD HDR display..etc.

        Nobody announced modern high end 4G phones with VoLTE would stop working because US carriers simply refuse to whitelist them.

        In the US it isn't just like there is an industry standard devices need to support. Each carrier is going around requiring each vendor to capitulate to their demands or no VoLTE for you effectively preventing the device from working on the carriers network.

        Yes. 3G was first available in 2001 and I am not aware that there is an industry standard to support technology from 20 years ago indefinitely

        You misunderstand. The problem is carriers are whitelisting devices instead of relying on interoperable standards. My commentary has nothing to do with 3G.

        as I do not expect video card manufacturers to keep making AGP (1997) cards.

        Imagine getting a newly released video card and plugging it into your 2 year old motherboard only to have the video card not work no

        • It was a high end Asus Android phone released in 2019 with 6GB ram, LTE, Full HD HDR display..etc .Nobody announced modern high end 4G phones with VoLTE would stop working because US carriers simply refuse to whitelist them.

          I assume your phone was the ZenFone 6 based on the description and whose hardware is generally incompatible with most of the world [kimovil.com] especially since there are multiple hardware revisions. It was compatible with T-mobile 4G LTE [xda-developers.com] only after a software update.

          You misunderstand. The problem is carriers are whitelisting devices instead of relying on interoperable standards. My commentary has nothing to do with 3G.

          No the real problem is not all phones support all frequencies and bands. There are standards but your phone simply did not support most of them. The best version of the hardware supported less than half the frequencies. A Samsung Galaxy S10 [kimovil.com] is an Android p

          • No the real problem is not all phones support all frequencies and bands. There are standards but your phone simply did not support most of them. The best version of the hardware supported less than half the frequencies

            The problem isn't bands. As I said the phone worked fine on 4G LTE for a year. What caused it to stop working the carriers refusal to allow VoLTE to work because the device was not explicitly whitelisted. Without VoLTE phones have to fallback to 3G to complete calls.

            Did you check the frequencies the ZenFone 6 supported before you bought it?

            Of course.

            • The problem isn't bands. As I said the phone worked fine on 4G LTE for a year. What caused it to stop working the carriers refusal to allow VoLTE to work because the device was not explicitly whitelisted. Without VoLTE phones have to fallback to 3G to complete calls.

              The chart says otherwise. Your phone worked fine on the 4G network for a year but you assumed it was the 4G LTE network. What is more likely? 1) All those phones in all those countries refused to "whitelist" your specific model of phone for 4G LTE or 2) It never worked but you assumed it worked.

              • The chart says otherwise.

                You are incorrect.

                US Carriers are in fact explicitly whitelisting specific devices allowed to use VoLTE. Even if a device supports VoLTE if it isn't on their whitelist the phone will not be able to complete calls and the carrier won't allow it to be used.

                Your phone worked fine on the 4G network for a year but you assumed it was the 4G LTE network.

                I don't fucking assume anything I looked at the little indicator at the top of the little display that reads "LTE" .. When I make phones calls the little indicator switches to "4G" which really means it's switching to 3G to complete the call via baseband a

        • by Reziac ( 43301 ) *

          VoLTE is one of Ting's requirements (as of last month, anyway). Your phone should still work with Ting. ($10/mo for unlimited talk; I don't use the phone as a PC but they have data tiers too.)

      • Yes. 3G was first available in 2001 and I am not aware that there is an industry standard to support technology from 20 years ago indefinitely

        That's bullshit man.

        4G was only released in limited areas in 2010 in the US, with significant coverage following later.

        3G stuff which was state of the art in practice if you wanted to be able to actually use it most places was probably superseded a decade ago maybe less.

        For phones, who cares. For equipment, a 10 year support window isn't very long.

        • For phones, who cares. For equipment, a 10 year support window isn't very long.

          Please show where in the industry standard where they are obliged to support 10 year old technology forever especially 10 year old phones are definitely old of warranty by now.

          • The fuck?

            I said it's bullshit that support is 10 or possibly sub 10 years. Your response is to ask where someone is forced by law to support for longer. That's a non sequitur. Being legally allowed doesn't make it less bullshit.

            The 10 year window forces obsolescence of hardware. It's legal, but crap. Lots of hardware lasts a lot longer than 10 years. Not all hardware is disposable phones, and not all hardware has replaceable modems. It's basically unprecedented that major national bits of infrastructure get

      • I am not aware that there is an industry standard to support technology from 20 years ago indefinitely

        I don't see device makers rushing to drop support for MP3 audio playback once MP3's essential patents expired in May 2017 [slashdot.org] after 20 years.

    • Help me I can't find a single store that will sell me whale oil for my lamps anymore! How will I ever illuminate my home after dark?

      • Help me I can't find a single store that will sell me whale oil for my lamps anymore! How will I ever illuminate my home after dark?

        Good fucking grief is it too fucking much to ask people to bother to read before posting?

        I had a Asus phone first released in the middle of fucking 2019. 6GB ram, LTE, Full HD HDR display..etc. Had it phone for less than a year on 4G LTE before I was forced to ditch it and get another one over the 3G shutdown. If the phone isn't in the carriers explicit whitelist no VoLTE for you.

  • by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 ) on Monday January 02, 2023 @10:24AM (#63174010)

    I remember getting the first email from Verizon about a 3G sunset and yeah, that was during the Obama admin.

    Our company had around 200 3G data modems across the country, we had made plans to swap but even by that time they had pushed the date back. Around 2017/2018 our VZW rep said it was "for super real this time" and we actually did the investment to LTE.

    Of course the 3G date came and went by that point and yes the investment and time it took to replace all those devices was a bit painful but in the end the service was way significantly better (and cheaper even!), even on a CAT1 level LTE device. Better bandwidth, line stability and even service where we had flaky 3G areas where we had to use longer antennas and boosters worked better under LTE.

  • At my company we have several employees that are using a OnePlus 7 pro. Back when we bought them, Verizon couldn't figure out how to add them to their network so their database still says we had older phones in use. They disabled all of those lines last Tuesday and still haven't managed to turn them back on because their system is still so broken that they can't change them over. Currently we're stuck waiting for them to mail new sim cards that will maybe fix the problem.

    We get 0 compensation for having all

    • I have never gotten a phone from Verizon that they did not have in their database. EVER

      I have even talked to a few Verizon employees that test out the "latest & greatest" devices as their "daily driver phone" before the general public can even buy those devices.

      That means those phone models are already loaded in the database so the internal systems can properly provision the device in the network.

      So you are either a VERY LUCKY PERSON that should have bought lottery tickets instead of phones...or you ar

      • I have never gotten a phone from Verizon

        Neither have I.

        A lot of cellular subscribers don't buy their phones from the carrier. Instead, they buy an unlocked phone from an electronics store or from the manufacturer and request a SIM kit from the carrier.

  • An 80 yo friend was given a free replacement flip phone by Verizon, but it's cheaply made and Verizon have him no other options. Anybody know of a VoLTE, solid build and sound quality flip phone that works with Verizon?

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