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Alaska 4G data device type support, phones with 4G included?

Today is the big day; VZW officially fired up 4G data in AK yet aside from a couple of blips over the past year logged on my phone which I assume were testing, the phone isn't indicating the presence of 4G data. Is the 4G access limited to non-telephone devices until the roll-out of voice services?

Comments

Verizon_Support

Hello and happy Sunday Tundra_Wookie,

Today is certainly an exciting day. The release of 4G in Alaska is definitely worth a celebration. The great news is that 4G is not limited to non-telephone devices. So you can enjoy the blazin' fast speed of our 4G network on your smartphone, 4G tablet, and your mifi device. Here's a link on our 4G coverage map, http://bit.ly/xVecuo

Thank you...

ArnettH_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

Tundra_Wookie

That conflicts with information I received on a (long) call to VZW Technical Support. According to the information I received, the service in Alaska is data only at this point in time with no plans to provide voice service until mid-late 2014. The net effect is that tablets, hotspots and other data-only devices will operate on the newly enabled LTE data network, but telephones are relegated to roaming 3G on the incumbent LEC's network. The vague but plausible reason I was given is that a phone can only associate with one network/tower at once.

Net effect: VZW phones in AK will continue to roam on ACS's network.

Ann154

That's not what the VZW rep said. You can access the 4G LTE data network on any device capable of handling the network including smartphones. The voice network isn't on the 4G LTE network yet so you are still roaming on the partner carrier for voice calls.

jfailing

This also means you still can't activate a Verizon smart-phone. I learned this the hard way...

stmbt2000

I spent seven hours over a four day period with different Verizon people and could not activate my new iPhone in Alaska. Most of them did not even know it was an issue including the guy I ordered the phone from. I finally gave up and mailed my phone to the lower 48 to have a friend activate it

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