Austin, Texas LTE...or lack thereof

[TBhouston]

it is because austin is mostly hipers with their old iphones!

[Morningwalker]

Very well written Zilkerparke, and I like the way you've expressed yourself . I live in the state of Delaware and about 1 mile from a full service Verizon Outlet. I get great service while in the store and excellent 4G connectivity. But once I leave the store, 4G on my phone is virtually non-existent. I have not figure that out and neither has Verizon.

They advertised the Thunderbolt as being on the fastest network 4G LTE, but they never mention that you can never find it, get on it, or stay connected to it in my area. Of course, unless your in their store

[Morningwalker]

Very well written Zilkerparke, and I like the way you've expressed yourself . I live in the state of Delaware and about 1 mile from a full service Verizon Outlet. I get great service while in the store and excellent 4G connectivity. But once I leave the store, 4G on my phone is virtually non-existent. I have not figure that out and neither has Verizon.

They advertised the Thunderbolt as being on the fastest network 4G LTE, but they never mention that you can never find it, get on it, or stay connected to it in my area. Of course, unless your in their store

[puppylady]

I'm frustrated with Verizon 4G in Austin as well.  I was "sold" on a Thunderbolt because my house is in a 4G area.  When i couldn't get 4G I called tech support and he said the only place in Austin it is guaranteed is the airport and it won't be here until 2014!  After communicating my extreme disappointment with Verizon I was told to purchase a different phone, at my cost.  They totally didn't understand that their coverage map is misleading and if it is only available at the airport, it needs to say it is only available at the airport.  And they didn't understand that selling 4G devices in Austin without the disclaimer that Temple, Killeen, College Station, El Paso etc will have 4g this year, but Austin won't until 2014 is misleading and almost deceptive.  The sales people and coverage map need to be corrected and say the same thing tech support is telling customers AFTER they buy the devices and can't use them.  I've been a Verizon customer since they took over Primeco and have never been so totally disappointed, manipulated, and used as I have been over the 4G deception they have going on in Austin right now.  And Verizon doesn't get it.  Just hoping I get 4G before I replace the phone in 2013.  At this point it was a waste of money! Hoping it becomes useful before my contract expires.

[TBhouston]

---

puppylady wrote:

 At this point it was a waste of money! Hoping it becomes useful before my contract expires.

---

It is still a powerful device on a 3g network

I think you are over stating the value of 4g to be dramatic..

[puppylady]

I was getting 3G with my old droid, doing fine.  I specifically purchased the Thunderbolt to get 4G since the map showed I should be able to get it.  Had I been told the map was wrong, and I would not get 4G for 2 more years, I would not have purchased the Thunderbolt when I did.  Yes its a nice phone, but I bought it for one reason only ... 4G reception the map said I would get.  I just want the Verizon salespeople, coverage maps and tech support to all say the same thing, and say the correct thing, and not mislead people into 4G when they won't provide it in Austin for 2 more years ( except at the airport, according to tech support). 

[ColonelSeitan]

I had a representative totally convince me to get 4G in the Austin store the other day, and she made it sound like I'd be buzzing with high-speed as soon as I got one. Alas, I've been stuck in 3G purgatory ever since I got the phone. I was worried after reading this post, thinking why in the hell did I get a 4G phone if I won't get to use the tech for years.

Then I went back in and was told by another rep that they'd heard Austin might be hooked up with 4G by August, but at least by the end of the year.

So to verify, I called up support tonight and just got off the phone with one of the 4g tech support folks and they said that Austin should at the least be covered by the end of the year, that it's definitely on their list.

So that was a little more reassuring, wanted to let you guys know.

[gabemcg]

In my view the way VZW is rolling out in TX makes sense from a business perspective (although it is frustrating to customers).

With the recent addition of the iPhone 4 to their device lineup, and the likely announcment of a LTE iPhone 5 this year, their existing 3G network has to be seeing additional stress, especially in tech minded cities like Austin.

They know that when it does hit, LTE is going to be HUGE in ATX, and thus an even bigger strain on both the 3G/4G network. If they don't roll out carefully they risk a lot of bad PR. Just look at ATT's problems, and the bad word of mouth surrounding Sprint/Clear WiMax's actual speeds in the area.

By picking smaller markets they gain the ability to test and perfect their new technology instead of making a big, risky play in Austin. Not to mention the longer they make people wait, especially with their friends in College Station, Galveston, San Antonio, and DFW bragging about their LTE speeds, the more people are going to want it.

Major metro area roll outs have to be a lot harder than smaller markets, and personally I'd rather see them take the time to do it right than be promised something they aren't ready to deliver. 

[willzzz99]

At this stage I bet AT&T will have LTE between I-35 of Austin & DFW.

VZW DID YOU KNOW THAT Dell's (Fortune 500) global corporate campus is located in Round Rock, TX?

How about putting LTE into the cell-sites that surround Dell's corporate campus?

And the whole I-35 between Austin & DFW?

Big bandwidth driver + commute.

[Jwatz]

Complete **bleep** ..... Austin being the innovative city it is should have had verizon 4g a long time ago. There is no excuse.... it's especially irritating to hear local radio stations advertise it when it's not readily available. I've had it.... Time to switch to one of the other carriers offering 4g here.