Austin, Texas LTE...or lack thereof

[zilkerparke]

Alright guys, 

First off I wanted to say that this is my first post here, and I in no way mean to come off as ranting or trolling, but to be honest I had to create an account to express my dissatisfaction with LTE growth plans as they currently stand. Why in god's name is there no plan to bring 4G coverage to Austin,Texas? Being a very technologically forward city/major hub of growth in semiconductor/cellular technologies I can just see absolutely no reason why Verizon has no immediate plans to bring LTE here...

Adding insult to injury, the next two cities they plan to incorporate in Texas are Bryan-College Station and Galveston... If anyone reading this has ever been to Texas they would understand why this is a complete joke, since not only population wise, but market-wise it makes absolutely no sense...

Can somebody, anybody, please shed some light on why Verizon is making this terrible decision? It is literally the only thing stopping me from switching carriers.

Appreciate any opinions,

Zilkerparke

[Jax_Omen]

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/CoverageLocatorController?requesttype=NEWREQUEST&lid=//global//co... locator

Looks like east Austin borders an LTE area currently, I can't imagine it taking a long time for that to extend into the rest of Austin.

[zilkerparke]

Apparently the airport is good enough for the coverage which explains the clumping in Southeast Austin, but what about the hundreds of thousands of University students and business people located in central/downtown?

[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]

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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.

[willzzz99]

Look it will come over time. Austin has enough high-tech businesses including semi-conductors that there is a decent amount of fiber/fibre optics in the ground from AT&T, Verizon, and the local cable company. VZW requires their suppliers to supply a 1GbE, GigE, 1Gbps, or GigabitEthernet-X circuit from their MSC (Mobile Switching Center) to their cell sites in a metro area for LTE. The MSC also has to be upgraded to 10G back-haul onto the nation-wide Verizon Business/Verizon IP backbone. It's in San Antonio and Dallas is it not!? Just wait, it will be there over time...

[enyalius]

Well put, willzzz.  From what I have been readin, Verizon hopes to have LTE coverage by 2013, making it one of the fastest new technology implementations/rollouts that I have ever seen.  

I mean no offense, and Austin is certainly a city with a large enough, techie enough population to warrant LTE, but I'm sure most people feel that their city deserves LTE right now.  It's coming to everyone, though, and it's coming quickly.

[jscaldwell]

No, this is ridiculous - I agree with the original post. This is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country with a very high end tech community/university and we're not part of the next wave? Can someone seriously defend the other cities coming first like Fargo ND, Ogden UT, Bakersfield CA, Lima OH, Las Cruces NM, etc. (I could go on). Even El Paso makes little sense having this service before Austin. Seriously, give me a break...

[enyalius]

Dude....  The rollout is what it is and whining won't change that.  Who cares who has (supposedly) 'the fastest growing metro population' with whatever bells and whistles you can think of?  You'll get it when you get it, and I can't understand how people can be so impatient.  This is especially confusing given the breakneck speed with which the rollout is taking place.  Do people really feel immediately entitled to something that has never existed before but which is coming their way eventually?  Now that is ridiculous!

[cbuzz]

Agreed with the OP.  It makes no sense to not have this technology hub not to be one of the first communities to receive LTE.  From all reports we are one of  the most wired cities in the nation.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that Austin is an Apple iPhone hotbed and not a Verizon core center.

[fewsilly]

I had to register to make a comment what a horrible process. Made me go through two registrations.  Then once I was done I could not get back to this page without going back to google to find this page again. I live in Austin and I to am very frustrated that Verizon is not putting 4g here.  Do they not understand that a ton of tech people come here every year for SXSW. Do they not understand how much bad tech press they are going to get next April when everybody gets here and can't get 4g. I bet somebody at Verizon wakes up before then and at least gets down town with 4g.  I heard a rumor the other day they are testing it downtown Austin. Verizon is not stupid enough to not have 4g by april it will make them look real bad.

[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

[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.

[sp2]

Eventhough verizon claims to cover zip code 78754 in under 4G LTE network, i hardly get 2 bars for even 3G network on my HTC thunderbolt. 4G LTE is a distant dream.

Moved from AT&T to verizon fpor 4G LTE but now having second thoughts.

[Austinedc]

I live in Austin, and work in west Austin, in the 78735 area code.  Tonight around 2am, I noticed  my HTC Thunderbolt switched from 3G to full bars 4G.  Not sure if Verizon is running tests on the LTE for Austin, or if this signal is live.  I did a speed test and ping, and it is real 4G....

[Opus_Penguin]

Their map now shows Austin getting 4g LTE sometime this year. So testing is a very good possibility.