Verizon
Verizon Just Spent $45 Billion on New 5G Spectrum
The FCC today announced the winners of Auction 107 for radio frequency licenses in the coveted "C-Band". Verizon spent $45.5 billion, well over half the $81.1 billion total spent in the whole auction. All major US carriers spent large amounts, with AT&T spending $23.4 billion, T-Mobile spending $9.3 billion, and US Cellular spending $1.3 billion. Auction 107 is for radio frequencies spanning 3.7 to 3.98 GHz. This band is unusually large at 280 MHz wide, giving it valuable high capacity for many users and/or fast data speeds. Spectrum in these "mid-band" frequencies is also valuable because it's ideal for building 5G networks that offer a good balance of fast data speeds and broad coverage. Most current 5G networks in the US offer only fast speeds or broad coverage, an issue that is particularly acute for Verizon at the moment. Auction 107 is likely to be the largest and most important of several C-band auctions the FCC is holding. Auction 105 was the first, though it raised only $4.6 billion. The next will be Auction 110, for 3.45 – 3.55 GHz. The FCC finalized its proposed rules for that auction earlier this week.
Verizon, Google Offer New Intro Deals on Plans
Google Fi and Verizon Prepaid recently launched new introductory deals for new customers / added lines. Verizon Prepaid is offering the third month of service for free, while Google is offering half off the first three months of service. Verizon also offers "loyalty" discounts that kick in starting on the fourth month.
Visible Revamps Plans, Launches 5G and eSIM
Visible just launched a variety of new service offerings and revamped plans. Customers with compatible phones can now access Verizon's 5G network at no extra cost. The company's unlimited voice service now includes calling to Canada, Mexico, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Visible also now supports phone activation via eSIM on iPhones launched in 2018 (Xs and Xr) and newer, "with Android devices coming soon". Finally, the company has tweaked its Party Pay plans and added a referral program. Whereas Party Pay shared plans were previously capped at four people, they are now unlimited, with groups of four or more paying $25/month each. The company has also launched a community forum to help people find Party Pay groups to join. (The company does not require that groups be related, and in fact nearly one third of all customers using Party Pay are in a group with someone they don't know.) The referral program reduces your bill to $5 the month after you refer a new customer.
Motorola Sale Brings Verizon razr to just $500
Motorola and Verizon are running a Valentine's Day sale offering a $500 discount on the flex-screen razr (2019) and the 5G edge+. Both are normally priced at $1000, so the discount cuts the price in half, to just $500. That is, by far, the lowest price for a foldable phone to date. This discount is available to both new and existing customers, and does not require a new line nor trade-in, but it does require a "select unlimited plan" and is only available online. The sale started February 4th and runs through February 14th. Further discounts can lower the price to zero with an eligible phone trade-in. The companies are also offering a buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) deal on the edge+ "with new line activation and premium unlimited plan."
DC Metro Offers Underground Cell Service Systemwide
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority today announced the completion of its project to offer cellular service in all 100 miles of underground tunnels and stations in the Washington, D.C. Metrorail system. Passengers can now receive uninterrupted AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon service on their phones throughout their entire journey. The project was mandated in a bill passed by Congress in 2008.
Sony Finally Launches its 5G Phone for Video, Photo Professionals
Sony today launched the Xperia Pro, a $2,500 phone designed specifically for video and photo professionals. The Xperia Pro has four mmWave 5G antennas for reliable connection to Verizon's Ultra Wideband 5G network (where available). This enables live broadcast of video and speedy upload of photos. It has unique wired input capabilities — including micro-HDMI — allowing it to connect directly to professional video and still cameras. The phone also comes with an External Monitor app for use with professional cameras. A "Network Visualizer" feature helps users find the strongest 5G signal for solid live video transmissions. The Xperia Pro was first announced last February. Since then, the specs have been boosted from 8 to 12 of RAM. Other specs are as initially announced, including 512 GB storage, memory card slot, Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, 4,000 mAh battery, and a 6.5-inch OLED display with HDR and unique 1644 x 3840 pixel resolution. Its built-in triple rear cameras are all 12 megapixel and include standard, telephotos, and wide lenses, aided by "3D iToF" and RGB-IR color sensors. Additional features include water resistance, NFC, Wi-Fi 6, fast charging, and front-facing stereo speakers. It's available starting today from B&H Photo.
Kyocera DuraForce Ultra Brings the Rugged to Verizon's 5G Lineup
Kyocera today announced the DuraForce Ultra 5G UW, Kyocera's first 5G phone for the US and the first ultra-rugged phone in Verizon's 5G phone lineup. This ultra-rugged is certified military standard 810H to withstand drops of up to 5 feet directly onto concrete, water immersion (IPX6/IPX8), dust (IP6X), extreme temperatures, salt, fog, solar, shock, hazardous work environments and more. It's also fully washable and certified for Class I, Division 2 hazardous locations. Kyocera put its "virtually scratchproof" Sapphire Shield protection on both the display and camera lenses. It has a 24 megapixel main camera, 16 megapixel wide-angle (117º) camera, and an 8 megapixel front camera. It also has a ToF camera for fast auto-focus and advanced AR. The main camera supports pixel binning in low light, there's a multi-frame Super Night Vision mode, and an underwater mode. An Action Overlay "provides outdoor enthusiasts the ability to add elapsed time, distance, speed, G-force, altitude, date/time and map of route traveled to photos and videos". Dual front speakers provide 106dB of speakerphone and PTT volume for loud environments. The DuraForce Ultra also supports 802.11mc indoor positioning, CBRS, and Mission-Critical PTT (MCPTT). Other specs include a 4,500 battery, wireless charging, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, 5.45-inch full-HD display that works with gloves and when wet, fingerprint reader on the side, and a 3.5mm jack that supports stereo audio and PTT controls. Pricing will be announced when it launches on Verizon, which will be "very soon", according to Kyocera.
Motorola Unveils Full Affordable Lineup for 2021
Motorola today unveiled a full lineup of four new affordable phones, including three g-series models ranging from $169 – $299 and one 5G model for $399. All four feature large batteries (4,000 – 5,000 mAh) and large displays (6.5 – 6.8 inches). All four also include a fingerprint reader, multiple cameras, headset jack, memory card slot, USB-C connector, and a "water-repellant design" that protects against accidental spills, splashes, sweat, or light rain. They ship with Android 10 and Motorola promises one full OS version update plus two years of security updates. Moto's latest camera app supports AI scene detection and optimization, Google Lens, portrait mode, RAW format, Active Photos, Auto Smile Capture, Gesture Selfie, time-lapse, and slow-motion on all models. All four also support gestures such as Lift to unlock, Flip for DND (Do Not Disturb), Pick up to silence, and Fast flashlight, where a quick double-chop motion turns the flashlight on or off. All four phones will be available unlocked as well as from many US carriers.
- moto g play (2021): The most affordable at $170, this phone has a 6.5-inch HD display with notch, huge 5,000 mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 chipset, 3 GB RAM, and 32 GB built-in storage. Its primary 13 megapixel camera is assisted by a depth camera for portrait mode, and the front camera is 5 megapixel. It also has 10W fast charging. The new moto g play will be offered in the coming months by AT&T, Cricket, Boost Mobile, Consumer Cellular, Google Fi, Metro by T-Mobile, T-Mobile, Republic Wireless, Verizon, and Xfinity Mobile.
- moto g power (2021): Upgrades compared to the g play include: Snapdragon 662 chipset, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage, up to 15W fast charging, "48 megapixel" main camera that outputs 12-megapixel photos using pixel binning, 2-megapixel macro camera, and an 8-megapixel front camera. The upgraded main camera enables a Night Vision mode and better low-light performance in general. The camera app also gains Cinemagraph mode, Group Selfie, and Spot Color for video. The fingerprint reader moves to the side and the display is slightly larger at 6.6 inches, with a corner hole-punch design. This new moto g power will sell for $250, although Best Buy will sell a variant with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage for $200. It will also come to Boost Mobile, Cricket, Consumer Cellular, Google Fi, Republic Wireless, US Cellular, Verizon, and Xfinity Mobile in the coming months.
- moto g stylus (2021): This model adds a stylus that stows in the bottom-right of the phone. It comes with two special apps: Moto Note and Coloring Book. The stylus also offers system-wide shortcuts and works with third-party apps. This is the only model of the four to come with a smaller 4,000 mAh battery, which Motorola says was necessary to make room for the stylus. It has several spec upgrades compared to the g power, including a larger 6.8-inch display with full-HD resolution, Snapdragon 678 chipset, 128 GB storage, 8-megapixel wide-angle camera, 16 megapixel selfie camera, and 4K video capture. It will sell for $300 unlocked. Boost Mobile, Cricket, Consumer Cellular, and Republic Wireless will also offer it in the coming months.
- Motorola one 5G ace: Combines the best of the g power and g stylus specs (minus the stylus) while adding 5G (sub-6 GHz only) thanks to its Snapdragon 750G chipset. Other upgrades include 6 GB RAM, NFC, and an official IP rating for water resistance: IP54 for the T-Mobile version and IP52 for other versions. The display measures 6.7 inches with a centered hole-punch design, and the fingerprint reader is located on the back. It will run $400 unlocked. AT&T, Consumer Cellular, Google Fi, Metro by T-Mobile, T-Mobile, Republic Wireless, Verizon, and Xfinity Mobile will also offer it in the coming months.
Verizon Delays Shutdown of old CDMA Network
Verizon has once again delayed the planned shutdown of its legacy CDMA network. The company originally planned to shut down the network at the end of 2019, then in mid-2019 postponed it to the end of 2020. Now, the company says: "we don't have a plan to shut it down at this time". Verizon's original CDMA network was first launched as a 2G network by Bell Atlantic in 1996. Verizon then upgraded that CDMA network to 3G with the rollout of EV-DO technology in 2004. Each separate network technology requires its own dedicated part of the radio spectrum, and older technologies make less-efficient use of the limited resource that is radio spectrum. Verizon's original plans to phase out CDMA would have freed up more of Verizon's licensed spectrum for newer, more efficient 4G and 5G technologies, allowing the company to accommodate more 4G and 5G customers with better service. But apparently more customers remain active on the CDMA network than Verizon is willing to leave stranded.
Hands On with the TCL 10 5G UW for Verizon
In late 2020, the focus of the mobile world is still on 5G, but it's not on flagship phones; the hot race is who can offer the best $400 5G phone. Verizon's big bet in this race is on the TCL 10 5G UW, which stands out for including faster mmWave 5G, a feature that usually carries a price premium. And this phone has a number of other specs usually found only on much pricier phones. So what corners did TCL cut to reach this low price? Is the phone actually any good? We took it for a quick spin to find out. Here are our first impressions.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2: Full Details and Photos
Samsung has revealed new details of its Galaxy Z Fold2 foldable phone, the successor to last year's pioneering Galaxy Fold. While Samsung has improved or refined most aspects of the design — including the hinge — the much larger outer display stands out, having grown from 4.6 to 6.2 inches, and now protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. The flexible inner display is also larger thanks to thinner bezels, and is protected by Samsung's proprietary Ultra Thin Glass material that debuted on the Galaxy Z Flip earlier this year. It also supports adaptive screen refresh up to 120 Hz. Both screens have a single hole punch for a 10-megapixel selfie camera. The three rear cameras (standard, wide, and 2x telephoto) are all 12 megapixel. It has a 4,500 mAh battery. It supports 25W fast charging, 11W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging. Its radios include both sub-6 and mmWave 5G, UWB, NFC, and Wi-Fi 6. It's available in one spec configuration — 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage (no memory card slot) — for $1999. Samsung is also expanding the "Galaxy Z Premier Service" included with all of its Z series phones with new VIP amenities such as Founders Card membership. Color options for the Z Fold2 are: Mystic Bronze and Mystic Black. Optionally, the hinge color can be customized, which a choice of four metallic hinge colors: silver, gold, red, or blue. Starting September 18th, it will be available from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as well as unlocked directly from Samsung. Pre-orders start at midnight tonight. Read on for a photo gallery, full specs, and new software feature info.
Verizon Gives Kids Unlimited Data, Grown-Ups Free Disney+ and Hulu
Verizon has tweaked its unlimited plans to include more value at the same prices. The Just Kids plan now includes unlimited 4G data instead of a set 5GB. It's limited to 5 Mbps speed, just enough to stream video. The premium Play More and Get More plans now include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Previously, they only included Apple Music. (Apple Music is still included with Get More, but not Play More.) Previously, all plans included one free year of Disney+; that's been cut to a six-month trial on the cheaper plans. Verizon has also clarified that all of its unlimited plans will include access to the company's forthcoming sub-6 GHz "5G Nationwide" network with broad 5G coverage. Currently, Verizon only offers a mmWave "5G Ultra Wideband" network with higher speeds but very limited coverage. Access to that network will still require a premium plan such as Play More, Do More, or Get More. Those plans also include "Premium Network Access", which means priority access to the network (up to 50 GB), and the option for HD video streaming. Start Unlimited (and premium-plan customers exceeding 50 GB in one month) will experience slower speeds in times of network congestion. Plan prices remain unchanged. Play More — the cheapest plan to include the new streaming services — runs $80/month for a single line, $70/month/line for two lines, $55 with three lines, $45 with four lines, or $40 for five or more lines. Those prices also require Auto Pay and paper-free billing. Taxes and fees not included. The new plans will be available starting August 20th.
