Remember this picture from way back in June when Google announced the 2013 Nexus 7? Well unfortunately it was only partially true, as it seems that the Verizon section of this picture should now be officially crossed out. That’s mainly because Verizon has decided that the LTE version of the 2013 Nexus 7 is not worthy for their network, and will have no official support. This means no activation, and no ability to buy a separate data line for your brand new Nexus 7. While $349 is a steal for the tech you get for an LTE-enabled tablet, especially from Verizon, the main reason this isn’t on Verizon’s compatible list now is because the Nexus 7 only has an LTE and GSM modem inside, no CDMA. If you’ve been around the wireless world for a while, you’ll know that Sprint and Verizon, among a few other smaller carriers in the US, use a technology termed CDMA for their 3G technology, while AT&T, T-Mobile and many other carriers across the world use GSM. Since everyone is moving toward an LTE standard for future communications use, Google played it safe and picked the two biggest wireless technologies out there for its newest tablet, and in effect shut itself out of Verizon’s network because of this decision. A reader of Android Community sent a Tweet out to Verizon’s official Twitter support team, and received this response:
So while the cake was definitely a lie, there is still hope for those out there that have already bought the LTE Nexus 7, or those that were planning to. While you can’t officially purchase a separate data SIM card for the LTE Nexus 7, you can still put your own LTE-enabled SIM card into the tablet. This will enable you to use Verizon’s LTE network with no problems, but if you happen to roam into a non-LTE market you’re pretty much stuck with no data connection at all. While that’s highly unlikely given that Verizon states 99% of their 3G coverage area now has LTE coverage, there’s always that 1% chance you may not have data. There was some drama just yesterday when Google pulled the LTE Nexus 7 from the Play Store, and while there were a number of reasons Google did this, you can bet the Verizon network was part of that move.