You know, sometimes the things Verizon does we just have to shake our heads at. However, Verizon does have the best coverage, so some of us that live in places that don’t get coverage have to rely on Verizon and stick with them. But after this whole Nexus 7 thing, it’s getting harder and harder to do that.
Earlier this week, we’ve heard from a few people that Verizon refused to activate their Nexus 7 LTE on their network. Even though their LTE network is on the 700MHz band, which is open as part of the C Block from the FCC. The reason why I say Verizon “refused” to activate them, is because you could take your SIM out of your phone and stick it in your Nexus 7 LTE and it worked fine. But they won’t put it on your account and add $10 to your monthly bill. Pretty strange, right?
Yesterday, Verizon sent out a statement regarding Nexus 7 LTE and their network. Well today, they expanded on it a bit more. Here’s what Verizon’s PR said:
The Google Nexus 7 is not yet a Verizon 4G LTE certified device, though it entered our process in August and we expect it will be certified shortly. Once the device is certified, we will work with Google to enable the device to be activated on our 4G LTE network.
Verizon also explains how they have one of the most rigorous testing procedures of any carrier and that certified third-parties, who are actively selected by Verizon and the manufacturer are hard at work. Verizon says they hope to have the Nexus 7 certified “soon”. Whatever that means.
This statement gives us a little bit of hope, but not much. It also doesn’t address any issues about the C block auction rules and how Verizon might be violating them. We are waiting on more from Verizon and we’ll be sure to let you know what happens as we learn more.