Carriers

Yes, it's finally here. After almost four years of endless gossip, analyst forecasts, and so-called leaks, the Verizon iPhone is a reality. We're thrilled, to be honest, if only because we never have to write another rumor story again. The iPhone 4's arrival on a second U.S. network is significant, of course, but the smartphone market is a thousand times more mature than it was in 2007 when the first iPhone hit. So, though we expect Verizon to gain a lot of new customers, its iPhone faces heavy competition from rival carriers, and even from within … Read more

Ever since AT&T and Apple introduced the first iPhone four years ago, the carrier has raked in the cash and customers while selling iPhones by the millions. But along with that success, AT&T also has been blamed for a creaking network that has saddled users with dropped calls and slow data speeds.

Though AT&T doesn't deserve all of the blame, it shouldn't escape it completely. Indeed, when I was at CES last week, I couldn't get an iPhone signal anywhere near the Las Vegas Convention Center. It can be pretty miserable, … Read more

In less than 24 hours, and just over four years after the original iPhone was born, Verizon Wireless is poised to announce its own version of Apple's device. Needless to say, it will be a very big deal for the iPhone in the United States. Not only will it end AT&T's monopoly on the popular handset, but also Verizon Wireless stands to gain millions of new subscribers who've been waiting eagerly for years.

Indeed, it will ensure a very good year for Big Red. Even as it was enjoying a hugely successful CES 2011 with a gallery of 4G handsets and the award-winning Motorola Xoom tablet, the carrier told reporters last Friday that it would be sharing "the latest news" January 11, tomorrow, at 11 a.m. ET at New York's Lincoln Center. The invite didn't mention an iPhone specifically, but given the avalanche of leaks in recent days, all signs on the wireless Magic 8-Ball are pointing to yes.

Yet, even with the big news almost confirmed, there is still plenty we don't know. Just what will the Verizon iPhone offer, for example, and how will it differ from its AT&T counterpart? At its core, it won't vary much. It should have the same design and it shouldn't offer any new features. Remember that Apple is all about consistency and a uniform experience. That said, however, there are a few factors to keep in mind.

Network This, of course, is the biggest "what if." Given AT&T's iPhone troubles, many consumers are looking to the Verizon iPhone to cure their wireless woes. This is understandable, but I'd caution against thinking that Verizon's iPhone experience will be without any problems. Sure, Verizon runs a very tight network ship. You can get it almost anywhere, you can keep a call once you have it, and the carrier continually wins awards from third-party sources. That success has earned Verizon a lot of respect for its voice network and it will hold on to that image zealously. What's more, Verizon has undoubtedly learned from AT&T's misfortunes and it will not follow its rival in underestimating the infrastructure it needs.

Still, you can't forget that you're using a cellular network that's subject to the same factors that affect service on AT&T. Your location, urban density, geography, and how many users are on the network at one time will continue to affect service. Though I hear fewer complaints from iPhone users outside of urban areas, iPhone users in other countries have grumbled. A phone's reception depends on more than just the carrier, as the phone itself also plays a part. We've used plenty of other AT&T smartphones and don't get quite the experience that we do on the iPhone. … Read more

Since it precedes two very large wireless trade shows, Mobile World Congress and CTIA, you never know what CES will bring in the way of cell phones. Some years can be pretty quiet, but other years the wireless industry decides to show up in force. Fortunately, CES 2011 was a big wireless event, with two companies in particular, Motorola and Verizon Wireless, pulling out all the stops. You also might call it the "Year of 4G."

Moto goes the extra mile (and then some) It was late last year when we saw the first signs of a big … Read more

LAS VEGAS--AT&T announced at its Developer's Summit at CES this morning that it will launch its 4G LTE network by the middle of this year. Details of initial markets, pricing, and exact rollout plans are still few at this point, but the carrier says the network will be complete by 2013.

The news, which comes in the middle of a flurry of 4G announcements here, finally puts AT&T on the road to a high-speed data network. Though rivals like Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and MetroPCS have operated commercially available 4G networks for several months, AT&… Read more

Editors' note: This post was updated January 7, 2011, with new phones.

LAS VEGAS--CES doesn't begin for two days, but we know already that new 4G phones will take center stage at the annual gadget fest in Las Vegas. Sprint beat its rivals to the punch by announcing the HTC Evo Shift 4G this morning, but T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless will have grand unveiling events of their own. It's a good thing, too, considering that U.S. carriers now can really refer to their networks as "4G."

We'll be watching Big Red particularly closely … Read more

We knew it was coming, but Sprint confirmed today that its 4G WiMax network would go live in the San Francisco Bay Area on December 28. Sprint customers should be able to access the fast data speeds in most urban regions surrounding the bay including San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.

Though the carrier has been testing WiMax in the region since September--we've already used it in the CNET offices in San Francisco--the official launch date means the service is ready for commercial use. Also, the International Telecommunication Union recently classified WiMax as an official 4G technology.

Indeed, … Read more

For most of this year, "4G" has became the latest war-of-words battleground for U.S. carriers. But even as Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless rushed to outboast each other with claims of operating the best high-speed data network, the International Telecommunication Union declined to officially acknowledge their respective technologies as 4G.

The carriers, of course, never acknowledged that tidbit--admittedly, "not quite 4G" doesn't sound as exciting--but two weeks ago the ITU decided to cut them some slack anyway. At its December 6 meeting in Geneva, the ITU, an international standards body that officially designates wireless … Read more

Mobile Email 4.0 has finally arrived for owners of feature phones on Verizon Wireless. The new e-mail solution boasts an improved method of accessing e-mail that includes a "true push" experience, compatibility with Microsoft Exchange Email, Outlook Calendar sync, and a brand-new user interface.

As a reminder, the Mobile Email app isn't free--it's $5 a month with a Pay as You Go option, but it is included if you have a $15 or higher data plan.