Well, theoretically, if data traffic were at a high level say, at 6PM on Tuesday evening, it wouldn't make sense for VZ to allow someone who is connected via 4G, to stay connected all day simply because he initiated wifi hotspot for high data usage but not allow a person who periodically surfs the internet via his 4G, to get connected at all, so VZ *could* bump someone off who had a fast 4G connection to allow someone who hasn't had a connection in a while, to use the 4G system. If there was such an ability VZ made use of, this *could* explain why two people sitting next to each other with the same phone models have two different data connectivity displays - one with 4G and the other with 1X or no signal at all. VZ could rotate who gets bumped based on a number of factors. I'm not saying they're doing this, I'm just saying that maybe this would explain why people in the same general area have differing experiences.
There's an unexplained phenomenon going on and I thought perhaps something like this is going on why VZ works feverishly to expand their capacity to address these issues. I've been following many threads on this forum and there are a multitude of comments people have made which they've explained how they were able to get 4G to come back, but only sporadically. I tried a couple of methods such as powering the phone down, removing the battery cover, removing the battery, removing the SIM, reinstalling everything and powering back up and also downloading the Phone Info app from the market, activating the app, selecting 'Phone information' and changing the drop down to 'LTE mode', then back to 'CDMA + LTE/EvDo auto' and watching 4G come back from having no data connectivity at all.
I was in the midst of a 4G outage when I tried the latter of the two methods I mentioned but instead of putting the phone back into the 'CDMA + LTE/EvDo' mode, I left it in 'LTE mode' and I've not had a single data drop since. It's been almost two days but others in the same Detroit Metro area are still seeing outages.
I think you're right though. VZ is running the risk of frustrating customers if indeed they are network managing with a method like this and they will lose customers but I think that would all be accounted for in their Risk Assessment. They could be willing to suffer the attrition rate of doing something like this but possibly don't have much choice while they work to get more capacity. According to this article (
Outages put Verizon's 4G network to the test - CBS News) this time last year, VZ launched LTE in 38 markets. By the end of this year, they're expecting to reach 190 markets. Those of us with VZ are helping to subsidize this expansion and although VZ is known to be one of the most expensive carriers for what you pay for, there is no better when it comes to coverage and it's only getting better.
I hope that within a short span of time (like weeks, not months), those of us who experience network outages are rewarded by having the fastest most reliable network available. Admittedly, it's kind of fun to mess with my iPhone friends who try to look something up on the internet using their 3G iPhone and while they wait for the browser to respond, I not only have the info already up on my phone, but I'm reading it off to them and they're still waiting. Just imagine what it'll be like if and when VZ gets the network stabilized and grown to the levels they plan to have in place through next year... just imagine the possibilities! It's worth my $240 per month with a corporate discount and 3 phone lines (1 home and 2 mobile with Unlimited Data w/Hotspot) just to stick around long enough to experience the greatest network ever made!
